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{{Refimprove|date=April 2007}}
{{dablink|This article refers to [[public transport]] vehicles running on [[Tramway track|rails]]. For other meanings of tram, see [[Tram (disambiguation)]]. For other uses of trolley see [[Trolley (disambiguation)]]. For other uses of streetcar, see [[Streetcar (disambiguation)]]. See also [[Light rail]] and [[Trolleybus]].}}
{{train topics}}

A '''tram''', '''tramcar''', '''trolley''', '''trolley car''', or '''streetcar''' is a [[railroad car|railborne vehicle]], lighter than a [[train]], designed for the transport of passengers (and/or, very occasionally, [[freight (rail)|freight]]) within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, primarily on streets.

Tram systems (or "tramways" or "street railways") were common throughout the industrialized world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but they disappeared from many cities in the mid-20th century. In recent years, they have made a comeback. Many newer [[light rail]] systems share features with trams, although a distinction is usually drawn between the two, especially if the line has significant off-street running.





==History of the different types of tram==
===Horse-drawn trams===
[[Image:Horsetram.jpg|thumb|right|Horse drawn trams in Calcutta (now [[Kolkata]]), [[India]] - Life size model at City Centre arcade]]
[[Image:Gdansk tramwaj konny.jpg|thumb|left|A horse tramway in [[Gdańsk]], [[Poland]] (late 19th century)]]

In the nineteenth century Calcutta (now [[Kolkata]]) was developing fast as a British trading and business centre. Transport was mainly by [[Litter (vehicle)|palanquins]] carried on men's shoulders, [[Phaeton (carriage)|phaetons]] pulled by horses, etc. In 1867, The Calcutta Corporation, with financial assistance from the Government of Bengal developed mass transport. The first tramcar rolled out on the streets of Calcutta on [[February 24]], [[1873]], with horse drawn coaches running on steel rails between [[Sealdah]] and Armenian Ghat via [[Bowbazar]] and Dalhousie Square, (now [[B. B. D. Bagh]]). The Corporation entered into an agreement on [[February 10]], [[1879]] with three English industrial magnates: Robinson Soutter, Alfred Parrish and Dilwyn Parrish. Registered in London, the Calcutta Tramways Company came into existence in 1880 after the sanction of The Calcutta Tramways Act, 1880.

By 1902 Messrs Kilburn & Co completed the electrification of the Calcutta tramways and the first electric tramcar was introduced in the Kidderpore section.

Calcutta remains the only Indian city which has maintained tramway system. As of now, it remains an unreliable{{Fact|date=August 2007}} but very comfortable and eco-friendly transport.

===Steam trams===
{{main|steam dummy}}
[[Image:RockhamptonSteamTrams1923.jpg|thumb|right|Steam trams in [[Rockhampton, Queensland]] - note the small boiler at the front of the leading tram.]]

The first mechanical trams were operated using mobile steam engines. Generally, there were two types of steam tram. The first and most common had a small steam locomotive (called a [[tram engine]] in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]) at the head of a line of one or more carriages, similar to a small train. Systems with such steam trams included [[Christchurch]], [[New Zealand]], [[Sydney]], [[Australia]], and other provincial city systems in [[New South Wales]].

The other style of steam tram had the steam engine mounted in the body of the tram. The most notable system to adopt such trams was in [[Paris]]. French-designed steam trams also operated in [[Rockhampton, Queensland|Rockhampton]], in the [[Australia]]n state of [[Queensland]] between [[1909]] and [[1939]]. [[Stockholm]], [[Sweden]], also had a steam tramline at the island of [[Södermalm]] between [[1887]] and [[1901]]. A major drawback of this style of tram was the limited space for the engine, so that these trams were usually underpowered.

===Cable pulled cars===
{{main|Cable car (railway)}}
The next type of tram was the cable car, which sought to reduce labor costs and the hardship on animals. Cable cars are pulled along a [[rail track]] by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed on which individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required. The power to move the cable is provided at a site away from the actual operation. The first cable car line in the United States was tested in [[San Francisco, California]], in [[1873]]. The second city to operate cable trams was [[Dunedin]] in New Zealand in 1881. Dunedin's cable trams ceased operation in 1957.

Cable cars suffered from high infrastructure costs, since a vast and expensive system of [[cable]]s, [[pulley]]s, [[stationary engine]]s and vault structures between the rails had to be provided. They also require strength and skill to operate, to avoid obstructions and other cable cars. The cable had to be dropped at particular locations and the cars coast, for example when crossing another cable line. Breaks and frays in the cable, which occurred frequently, required the complete cessation of services over a cable route, while the cable was repaired. After the development of electrically-powered trams, the more costly cable car systems declined rapidly.

