Tag Archives: pantographs

Complicated crossing for train and trolleybus in Zurich

I’ve previously written about how tram and trolleybus wires cross over, and in my home of Melbourne, Australia railway and tram wires cross at multiple locations. But this massive steel bridge above a level crossing takes the cake for mechanical […]

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Moscow Metro train depots

Every railway needs somewhere to store and repair their trains – and the Moscow Metro is no different. On my visit I travelled past one of these facilities – the электродепо (electric train depot) at Фили (Fili) on the Filyovskaya Line.

Looking across the Moscow Metro depot at Фили (Fili) Continue reading

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Maintenance vehicles of the Budapest tramways

Tramway operators need a fleet of special vehicles to keep the tracks and overhead lines in good working order, and the city of Budapest is no different.

'Üzemzavar Elhárítás' truck for the Budapest tramways Continue reading

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When tram and trolleybus wires cross

Trams and trolleybuses have one thing in common – they pull their power supply from wires above the vehicles. This presents difficulties when the two modes of transport cross paths.

Combino Supra #2030 passes a stopped trolleybus Continue reading

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Keeping ice off the overhead wires

In a land of freezing cold winters, it isn’t just the tracks that get covered with snow – ice builds up on the overhead lines used to power electric trains, acting as an electrical insulator to prevent the pantograph contacting the wire, which interrupts the flow of current and creates a shower of sparks. So what issues does that cause to rail operations?

електри́чка (suburban electrical multiple unit) train outside the city of Ясинувата (Yasynuvata) Continue reading

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Bucharest Metro mixing third rail and overhead power

The metro system in the Romanian city of Bucharest is like most European urban rail networks, and uses a third rail to power their electric multiple unit trains. However on my journey around the network I discovered something odd – a miniature pantograph on the roof of some trains – so why would a railway mix two different ways of current collection?

Third rail running along the tracks of the Bucharest Metro Continue reading

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