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G'day BW,
At the local library soaking up the freebie air con.
Smoke is bad here again today.
The Alstom third rail info that you have scrounged is different to that I unearthed.
Our smog hollow George Street version has the pair of conductor strips ontop of the third rail
The third rail being partially hollow possessing the power cables for supply and return inside.
The tram pickup shoe has prongs that contact the pair of conductor strips on the top of the rail.
The third rail is grounded to prevent any power supply until a tram is above the rail.
A sensing circuit detects the tram and powers up a short section of the third rail under the centre of the tram.
This section of third rail powered moving with the tram.
The trams were acquired from Spain.
To provide for as long a longevity as possible for the third rail which would be expensive to replace, the pickup shoe has soft alloy prongs.
These being replaced as they wear out.
The Bombardier system not having any physical contact between the tram and power supply.
I presume would be even more expensive a system to employ.
I woulda ignored them whingers in smog hollow about ghastly catenary.
Just strung it up the entire length of George Street.
Them whingers probably the mob that eventually got the stupid smog hollow Monorail dismantled due to being unsightly.
Let them eat cake, as some French person supposedly said.
Steve.
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