Cable cars were especially useful in hilly cities, partially explaining their survival in [[San Francisco]], though the most extensive cable system in the U.S. was in [[Chicago]], a much flatter city. The largest cable system in the world which operated in the flat city of [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia, had, at its peak, 592 trams running on 74 kilometres of track.

The [[San Francisco cable car system|San Francisco cable cars]], though significantly reduced in number, continue to perform a regular transportation function, in addition to being a tourist attraction. Single lines also survive on hilly parts of [[Wellington]], New Zealand (rebuilt in [[1979]] to a [[funicular]] system but still called the '[[Wellington Cable Car]]') and Hong Kong.

===Other power sources===
[[Image:Bensinmotorvagn. Trafikerade linjen 19, Karlaplan - Frihamnen 1924 - 1929.JPG|right|thumb|180px|The only petrol driven tram of [[Stockholms Spårvägar]] on its line 19 in the 1920s]]

In some places, other forms of power were used to power the tram. [[Hastings]] and some other tramways, for example [[Stockholms Spårvägar]] in [[Sweden]], used [[Petrol engine|petrol]] driven trams and [[Lytham St Annes]] used [[Gas engine|gas]] powered trams. [[Paris]] successfully operated trams that were powered by [[Pneumatics|compressed air]] using the [[Mekarski system]]. In [[New York City]], some minor lines used [[storage battery|storage batteries]] rather than installing an expensive [[conduit current collection]] system in the street.

===Electric trams (trolley cars)===<!-- This section is linked from [[Richmond, Virginia]] -->
[[Image:Post245.jpg|right|thumb|A historic postcard showing electric-powered trolley streetcars in [[Richmond, Virginia]], where [[Frank J. Sprague]] successfully demonstrated his new system on the hills in 1888]]
[[Image:Piter ice tram.jpg|right|thumb|Tramways on ice of [[Neva|the River Neva]] in [[Saint Petersburg]]]]

Multiple functioning experimental electric trams were exhibited at the 1884 [[World Cotton Centennial]] World's Fair in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]]; however they were deemed as not yet adequately perfected to replace the [[Emile Lamm|Lamm]] fireless engines then propelling the [[St. Charles Avenue Streetcar]] in that city.

Electric-powered trams ([[trolley]] cars, so called for the [[trolley pole]] used to gather power from an unshielded overhead wire), were first successfully tested in service in [[Richmond, Virginia]], in 1888, in the [[Richmond Union Passenger Railway]] built by [[Frank J. Sprague]]. There were earlier commercial installations of electric streetcars, including one in Berlin, as early as 1881 by [[Ernst Werner von Siemens|Werner von Siemens]] and the company that still bears his name, and also one in [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russia]], invented and tested by [[Fyodor Pirotsky]] in 1880. Another was by John Joseph Wright, brother of the famous mining entrepreneur [[Whitaker Wright]], in Toronto in 1883. The earlier installations, however, proved difficult and/or unreliable. Siemens' line, for example, provided power through a live rail and a return rail, like a [[model train]] setup, limiting the [[voltage]] that could be used, and providing unwanted excitement to people and animals crossing the tracks.<ref>{{cite web|last = Wood|first = E. Thomas|title = Nashville now and then: From here to there|url = http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2007/4/27/nashville_now_and_then_from_here_to_there|accessdate = 2007-08-07}}</ref> Siemens later designed his own method of current collection, this time from an overhead wire, called the [[bow collector]]. Once this had been developed his cars became equal to, if not better than, any of Sprague's cars. The first electric [[interurban]] line connecting [[St. Catharines, Ontario|St. Catharines]] and [[Thorold, Ontario|Thorold]], [[Ontario]] was operated in 1887, and was considered quite successful at the time. While this line proved quite versatile as one of the earliest fully functional electric streetcar installations, it still required horse-drawn support while climbing the [[Niagara Escarpment]] and for two months of the winter when [[hydroelectricity]] was not available. This line continued service in its original form well into the 1950s.

Since Sprague's installation was the first to prove successful in all conditions, he is credited with being the [[inventor]] of the trolley car. He later developed [[Multiple unit]] control, first demonstrated in Chicago in 1897, allowing multiple cars to be coupled together and operated by a single motorman. This gave birth to the modern subway train.

[[Image:OldTram 700.jpg|thumb|190px|left|A 1925 [[vintage car|vintage]] British tram, a common sight until the 1950s]]

Two rare but significant alternatives were [[conduit current collection]], which was widely used in [[London]], [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[New York]], and the [[Stud contact system|Surface Contact Collection]] method, used in [[Wolverhampton]] (The Lorain System) and [[Hastings]] (The Dolter Stud System), UK.

Attempts to use on-board [[Lead-acid battery|batteries]] as a source of electrical power were made from the [[1880s]] and [[1890s]], with unsuccessful trials conducted (among other places) in [[Bendigo]] and [[Adelaide]] in [[Australia]], although run for about 14 years as [[Hague]] ''accutram'' of [[HTM Personenvervoer|HTM]] in the [[Netherlands]].

