Why do Torontos new streetcars have both trolley poles and pantographs?

http://www.reddit.com/u/gorilla_the_ape Abstract Torontos new streetcars are being delivered with both trolley poles and pantographs. This seems at rst glance a waste of money, however it is a neccessary measure to migrate from the existing streetcars with trolley poles to possible future streetcars with pantographs.

Contents
1 Why do the new streetcars have both a trolley pole and pantograph? 1.1 What is a trolley pole? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 What is a pantograph? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 Which is better? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 Why have both? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Why do the existing streetcars have poles and why wasnt this change made earlier? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 Why do the new LRT vehicles only have pantographs? . . . 1.7 Who are you anyway? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 Image Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . . . . . . 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 7

Chapter 1 Why do the new streetcars have both a trolley pole and a pantograph?
1.1 What is a trolley pole?

Figure 1.1: A Toronto streetcar with a trolley pole A trolley pole is a way to provide electrical power to a streetcar or other vehicle. Its very simple, a long stick is pressed against the power wire, 1

usually by springs. At the end of the pole is either a slider, or a wheel, which acts as the conductor, and there is usually a rope which allows the operator to connect and disconnect the streetcar from the power. Trolly poles date back to a demonstration by Charles Van Deoele, who demonstrated a temporary streetcar line at the Toronto Industrial Exhibition in 1885. From 1888 horse drawn streetcars started geting replaced with electric streetcars powered by trolley poles.

1.2

What is a pantograph?

Figure 1.2: A Washington DC streetcar with a Pantograph A pantograph is another way to power vehicles. Its a little more complex. Originally it was comprised of a diamond shaped frame which would hold a slider against the power wire. Modern pantographs tend to be build with only one side of the diamond, giving a distorted Z shape. Theyre a little newer than trolley poles, being rst invented in 1895 by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, but were initially used only be new streetcars, but eventually most surviving users converted to pantographs. 2

1.3

Which is better?

Figure 1.3: Dewired in the Illinois Railway Museum

Generally a pantograph is better than a trolley pole. Trolly poles can 3

pop o on their own, a condition called dewiring, meaning that the operator has to get out and grab the rope and reconnect the power. Also pantographs can handle higher speeds, can be used for running in both directions without reconnecting, and the power wiring is simpler, especially at complex junctions. There is one circumstance where a trolley pole is better than a pantograph, and thats for trolley buses. These are buses which are powered by an overhead wiring system. They need two seperate power lines, one for power and one for ground, as the rubber tires prevent the ground return through the wheels. A pantograph wouldnt work in this case, as it would touch both wires at the same time.

1.4

Why have both?

Figure 1.4: Overhead wire which will need correcting for pantographs A pantograph requires that the lowest point be the power wire. A trolley 4

pole doesnt have this requirement, so some designs of the hardware used to hang the wire would snag a pantograph. It would be very dicult to convert the entire network at once, so the TTC decided that the best solution was to have trolley poles for the existing network, but pantographs for the future. This will mean that passengers dont have to suer from dewiring, and in the long run there will be some savings.

1.5

Why do the existing streetcars have poles and why wasnt this change made earlier?

Figure 1.5: A Toronto trolley bus When the existing streetcars were purchased the TTC was still running trolley buses. It wasnt until 1993 that they were retired. As I said before trolley buses can only be used with trolley poles. In some places, eg at St. Clair station, there was places where both the streetcars and the trolley buses used the same power line. 5

1.6

Why do the new LRT vehicles only have pantographs?

Figure 1.6: Mockup of the new LRT vehicles The new LRT vehicles are going to be run on purely new wiring. Therefore there is no need for them to have trolley poles.

1.7

Who are you anyway?

Im a transit fan. Ive never been employed by any transit agency, but I have had an interest in them since I was very small. Due to medical issues I am unable to drive, and since Ive moved to Toronto in 1994, and Ive rode the TTC almost every day since.

Figure 1.7: Me (Almost)

1.8

Image Credits

1.1 http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevenh/3723077936/ 1.2 http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/4585667004/ 1.3 http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomas-merton/2709447598/ 1.4 http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielle_scott/2249040917/ 1.5 http://www.flickr.com/photos/72644361@N06/8098687244/ 1.6 http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephen_rees/7515780320/ 1.7 http://www.flickr.com/photos/vladdythephotogeek/2337131338/