Freight trams

DeletedUser21 · Post by **DeletedUser21** » 23 Nov 2005 21:07

In the news here:

If it was up to the city of Amsterdam, most freight will be delivered by trams. Studies conclude that there will be less truck accidents if there are a very few trucks in the narrow streets of the city. It's also concludes that is not only saver but also cheaper and more enviromental healthier because all trams drive on electricity by overhead wires, and cheaper because there won't be a need for extensive road reconstruction per year due to the heavyload being transported on excisting rails.

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I like the plan, now they are finding out if the tram system in the city is capable of having more load.

Zuu · Post by **Zuu** » 23 Nov 2005 21:38

Indeed verry interesting. I don't know how good tram-net amsterdam have. But won't it be a problem if trucks like UPS cant delivery their packages whole way to their costumer.

But maybe for companies that send or recive lotts of goods a tram track can be built to reach their goods delivery hall. But building a tram track does probably cost quite a lot.

Red*Star · Post by **Red*Star** » 23 Nov 2005 21:52

First of all, invent the steam engine and, after some time figuring out what to do with it, build lots of railroad tracks for (in the beginning: steam) trains.

Sometimes invent the car, invest over the time enormous sums into street infrastructure, build motorways, highways, whatever, while decommissioning more and more railroad and tram tracks.

And then, years, decades later, find out that tram is safer, cheaper, and environmental healthier.

*rolleyes*

Can anybody tell me what we will do next

Well, I don't know any about the exact situation in Amsterdam or the Netherlands in general, but... applied on the whole "transport issue" it is so ... stupid? Is it? Isn't it? I don't know...

Red

Wile E. Coyote · Post by **Wile E. Coyote** » 23 Nov 2005 21:53

Sounds interesting.
Do you have maybe some pics?

Illegal_Alien · Post by **Illegal_Alien** » 23 Nov 2005 21:57

I thought there was such plan a few years ago also in Rotterdam; Using the Metrosystem in the night for Cargo delivery. But i dont know much about it.

Zuu · Post by **Zuu** » 23 Nov 2005 22:01

Ive heard plans about coordinating trucks transports in a city in Sweden that I have lived in to minimize environmental impacts. But I gues that is allready common and old in *big* cities like Amsterdam etc.

abarten · Post by **abarten** » 25 Nov 2005 15:38

Back in the period of about 1900-1930 we had what we called interurbans here in the States. They were electric trolleys that ran from city to city and often ran through the city streets (in some cities only at night) delivering passengers and freight. The biggest connected network operated in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. The biggest single line was in Southern California (ie, the Pacific Electric with over 700 route miles).

The cars were big - same size as standard railroad coaches. Some were combination coach and baggage and carried a lot of parcels. The all-freight cars were called express cars and were also big. Sometimes they pulled separate frieght cars. Then there were electric locos that pulled trains of freight cars - again, sometimes through the cities and mostly at night.

There's a lot of nostalgia for this in places, but there are sectors of the country that adamently oppose public transport of any kind (probably because they don't have big cities and don't realize the congestion that automobiles produce - or maybe they get a high on gas fumes).

I would like to hear more about the Amsterdam proposal as it develops. I visited Amsterdam 15 years ago and rode the trams all over the place. It was great!!

Al

Hyronymus · Post by **Hyronymus** » 25 Nov 2005 15:57

Doesn't Volkswagen supply a factory in Germany by trams in the early morning hours?

bram · Post by **bram** » 25 Nov 2005 16:37

I know DHL uses boats in the Amsterdam canals to deliver parcels.

krtaylor · Post by **krtaylor** » 25 Nov 2005 17:38

Hyronymus wrote:Doesn't Volkswagen supply a factory in Germany by trams in the early morning hours?

Yes, something like that, and there are photos of it posted in the Forums somewhere. I remember seeing them. They look just like normal trams except with no windows, and cargo doors.

DeletedUser21 · Post by **DeletedUser21** » 15 Mar 2007 13:32

Bumpage!

Cargo trams are now a reality! (I have seen them too since I work in Amsterdam.

)

Let´s see if I can find some info about this...

AH!
Link1
Link2

It seems they have refitted some older tram types for this job.

Toni Babelony · Post by **Toni Babelony** » 15 Mar 2007 13:50

Some pictures of the Cargo Tram in Amsterdam.

http://tram-2.andreetjes-website.nl/car ... terdam.htm

I hope these are replaced very soon, since they are IMO very inefficient in loading/unloding-speeds... It would be cool to see how they are delevering cargoes to the shops in the Leidse Straat!

Ameecher · Post by **Ameecher** » 15 Mar 2007 16:26

I like the idea but what happens when the tram needs to unload? won't it block the tracks (and the roads) for other trams and buses etc. ?

DeletedUser21 · Post by **DeletedUser21** » 15 Mar 2007 16:28

Ameecher wrote:I like the idea but what happens when the tram needs to unload? won't it block the tracks (and the roads) for other trams and buses etc. ?

I tought they build special tracks for it to (un)load.

But I'm not quite sure. I guess they tought about that.

SM9T8 · Post by **SM9T8** » 15 Mar 2007 17:54

I'd prefer it if we could just run normal trains (adapted engines maybe) on tram rails at slow speeds, but as I know this is an impossible feature, I'd go with this instead.

Toni Babelony · Post by **Toni Babelony** » 15 Mar 2007 19:16

Mr. X wrote:
Ameecher wrote:I like the idea but what happens when the tram needs to unload? won't it block the tracks (and the roads) for other trams and buses etc. ?
I tought they build special tracks for it to (un)load. But I'm not quite sure. I guess they tought about that.

I think they hurry all the packages, before they reach the destination, to the exits. Then stop briefly and cick all the goods out as fast as they can!

After that the tram rushes to the next stop. And repeats the same scheme. This should only take less than a minute IMO

Flavius · Post by **Flavius** » 15 Mar 2007 20:49

Remember they are operating in AM hours, everybody is asleep. There would be little passenger traffic at this time.

michael blunck · Post by **michael blunck** » 15 Mar 2007 21:34

Rollo wrote:Remember they are operating in AM hours, everybody is asleep. There would be little passenger traffic at this time.

I think that was common practice in older times. E.g., in Berlin in the 1920s there were regular coal trains at 2:00 am, street running from the Görlitz Freight Station on the tram tracks via Skalitzer Str.-> Wassertorplatz -> Glitschiner Str for the Gas Works. On the way back, the trains carried freight cars with coke and tank waggons with ammonia in addition to their empty coal waggons.

Happy night hours.

regards
Michael

Arathorn · Post by **Arathorn** » 15 Mar 2007 22:16

Nice for the people who want to sleep at night. I heard the latest batch of trams bought by the transport company in Amsterdam schrieked a lot.

DeletedUser21 · Post by **DeletedUser21** » 15 Mar 2007 22:23

I saw one today too, I again came from my work. I walked towards the subway and I had to stop for it because I wanted to cross the road. It drove away from me to something that looked like track that was abandoned awhile ago. So I think that they re-use some tracks also.

(It was the purple one, with the imitation 'truck' livery with 'Nuon' the powerplant company.)

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