A very famous Welsh example of a tram system was usually known as the Mumbles Train, or more formally as the [[Swansea and Mumbles Railway]]. Originally built as the Oystermouth Railway in 1804, on [[March 25]] [[1807]] it became the first passenger-carrying railway in the world. Converted to an overhead cable-supplied system it operated electric cars from [[March 2]], [[1929]] until its closure on [[January 5]], [[1960]]. These were the largest tram cars built for use in Britain and could each seat 106 passengers.

Another early tram system operated from 1886 until 1930 in [[Appleton, Wisconsin]], and is notable for being powered by the world's first [[hydroelectric power station]], which began operating on [[September 30]], [[1882]] as the [[Appleton Edison Electric Company]].

====Low floor====
{{Details|Low floor}} ''and [[Ultra Low Floor]]''
[[Image:923.jpg|190px|left|thumb|A Bulgarian built T8M-900 tram with low floor middle section in [[Sofia]]. ]]
The latest generation of LRVs has the advantage of partial or fully low-floor design, with the floor of the vehicles only 300 to 360&nbsp;mm (12-14 inches) above top of rail, a capability not found in either rapid rail transit vehicles or streetcars. This allows them to load passengers, including ones in [[wheelchair]]s, directly from low-rise platforms that are not much more than raised sidewalks. This satisfies requirements to provide access to disabled passengers without using expensive [[wheelchair lift]]s, while at the same time making boarding faster and easier for other passengers as well. The City Class LRV (Citytram) is one example of a low floored vehicle, 300&nbsp;mm above rail height, with 70% of the 29&nbsp;m long and 75% of the 38&nbsp;m long versions low floor. The low floor extends across the articulation. The City Class has been designed to operate around 15&nbsp;m curves and climb 10% gradients, and therefore allow new systems to be built in existing urban streets without the need to demolish buildings.

====Articulated====
'''Articulated trams''' are tram cars that consist of several sections held together by flexible [[Joint (disambiguation)#In science and engineering|joints]] and a round platform. Like [[articulated bus]]es, they have an increased passenger capacity. These trams can be up to forty metres in length, while a regular tram has to be much shorter. With this type, a [[Jacobs bogie]] supports the articulation between the two or more carbody sections. An articulated tram may be [[low floor]] variety or high (regular) floor variety. Since 1981 onwards, nearly 150 articulated [[LRV]]-trams of the last kind are e.g. to be found in The Hague Netherlands.

Ref.: [[HTM]] [[LRV]] [[:nl:GTL8]] / D.A. Borgdorff / The Hague - 2000 / ISBN 9090139354

===Tram-train===
{{main|Tram-train}}

[[Tram-train]] operation uses vehicles such as the [[Flexity Link]] and Regio-[[Citadis]] which are suited for use on urban tram lines, but also meet the necessary indication, power, and resistance requirements to be certified for operation on main line railways. This allows passengers to travel from suburban areas into city-centre destinations without having to change from a train to a tram when they arrive at the central station.

It has been primarily developed in Germanic countries, in particular Germany and Switzerland. [[Karlsruhe]] is a notable pioneer of the tram-train.

===Cargo trams===
[[Image:33119 - weymouth hbr - August 1981.jpg|thumb|[[Weymouth Harbour Tramway]]]]
Goods have been carried on rail vehicles through the streets, particularly near docks and steelworks, since the 19th century (most evident in [[Weymouth]]), and some Belgian ''vicinale'' routes were used to haul timber. At the turn of the 21st century, a new interest has arisen in using urban tramway systems to transport goods. The motivation now is to reduce air pollution, traffic congestion and damage to road surfaces in city centres. [[Dresden]] has a regular ''[[CarGoTram]]'' service, run by the world's longest tram trainsets (59.4&nbsp;m), carrying car parts across the city centre to its [[Volkswagen]] factory. [[Vienna]] and [[Zürich]] use trams as mobile recycling depots. [[Kislovodsk]] had a freight-only tram system comprising one line which was used exclusively to deliver bottled Narzan mineral water to the railway station.

As of [[7 March]] [[2007]], [[Amsterdam]] is piloting a cargo tram operation, which could reduce [[particulate]] [[pollution]] by 20% by halving the number of [[lorries]] – currently 5,000 - unloading in the [[inner city]] during the permitted ‘window’ from 07:00 till 10:30.

The pilot, operated by [[City Cargo Amsterdam]], involves two cargo trams, operating from a distribution centre at Lutkemeerpolder, on the A10 ring [[motorway]] near the Osdorp [[terminus]] of tram no. 1. Each cargo tram can transport the load of 4 lorries (roughly 100 tonnes) to a ‘hub’ at Frederiksplein, where electric trucks deliver to the final destination.

