Driving an old tram in Oslo

[@hgaarder]

@peteru18 It's perfectly safe in the hands of a skilled driver, but dangerous in the hands of a driver only used to modern controls. The black wheel on the right hand side of the driver is the handbrake, which is applied to halt the tram when the electric brake stops funtioning at very low speed.

[@keeelllaaan]

Beautiful, good job!

[@lordmattis94]

i work at the tramworkshop where this one is parked

[@Ragnar8504]

The hand position isn't exactly by the book ;-)

[@tph2558]

Still gives a good burst of speed even for 114 years old we have a tram in Blackpool that is 115 years old and can also give the modern trams a run for their money

[@weeardguy]

That's probably because the modern traction systems either limit the maximum current running through the motors (the modern motor is most likely far less capable of being pushed beyond it's limits compared to this oldie) but the modern electronics most likely also will try to limit the current drawn from the overhead wires, to prevent the switch- or substation cutting off power because of too much current running through the overhead wires. Multiple trams in Amsterdam waiting in line to get going again and accelerating at the same time pose a real threat to the continuity of the system, which is why they usually wait a while before following the tram in front of them.

[@theduck2811]

Looks like fun.

[@peteru18]

Giving the killing 750V directly through the controller seems to be the most unsafe way of controlling trams. But, this is 1913... Anyway - the driver does a good job... and what is the black wheel on the right hand side of the cab for?

[@weeardguy]

You didn't know better back then ;) As a kid, I've been seated numerous times right behind the driver in Amsterdam trams, where they most likely used the same voltage right into the controller... Bear in mind: those trams were made in the Netherlands and much of the work was absolutely made to last: the quality was very high. We even have a very old type of train from 1924 if I remember it right, that once pulled a stranded, modern passenger train to a station. The train was not at all designed to do that (it was underpowered, the passenger train was more than 7 times as heavy or so than their original consist) but because they got their most skilled driver at the controls they managed to get the train to the nearest station. Yes, the oldie had to cool down for an hour or so as it had gotten quite the beating, but all the insulation in the motors had proven to be up to the job, and that from an era when everything was manual labour. And this is what happened a few years ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYu9enilZbOLh7s

[@trevormcdonald6325]

I'm surprised that he is not deaf from that bell all day

[@bobparsons77]

Bell rung by the foot?

[@svedman]

Yes.

[@peteru18]

@hgaarder I am aware of that. But is still unsafe to a degree, however skilled the driver is. And thanks for the info.

[@RichMantaray]

Ied take the handle off an put it on over side