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ieTrams

Heartland

master brummie
A Spanish Bus and Coach company is supplying a new type of vehicle to London Transport. Irizar who have a British agency in Worksop, have made 20 of their ie Trams for London. The concept is that they are electric battery buses which use a pantograph to supply power to recharge the batteries at each end of the route

The vehicles can be single units or articulated 2 vehicle sets which do not run on tracks but road wheels and yet they are called "trams". Is is a new type of "rail less traction", as trolley buses were first known?
 
The Wikipedia definition of a tram is:
"A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in the United States and Canada) is a type of urban rail transit consisting of rail vehicles, either individual railcars or self-propelled trains coupled into multiple units that run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way". I would argue with the name, especially as their website ( https://irizar-emobility.com/en/vehicles/irizar-ie-tram ) states "The Irizar ie tram is a 100% electric, zero-emission bus"
 
i would argue too that they are trolly buses
 
i would argue too that they are trolly buses
but, but, but, it only gets charged**at each end of the route ie The 358 bus (Crystal Palace) has 78 stops departing from Orpington Bus Station (E) and ending at Crystal Palace Parade (C).

Charging is via an inverted pantograph. ie it is a fixed construction where the bus is driven under the pantograph which comes down to the bus
 

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It seems, as Curly described, that the vehicle is charged only at the terminal points by using the pantograph. The word tram appears to be a misnomer for the vehicles for what is a battery operated bus. But you need to consider that the vehicle is made in the Basque Country, of Spain, and the description is simply a play on words.
 
I was 94 last week and when I was young trams was one of my favourite form of transport, particularly the 3X (Witton to City Centre) as I lived in Aston. Also as an amateur water colour painter it was one of my favourite subjects, attached is a winter painting of the 79 on the Tyburn Road near Pype Hayes circa 1950. Eric
 

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Certainly this is a bus, it doesn't need all those tracks as are being installed around the city, what a waste! Pathetic it can't be built in UK by a British company.
 
I was 94 last week and when I was young trams was one of my favourite form of transport, particularly the 3X (Witton to City Centre) as I lived in Aston. Also as an amateur water colour painter it was one of my favourite subjects, attached is a winter painting of the 79 on the Tyburn Road near Pype Hayes circa 1950. Eric
Another wonderful piece of art Eric, thank you! Congratulations on being 94, and I do remember taking the 70 tram to the terminus visiting my aunt Amy!
 
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