If the trial is successful an investment of 100 million euro would see a [[fleet]] of 52 cargo trams distributing from four peripheral ‘cross docks’ to 15 inner-city hubs by 2012. These specially-built vehicles would be 30 metres long with 12 [[axle]]s and a [[payload]] of 30 tonnes.

(Source: ''Samenwest'' [[5 December]] 6, NOS3 television news [[7 March]] 7)

== Model trams ==
{{Original research|date=October 2007}}
Models of trams are popular in [[HO scale]] and sometimes in [[1:50 scale]]. They typically are powered and will accept plastic figures inside. Common manufacturers are [[Roco]] and [[Lima (models)|Lima]] with many custom models being made as well. The German firm [http://www.hoedl-linie8.de/ Hödl] and the Austrian [http://www.halling.at/ Halling] specialize in trams in 1:87 scale.

A number of 1:76.2 scale tram models, especially kits, are made in the UK. Many of these run on 16.5 mm gauge track, which is incorrect for the representation of standard (4ft 8½ins) gauge, as it represents 4ft 1½ins in 4 mm (1:76.2) scale. This scale/gauge hybrid is called OO scale.

There are some Russian tram models available in [[1:48 scale]]
<gallery>
Image:Trolleys_buses_HO.jpg|German models of trams (Düwag and Siemens) and a bus in [[HO scale]]
Image:Sheffield 510.jpg|UK model of a Sheffield Roberts Car 510
Image:Ruraltramways.jpg|Uk model of 3 UK tramcars
</gallery>

==Pros and cons of tram systems==
{{Original research|date=October 2007}}
[[Image:Strasbourg-tram.jpg|thumb|200px|right|tram in [[Strasbourg]], 2004.]]
[[Image:Ac.newtram1.jpg.JPG|thumb|200px|A [[Citadis]] class [[Melbourne]] tram.]]
[[Image:NET-tram tracks warning.jpg|thumb|160px|Tram tracks can be hazardous to cyclists]]
All transit service involves a tradeoff between speed and frequency of stops. Services that stop frequently have lower overall speed, and are therefore less attractive for longer trips. Metros, [[light rail]], [[monorail]], and [[bus rapid transit]] are all forms of [[rapid transit]] — which generally signifies high speed and widely-spaced stops. Trams are a form of local transit, making frequent stops. Thus, the most meaningful comparison of advantages and disadvantages is with other forms of local transit, primarily the local bus.

===Advantages===
* Multiple entrances allow trams to load faster than suburban coaches, which tend to have a single entrance. This, combined with swifter acceleration and braking, lets trams maintain higher overall speeds than buses, if congestion allows.
* Trams can adapt to the number of passengers by adding additional cars during rush hour (as well as removing excess cars during off-peak hours). No additional driver is then required for the trip in comparison to buses.
* In general, trams provide a higher capacity service than buses.
* Unlike buses, but like [[trolleybus]]es, (electric) trams give off no exhaust emissions at point of use. Compared to motorbuses the [[noise]] of trams is generally perceived to be less disturbing.
* Rights-of-way for trams are narrower than for buses. This saves valuable space in cities with high population densities and/or narrow streets.
* Because they are rail-bound, trams command more respect from other road users than buses do, when operating on-road. In heavy traffic conditions, rogue drivers are less likely to hold up trams, for example by blocking intersections or parking on the road. This often leads to fewer delays. As a rule, especially in European cities and Melbourne, trams '''always''' have priority.
* Passenger comfort is normally superior to buses because of controlled acceleration and braking and curve easement. Rail transport such as used by trams provides a smoother ride than road use by buses.
* In most countries, trams don't suffer from the image problem that plagues buses. On the contrary — most people associate trams with a positive image. Unlike buses, trams tend to be popular with a wider spectrum of the public, including better-off people who often shun buses. This high level of customer acceptance means higher ridership and public support for investment in new tram infrastructure.

All transit service involves a tradeoff between speed and frequency of stops. Services that stop frequently have lower overall speed, and are therefore less attractive for longer trips.


===Disadvantages===
[[Image:Tram accident.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Tram accident]] in [[Amsterdam]]]]

