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Accumalator Car

Hi again,
I've attached what is possibly the only known picture of car 113.

Car 113, at least, had a single motor with a wheel actuated controller mounted horizontally under the stairs at each end. The controller could tap the batteries in three series/parallel combinations: 16v for starting, 32 volts for slow running and 64v for "speed": there were further constant low voltage contacts which were believed to have been for car lighting.
The car apears to have been a standard Horse tram design that had the largest electric motor slung under it that would fit. I say horse tram as there was no separate truck, just four axle guards bolted individually to the underside: the only springing being that of the journals which would have resulted in a rough ride.

Ive got drawings for 113 also which I'll post when I dig them out.

All the best,
Ken Attwood
 
Hi, me again,
I tried to attach the picture of 113, but failed, sorry, I keep getting the document upload failed message in the box: I'll try again in a few days.

All the best,
Ken Attwood.
 
Re: Accumulator Car

Thanks for this information - very interesting, will follow it up. I do know a little more about the context of the building of the smaller cars - the tensions in the EPS company about the appearance of battery failure and high costs - which were parallelled in the accumulator trams running along Barking Road on the North Metropolitan tramway lines. The G.E.P. & T Co were running them there and so were asked to try a new car at Birmingham, which was really the most conspicuous trial of the machines.
 
Hi I wondered if you had managed to find the drawings for car 113?
 
Hi,
I'd lost touch with this web site: thanks for reminding me that it exists!
As to car 113, I obtained a drawing from Terry Russellwho is a well known supplier of tramway modelling parts and drawings (his web address being as follows).

https://www.terryrusselltrams.co.uk/

The drawing is adequate for model making , however I would dearly like to get hold of copies of the original engineering drawings.......!

There is also a very detailed artical by Peter Hamond in the Dec 2008 issue of "Tramway Review" , published by the LRTA. In the articla, Mr Hammond, one of the leading authorities on Birmingham tramways, summerizes just about everything that is known about the battery system. Its well worth getting hold of, if you are interested. A web search will turn up the link.

As for my own efforts: I'm stalled! I cannot find any details of the internal livery worn by 113 and am loath to guess as once assembled, internal re-painting will be impossible.

Thanks for your interest,
Ken Attwood.
 
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Hi Ken,
Thanks for your kind reply. I'll look into the Terry Russell drawings, thanks a lot.
I have seen Peter Hammond's article 'Experimental battery traction in Birmingham, 1890-1901 (as you say, in Tramway Review - No.216 Dec 2008, pp.270-277) and it is also preceded by an article the same author wrote when building a model of one of the double bogie cars, see Hammond, P. 'A Birmingham Battery Tram', in Tramfare No.231, May-June 2006, pp.8-10 - see https://www.tramwayinfo.com/

There are some other references around to older articles on these subjects, but some of the source publications are harder to come by - J.S. Webb's piece I mentioned in a previous post to this thread, but also an interesting short piece in Hudson History's journal Industrial Archeology , entitled 'Birmingham's Battery Trams', Vol.15(3), Autumn 1997, pp. 2-5, available from
https://www.hudsonhistory.co.uk/index.html


Regards
Chris
 
That description of a trial run is interesting, as it was the demonstration to the 'City Fathers' of an alternative form of mechanical traction, for use in areas where the smell and noise of steam tram engines or unsightly overhead wires would cause offence to the local populace. Also, it is the only recorded journey of one of the accumulator cars on any other road than Bristol Road, where they were constructed to run (subject to the approval obviously given after this trial).

The electrical contractor involved in the accumulator cars' construction, Elwell Parker's 'Electrical Construction Co.' (ECC) also built a battery locomotive, the 'Julien', which was demonstrated on several tramways hauling trailer cars in place of steam locomotives, but sadly received little interest. [I now note it is mentioned in an earlier post]
It is seen here with the type of steam engine it was intended to replace.

ECCtram.jpg
 
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