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Pgcc93 wrote:The question is: How much longer would the rope have been on the outer circle compared to the inner? Over to you Math heads
Buzby wrote:Two observations - I was taken on a tour of the original electric system prior to its major remodelling and loss of Copeland Road/ Merkland St etc - the maintenance driver stopped the train between West Street and Shields road so we could look at the cable chanber which went off on the left (drivers) side of each tunnel to allow the cable to enter and leave the cable run above.
The point he made gave me considerable respect for the drivers (or 'grippers') was because there was a 6 foot gap at this point on both the inner and outer circles, and the gripper had to be completely disengaged from the cable while at speed, to coast past the gap and then re-acquire the cable on the far side for the journey on to Shields Road or West Street.
What complicated matters further, was that the cable ALSO had a join, and the grippers had to look out for the red painted section of the cable which warned them that the spliced join was shortly to arrive, and they were not to make any attempt to grip the cable here as it weakened the join. I was told some old hands could work a full shift and knew instinctively within a minute or so of then the join would be upon them, even though it moves faster (relative to their progress round the circle).
Things came to a head when passing the cable run, as they had to drop off the cable to let it rise vertically, and while coasting to the pick-up spot that the incoming cable was bathed in red - the jointed section! With no station reise of fall to smooth out the cable acquisition this was where much of the damage was done, and if the cable snapped it could take up to an hour to repair then re-tension the run.
Heady stuff!
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