* The capital cost is higher than for buses, hence the usual preference for the latter in smaller cities
* When operated in mixed traffic, trams are more likely to be delayed by disruptions in their lane. Buses, by contrast, can easily maneuver around obstacles. Opinions differ about whether deference that drivers show to trams — a cultural issue that varies by country — is sufficient to counteract this disadvantage.
* Tram tracks can be dangerous for cyclists, as bikes, particularly those with narrow tyres, may get their wheels caught in the track grooves. It is also possible to close the grooves of the tracks on critical sections by rubber profiles that are pressed down by the wheelflanges of the passing tram, but cannot be lowered by the weight of a cyclist. These tend not to be maintained, lessening their effectiveness over time. Crossing tracks without trouble requires a sufficient angle of crossing, constraining cyclists' ability to manouvre other road hazards where tracks run along the road, especially in wet weather. This and problems with parked cars are lessened by building tracks and platforms in the middle of the road.
* Tram infrastructure occupies urban space above ground and requires modifications to traffic flow.
* Steel wheel trams are noisier than rubber-wheeled trolleybuses when cornering.<!--please add more details-->
* Tram drivers can control the switches ahead of them. This caused a major derailment in [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]]. [[n:Tram derails in Geneva|A Wikinews article on the derailment]]
* In urban areas where stops are close together, trams tend to coast between stops.
*Light rail vehicles are often heavier per passenger carried than heavy rail and [[monorail]] cars.
*The opening of new tram and light rail systems has sometimes been accompanied by a marked increase in [[car accident]]s, as a result of drivers' unfamiliarity with the physics and geometry of trolleys.<ref>Charles S. McCaleb, ''Rails, Roads & Runways: The 20-Year Saga of Santa Clara County's Transportation Agency,'' (San Jose: Santa Clara County Transportation Agency, 1994), 67. Besides recounting statistics and anecdotes, this source also reprints a ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]'' cartoon of one such accident, in which a bemused tow truck driver quips, "Dang! Rod Diridon was right! The trolley does reduce the number of vehicles on the road!"</ref> Though such increases may be temporary, long-term conflicts between motorists and light rail operations can be alleviated by segregating their respective rights-of-way and installing appropriate signage and warning systems.<ref>''Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 69: Light Rail Service: Pedestrian and Vehicular Safety'', Transportation Research Board http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=2536</ref>
*Rail transport can expose neighboring populations to moderate levels of low-frequency noise. However, transportation planners use [[noise mitigation]] strategies to minimize these effects.<ref>''Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 23: Wheel/Rail Noise Control Manual'', Transportation Research Board, http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=2593 </ref> Most of all, the potential for decreased private motor vehicle operations along the trolley's service line due to the service provision could result in lower ambient noise levels than without.

===On Balance===
Many of the pros and cons depend on the system design itself. A tram system with little distance between stops that has single unit vehicles which run in mixed traffic will see far less of an advantage over other transit alternatives than a tram system with a greater distance between stops, runs in multiple units, and runs in a dedicated right of way. Overall trams have a greater versatility in design, however as shown above, whether that is a pro or a con is debatable.

== Regional variations ==
{{splitsection}}
[[Image:Tram 23.jpg|thumb|right|160px|A [[Peter Witt streetcar|Peter Witt]] tram in Milan]]

Around the world there are many tram systems; some date back from the early 20th century but countless number of the old systems were closed down with the exception of many Eastern Europe countries in the mid-20th century. Even though many of the systems have closed down over the years there are still tram systems that have been operating much like they did when they were first built over a century ago. Some cities that have once closed down their tram networks are now in the stages of reconstructing their tramways.

===Europe===
{{main|Trams in Europe}}
In many European cities, as in other parts of the world, tramway infrastructure was lost in the mid-20th century, though not always on the same scale as in other cities (in America, for example). Much of Eastern Europe lost less tramway infrastructure but some cities are now reconsidering their transport priorities, while some Western European cities are rehabilitating, upgrading and even reconstructing their old tramway lines.

===North America===
{{main|Streetcars in North America}}
''Note that in North America, especially the United States, trams are generally known as streetcars or trolleys, while the term tram is more likely to be understood as a [[tourist trolley]], an [[aerial tramway]], or a [[people-mover]].''

'''Streetcars''' were largely torn down in the mid-20th century with exception including [[New Orleans' streetcars]], [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]],[[Seattle]], [[Philadelphia]] (with a much smaller network than once had existed), and [[San Francisco]] which still have them. [[Pittsburgh]] kept the majority of its streetcar system serving the city and many suburbs until January, 27th 1967, making it the longest-lasting large-network US streetcar system. <!-- But what about the cities which kept their systems? --> [[Toronto]] has the largest streetcar system in the Americas. In the later 20th century, several [[light rail]] systems have been installed in cities in North America, in part along the same corridor as the old streetcars. Some have even restored their old streetcars and run them as a heritage line for tourists like the [[Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway]].

===South America===
====Argentina====
[[Image:LINEA A MR.jpg|thumb|225px|Buenos Aires Vintage Subte line A.]]

The '''[[Buenos Aires]]''' street tramway network was once one of the most extensive in the world with over 857 km (535 mi) of track, most of it dismantled during the 1960s in favor of bus transportation.

The ''Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company'' opened Latin America's first "'''underground tramway'''" system, (Subte line A) in 1913. The original route was partially underground and on street level until 1926, for this reason these "pantograph" cars built by La Brugeoise in Belgium had both low doors at the ends for boarding from the street and high doors in the middle for loading from platforms in the tunnel, therefore, "Subte" line A might also be considered one of the continent's first light rail trams. These vintage carriages (sans end doors) are still in operation.

