News & Discussion: Trams

[rubberman]

If you follow the link, there's a series of links to google maps. On those maps is a display of tram stops from the old system. That includes route numbers.

http://www.trammuseumadelaide.com/413556012

As far as I know, tram types A (and variants), B,C,D, E, E1, all had route numbers at some time or other. Tram types F,F1,G,H,H1 never had them. Some early destination blinds also had coloured symbol displays as well.

[rubberman]

The rest of the overhead crossing pans now put up. Section insulators in place just East of King William Street, on North Terrace. Pulleys and ears up ready for installation of the final overhead for the curve from North Terrace into King William Street. Some uprights installed on the University stop.

[Haso]

If you follow the link, there's a series of links to google maps. On those maps is a display of tram stops from the old system. That includes route numbers.

http://www.trammuseumadelaide.com/413556012

As far as I know, tram types A (and variants), B,C,D, E, E1, all had route numbers at some time or other. Tram types F,F1,G,H,H1 never had them. Some early destination blinds also had coloured symbol displays as well.

Ta. Do you know or someone else why they stopped with displaying route numbers? Type F and on are “newer” trams…

[[Shuz]]

I've heard an old wives tale that the numbering of the bus routes is a legacy carryover of the route numbering from the old tram system - i.e. the 141 and 143 buses to the eastern suburbs was the old Route 14 tram to the Burnside and the 170, 171, 172, etc. was the old Route 17 tram to Mitcham, and the 115, 117 and 118 the old Route 11 Port Road tram? Is this true?

[Norman]

I've heard an old wives tale that the numbering of the bus routes is a legacy carryover of the route numbering from the old tram system - i.e. the 141 and 143 buses to the eastern suburbs was the old Route 14 tram to the Burnside and the 170, 171, 172, etc. was the old Route 17 tram to Mitcham, and the 115, 117 and 118 the old Route 11 Port Road tram? Is this true?

Unfortunately not. Route 11, according to the Tram Museum website, went to Kensington Gardens. The route along Grange Road was Route 23.

[Haso]

Literally I had only two minutes to take the photos… hope this will at least illustrate how it is now…

KWNT1.jpg (207.48 KiB) Viewed 2950 times

Needs to be completed... it just hangs there...

KWNT1a.jpg (74.72 KiB) Viewed 2950 times

Needs to be completed... it hangs above the power line

KWNT2.jpg (389.05 KiB) Viewed 2950 times

[rubberman]

Haso,

They have still got some overhead feeders being worked on, so the section insulators are most likely part of a reconfiguration of those traction feeders. Plus, of course when the rest of the overhead goes up.

Gawler Place North side

20180214_134542_resized_1.jpg (489.23 KiB) Viewed 2848 times

University

20180214_135015_resized.jpg (438.1 KiB) Viewed 2848 times

East End

20180214_135407_resized_1.jpg (509.81 KiB) Viewed 2848 times

Ah, and I don't know why the MTT discontinued the use of route numbers. It might have been because trams of different routes didn't share much track outside the CBD. So, on most routes, people knew a tram was going to the city, or to the terminus, that's it. Not like being in Sídliště Barrandov and having several possible termini and routes a tram might be travelling.

[English Electric]

It will be interested to see how Adelaide's passengers cope with the choice of tram routes when the new extensions open, limited though the variety wll be at first.

Reason for saying this is that for past 50 years, tram passengers haven't needed to look at the destination on the front of their tram at all. It was either going to Glenelg or the City (more recently the Entertainment Centre), and so long as you were heading in the right general direction. you'd probably be OK.

With new extensions, a tram in future could be travelling on any of these routes:

• Glenelg/RAH (West Terrace).
• Entertainment Centre/East Terrace.
• Glenelg/Festival Centre (Peak hour & major events only)

(at least, I think that's the plan)

Until around 2015, when the West / South Terrace City Shuttles ran, I regularly took the tram from the city centre to the South Terrace stop. If I happened to be on one of the South Terrace terminators (50% chance of that happening), once we arrived at South Terrace there would invariably be one, often two or three passengers who just sat there obliviously waiting to be carried on towards Glenelg. This was despite automated announcements on board, and quite frequently an extra manual announcement from the driver that the tram was terminating.

In future, unless passengers get into the habit of looking at the front of the tram before they get on, they could find themselves being taken along North Terrace rather than down King William St, or to the Festival Centre rather than the Entertainment Centre P&R.

Cue complaints on Twitter and letters to The Advertiser (depending on age group) about "tram taking me the wrong way".

[SBD]

Surely that is not much different than happens now on outbound trains - they could be going to Tonsley or Seaford, Grange or Outer Harbor (or soon Port Dock), Gawler or Gawler Central, and some of those have express options that might not stop where you want to get off even if you aren't going all the way.

[GrowAdelaide]

I think people can work out which tram to get on - its not that complicated. What they could consider is having announcements and signage in Mandarin as well.

[[Shuz]]

Why would we have signs in Mandarin? This is an English speaking country.

[Nathan]

Why would we have signs in Mandarin? This is an English speaking country.

Because it's beneficial for tourists. There are plenty of non-English speaking countries that add English (and other languages) as secondary labels on signage, particularly for transport.

Example: JR East signage in Tokyo. The English station names have long been on the signs, the Chinese and Korean are new additions (as are the, IMO superfluous, metro style line and station code), as preparations for the Olympics. Screens displaying route info inside the trains also rotate between Japanese and English.

[Nort]

Why would we have signs in Mandarin? This is an English speaking country.

As far as I'm aware Tourism Australia doesn't restrict its ad campaigns to English speaking countries (and nor should it!)

[Norman]

I would support bi-lingual signs in Mandarin on the tram, just like they do on the City Free buses, but not audible announcements. The population of mandarin-speaking people, even if you do incorporate tourists, is still very low.

Tokyo and the other big Japanese cities are a different subject. They have a lot of tourists and business people from English-speaking countries that rely on the subways and trains to get around. Tokyo is a world city, and English is the world city standard. The further you get out of Tokyo, the less prevalent the bi-lingual signs and announcements are.

[Nort]

I would support bi-lingual signs in Mandarin on the tram, just like they do on the City Free buses, but not audible announcements.

You're worried Adelaidians ears will burn if they hear an announcement they can't understand?