A City Class benditram able to turn around 15m radius, certainly can.
Dear Dave,
We estimate a 20m turning radius on our tram design.
I believe VLR say theirs is 15m
Generally they are c30m
I hope this is helpful.
With very best wishes,
Beverley Nielsen
Chair
Ultra Light Rail Partners
ulrpartners.co.uk
See also : https://bathtrams.uk/structure-gauge-and-dynamic-kinematic-envelope/
The definition is as follows:turning radius (R) is defined as the track centre line radius, so the inner rail has a radius of R-0.716m and the outer rail R+0.716m (for a track gauge of 1.435m).As well as this, there is the tram ‘swept path’ in traversing a curve. This however is more complicated and depends on each tram’s geometry. The swept path depends on the width of the tram, the spacing between bogies (or wheel sets), and the over hang of the front and rear of each tram. By way of illustration I have attached a swept path for the City Class tram around a simple 15m radius curve, and another over a ‘S’ curve without a transition (straight) section. As the radius of the track curve gets smaller, the width of the swept path widens. This effects track layout in streets and the (re)location of street furniture to ensure safe operation and adequate clearances.
Bendibuses have a minimum turning radius of 22m. So if a bendibus can get around corners in Bath, a City Class benditram able to turn around 15m radius, certainly can.
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From Stack Exchange: https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/163499/what-is-the-sharpest-bend-in-a-tram-track
I recently received an email about track maintenance to the tram network. It included the following sentence:
Track at the corner of Fletcher Gate and Victoria Street – believed to be one of the sharpest bends on a UK tram system – will be replaced to ensure tram services can continue to be provided safely and reliably.
Here is the location of said curve: (52.9532937, -1.1453881). I’d estimate it to be around a 20m radius.
I am now, of course, interested in what the sharpest (smallest radius) bend is in a tram track.
I’d be interested in tram tracks from around the world, although it would be nice to know if the Fletcher Gate / Victoria Street bend is the sharpest in the U.K.
1 Answer
Maybe the Green Line in Boston? According to Wikipedia it has a minimum radius of 10m. That must either be the Boylston Street turn or the entrance to North Station. There is an actual STOP sign at the tunnel entrance and then the speed limit in the tunnel is posted at 3 miles/hour. The ride at this spot is accompanied by a good awful squeal that takes your eardrums out.
Similarly tight: goo.gl/maps/CwkQ5iASWLz9FrBWA. Edwin_m also thinks it’s the lace market corner: railforums.co.uk/threads/…
Apr 26, 2021 at 21:46
25m radius is super common, but that one you linked has roughly 18m radius. Here’s one with 17.5m radius, but it’s in a museum: google.com/maps/place/…
Apr 26, 2021 at 22:25
San Francisco has several that, based on rough Google Maps measurement, look like about 15-16m. For instance 9th and Judah, 17th and Market at Castro, 30th and San Jose, and a slightly larger 180 degree turnaround at Judah and Great Highway. Would they count? Hmm, Wikipedia quotes it as 13.1m.
Apr 27, 2021 at 0:58
Newark seems to have a pretty tight corner at Mulberry and Raymond, but it’s underground so hard to measure on a map. Toronto has got some tight ones, e.g. Church and King for which 12-13m looks plausible.
Apr 27, 2021 at 1:22
Lisbon would seem a good candidate to check, with some tracks only being navigable by tiny trams as they go up steep, twisty streets
Apr 27, 2021 at 8:12