A 2-km experimental [[Tranvía del Este|Puerto Madero Tramway]] has recently been inaugurated with extensions to [[Estación Retiro|Retiro]] Rail Terminal Station and [[La Boca]] neighborhood being talked about; these are ultra-modern [[Citadis]] 302 cars from France. There are also talks about a “heritage tram” to be put in service in colonial San Telmo.

In the city of '''[[Mendoza]]''' a proposed ''Ferro Tranvía Urbano'' (interurban tramway) to be inaugurated in two years will operate on abandoned railroad tracks, one of its stations will connect to the planned "Wine Train".

===Asia===
[[Image:Hk tram jam.jpg|thumb|200px|A broken-down tram may result in serious traffic congestion]]

{{main|Trams in Asia}}

Tramway systems were well established in the Asian region at the start of the 20th Century but started a steady decline during the mid to late 30s. The 1960s marked the end of its dominance in public transportation with most major systems closed and the equipment and rails sold for scrap; however, some extensive original lines still remain in service in Hong Kong and Japan. In recent years there has been renewed interest in the tram with modern systems being built in South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines.

The first Japanese tram line was inaugurated in 1895 as the Kyoto Electric Railroad. The tram reached its zenith in 1932 when 82 rail companies operated 1,479 kilometers of track in 65 cities. The tram declined in popularity through the remaining years of the 30s, a trend that was accelerated by the damages of the War and continued through the Occupation and rebuilding years. During the 1960s many of the remaining operational tramways were shut down and dismantled in favor of auto, bus, and rapid rail service; however, when one compares the number of operational lines that survived this era to their American counterparts, they can be defined as quite extensive.

=== Australasia ===
[[Image:Ac.newtram1.jpg.JPG|thumb|200px|A newer C class [[Melbourne]] tram.]]
[[Image:JettyRd Glenelg.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A heritage H-Class model (foreground) and modern Flexity tram (background) in Glenelg, Adelaide]]
{{mainarticle|Trams in Australia}}
{{mainarticle|Trams in New Zealand}}
In [[Australasia]], trams are used extensively only in [[Melbourne]], and to a lesser extent, [[Adelaide]], all other major cities having largely dismantled their networks by the 1970s.

A distinctive feature of many Australasian trams was the early use of a lowered central section between [[bogies]] (wheel-sets). This was intended to make passenger access easier, by reducing the number of steps required to reach the inside of the vehicle. It is believed that the design first originated in Christchurch in the first decade of the 20th century. Cars with this design feature were frequently referred to as "drop-centres".

The trams made by Boon & Co of Christchurch, New Zealand in 1906-07 for use in Christchurch may have been the first with this feature; they were referred to as ''drop-centres'' or ''Boon cars''. Trams for Christchurch and Wellington built in the 1920s with an enclosed section at each end and an open-sided middle section were also known as ''Boon cars'', but did not have the drop-centre.

=== Africa===
[[Image:Egypt.Alexandria.Tram.01.jpg|thumb|200px|Former Copenhagen articulated car in service on [[Alexandria]]'s urban tramway]]
[[Image:Egypt.Cairo.Tram.01.jpg|thumb|200px|A tram from Heliopolis terminates at [[Cairo]]'s Ramses Station]]
Africa has tramway systems at present in Egypt and Tunisia.
====Egypt====
In [[Egypt]], both Cairo and Alexandria have historic systems that still exist.

In Greater [[Cairo]], the once-extensive Cairo urban system is now all but defunct.<br> The express tramway system to and within the suburb of Masr el-Djedida, or [[Heliopolis (Cairo Suburb)|Heliopolis]], is still in operation, as one of the world's oldest examples of [[Light Rail]].<br> So is the small 1970s system in the satellite town of [[Helwan]], 25 km to the south.

In [[Alexandria]], both the urban system and the express routes to eastern suburbs are still in operation. The urban system operates yellow cars, including some acquired second-hand from [[Copenhagen]], on largely street track. The express tramway (Ramleh routes) operates 3-car trains of blue cars, including some double-deck cars, on largely reserved track. There are also some dual-system routes.

====Tunisia====
[[Tunis]] had traditional trams up to about 1960. In 1985, a new [[Light Rail]] line began operation and has since been followed by more.
====South Africa====
Public transport in South Africa commenced in Cape Town in May [[1801]], when a weekly coach service from [[Cape Town]] to [[Simon's Town]] was announced. Around [[1838]], the Cape's first horse-drawn [[Bus|omnibus]] was introduced, based on [[George Shilbeer]]'s model. In September [[1862]] the [[Cape Town and Green Point Tramway Company]] was formed, and began operations on [[1 April]] [[1863]].
Both single- and double-deck horse-drawn trams were used. In [[1896]], the power station at [[Toll Gate]], [[Cape Town]] (with two stacks supplied by [[Milliken Brothers]] of [[New York]]), was completed, and the old horse sheds were remodelled. Cape Town's electric tram system initially had ten cars, built in [[Philadelphia]], [[United States|USA]]. On [[6 August]] [[1896]] Lady Sivewright, wife of Sir [[James Sivewright]], opened the new system. At Queen Victoria's Jubilee in [[1897]], Cape Town and suburbs had thirty-two electric trams running on about twenty-three miles of track. The new power station was proving inadequate and had to be enlarged.

Tram services also existed in [[Johannesburg]] (where the suburban railway to Boksburg, opened in 1890, was also called the [[Rand Tram]]), [[Pretoria]], and [[Durban]], but were all replaced by petrol, diesel and trolley bus systems by the early 1960s.

==Trams in literature==
[[Image:Tramway-grenoble.JPG|thumb|200px|Tramway in [[Grenoble]], [[France]].]]
One of the earliest literary references to trams occurs on the second page of [[Henry James]]'s novel '''''[[The Europeans]]''''': </br>
:''From time to time a strange vehicle drew near to the place where they stood - such a vehicle as the lady at the window, in spite of a considerable acquaintance with human inventions, had never seen before: a huge, low, omnibus, painted in brilliant colours, and decorated apparently with jingling bells, attached to a species of [[Groove (engineering)|groove]] in the [[Pavement (material)|pavement]], through which it was dragged, with a great deal of rumbling, bouncing, and scratching, by a couple of remarkably small [[horse]]s.''</br>
Published in 1878, the novel is set in the 1840s, though horse trams were not in fact introduced in [[Boston]] till the 1850s. Note how the tram's efficiency surprises the "European" visitor; how two "remarkably small" horses sufficed to draw the "huge" tramcar.

[[Gdansk]] trams figure extensively in the early stages of [[Günter Grass]]'s '''''Die Blechtrommel''''' ([[The Tin Drum]]). Then in its last chapter, the novel's hero [[Oskar Matzerath]], along with his friend Gottfried von Vittlar, steal a tram late at night from outside the Unterrath depot on the northern edge of [[Düsseldorf]].

It is a [[surreal]] journey. Gottfried von Vittlar drives the tram through the night, south to Flingern and Haniel and then east to the suburb of [[Düsseldorf-Gerresheim|Gerresheim]]. Meanwhile, inside, Oskar tries to rescue the half-blind Victor Weluhn (a character who had escaped from the [[siege]] of the [[Polish post office in Danzig]] at the beginning of the book and of the war) from his two green-hatted would-be [[executioner]]s. Oskar deposits his [[briefcase]], which contains Sister Dorotea's severed [[ring finger]] in a [[Kilner jar|preserving jar]], on the dashboard "where professional motorman put their [[lunchbox]]es". They leave the tram at the [[terminus]], and the executioners tie Weluhn to a tree in Vittlar's mother's garden and prepare to [[machine-gun]] him. But Oskar drums, Victor sings, and together they conjure up the Polish [[cavalry]], who spirit both victim and executioners away. Oskar asks Vittlar to take his briefcase in the tram to the police HQ in the Fürstenwall, which he does.

The latter part of this route is today served by tram no. 703 terminating at Gerresheim [[Stadtbahn]] station ("by the glassworks" as Grass notes, referring to the famous glass factory in Gerresheim).

[Reference: The chapter ''Die letzte Straßenbahn oder Anbetung eines Weckglases'' (The last tram or Adoration of a Preserving Jar). See page 584 of the 1959 Büchergilde Gutenberg German edition and page 571 of the 1961 Secker & Warburg edition, translated into English by Ralph Manheim]

==Trams in popular culture==

* The [[W.V. Awdry|Rev W. Awdry]] made a small [[LNER J70 tram]] called [[Toby the Tram Engine]] which starred in a series of books called [[The Railway Series]] along with his faithful coach, [[Henrietta]].
* [[A Streetcar Named Desire (play)]]
* [[A Streetcar Named Desire (film)]]
* [[Mister Roger's Neighborhood]] featured a trolley
* The film [[The Italian Job]] features [[Benny Hill]] lewdly assisting a woman into a [[Turin]] tram
* The central plot of the film [[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]] involves the Judge Doom, the villain, dismantling the streetcars of Los Angeles.
* "The Trolley Song" in [[Meet Me in St. Louis]] (film) received an Academy Award.
* The [[1944 World Series]] was also known as the "Streetcar Series".
* [[Malcolm (film)]] - an Australian film about a tram enthusiast who uses his inventions to pull off a bank heist.
* [[Luis Bunuel]] filmed ''La Ilusión viaja en tranvía'' / ''Illusion Travels by Stretcar'' in Mexico in 1954
* In [[Akira Kurosawa|Akira Kurosawa's]] film [[Dodesukaden]] a mentally ill boy pretends to be a tram conductor.
* The predominace of trams (trolleys) gave rise to the disparaging term [[trolley dodger]] for residents of the borough of [[Brooklyn]] in [[New York City]]. That term, shortened to "Dodger" became the nickname for the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] (now the Los Angles Dodgers).
*In the "Bourne Supremacy", Bourne kidnaps a woman and takes her onto a Berlin Tram.

== See also ==
{|
|-valign=top
|
* [[Air brake (rail)]]
* [[Light rail]]
* [[Citytram]]
* [[City Class Light Rail Vehicle]]
* [[Tram controls]]
* [[Tram spotter]]
* [[Tram stop]]
* [[Tramway track]]
* [[Tram traffic light]] ([[:cs:Signály pro tramvaje]])
* [[Ground level power supply]]
* [[General Motors streetcar conspiracy]]
* [[List of light-rail transit systems]]
* [[List of town tramway (urban tramway, streetcar) systems]]
| width=40 |
|
* [[List of transport museums]]
* [[TTC Presidents' Conference Car|Toronto PCC]]-[[specification]]
* [[Guided bus#Rubber-tyred "trams"|Rubber-tyred trams]]
* Soviet Tramcars [[LM-49]] and [[MTV-82]]
* [[Streetcar suburb]]
* [[Tourist trolley]]
* [[Underground railway]]
* [[Haytor Granite Tramway]]
* [[Heritage streetcar]]
* [[Talkoot]]
* [[Trams in Europe]]
* [[Tram accident]]
|}

===Types of trams===
{|
|-valign=top
|
* [[Birney]]
* [[Citadis]]
* [[Citytram]]
* [[City Class]]
* [[Combino]]
* [[Double decker tram]]
* [[Eurotram]]
* [[Horsecar]]
| width=40 |
|
* [[Peter Witt streetcar]]
* [[Presidents' Conference Committee|PCC]]
* [[Sirio]]
* [[Tatra T3]]
* [[Ultra Low Floor]]
* [[ZET 2200]]
* [[Tramway Français Standard]]
* Articulated: [[Trams in Germany]] - [[:nl:GTL8]]
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Tram}}
* [http://hastingstramwaysclub.tripod.com/ Hastings Tramways Club] (GB)
* [http://www.lrta.org/ Light Rail Transit Association] (GB)
* [http://lightrail.com/ Light Rail Central] (US/CA)
* [http://www.lightrailnow.org/ Light Rail Now advocacy] (US)
* [http://www.lightrail.nl/ Light Rail Netherlands] (NL)
* [http://www.lostnewyorkcity.com/buildingphotos/Plate-51-b.html The Cable Building] Broadway
* [[Calcutta Tramways Company#Past in a nutshell|Calcutta Tramways Company]] Calcutta (IND)
* [http://www.victor.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=321] (AU)
Cable car line (US/NY)
* [http://www.motat.org.nz Museum of Transport and Technology] Auckland (NZ)
* [http://www.streetcar.org Market Street Railway] (US/CA)
* [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Tramway "Tramway" article of 1911 Britannica]
* [http://www.tramway.co.uk/ British National Tramway Museum](GB)
* [http://www.tramways.freeserve.co.uk/ Tramway Information] Including TLRS and Festival of Model Tramways
* [http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/tramways/Articles/Compair.htm Compressed Air Trams]
* [http://www.apta.com/research/info/online/weyrich.cfm#wia What is a streetcar?] at American Public Transit Association
*[http://members.optushome.com.au/cotma/ Council of Tramway Museums Australasia]
*[http://www.muzeum-cieszyn.ox.pl/tramwaje/indexen.html Trams in Cieszyn (Poland) 1911-1921]
* [http://museu-carro-electrico.stcp.pt/ Tramway Museum] Porto (Portugal)
*[http://kzsoci.fw.hu Pictures about trams in Hungary, Slovakia, Germany and Czech Republic]
* [http://public-transport.net Pictures about trams in Europe]
* [http://photoeurasia.com/results.php?q=tram Multiple tram pictures taken in Europe and Russia]
*[http://www.nfpl.library.on.ca/nfplindex/results.asp?action=browse&q=295&key=292 Images from the Historic Niagara Digital Collections]
*[http://www.alliancewestern.com/crane-hoist-basics.htm Industrial Trolleys for Carrying Lifting Machinery]
*[http://www.btm.org.au Ballarat Tramway Museum - Victoria, Australia]

[[Category:Passenger equipment]]
[[Category:Tram transport| ]]
[[Category:Light rail]]

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Revision as of 10:31, 22 November 2007

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