D1 class Melbourne tram
Encyclopedia
The D class, or Combino
is a type of electric
tram
operating in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
. It was built by Siemens
in Düsseldorf
, Germany
, and the first unit was delivered to the city in 2002. The trams were initially operated by M>Tram, but are now operated by Yarra Trams
.
The D1-class cars can be found on Melbourne's southeastern and inner tram routes and are based at Malvern, Victoria
tram depot. The first D2-class cars were delivered to the city in 2004, with the last cars entering service in November 2004.
Originally the driver could hold it down continuously while the tram was moving, if the driver took their hand off, an alarm would sound, followed soon by track brake application. If after four minutes it had been held-down continuously and the tram stopped, the driver would get an audible warning and the tram would not move until the driver had released it. There was also an alternative deadman's button on the side of the armrest. Drivers discovered that if the armrest were dropped low enough, this button would stay pressed without the driver applying any pressure, they still had to be released every four minutes when coming to a stop. But as soon as the management discovered this, their reaction was "vigilance control," actually a dead-man's vigilance device
, and hence the notice in the cab "Vigilance control now fitted, release and reapply every 1 minute, if an alarm sounds, release and reapply immediately."
Combino
The Combino is a low floor tram produced by Siemens Transportation Systems . The first prototype was produced in 1996 at the Duewag works in Düsseldorf; the trams are currently made in Krefeld-Uerdingen. Because of its modular design using standardised components, and the resulting reduced costs,...
is a type of electric
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
operating in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was built by Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and the first unit was delivered to the city in 2002. The trams were initially operated by M>Tram, but are now operated by Yarra Trams
Yarra Trams
Yarra Trams is the trading name of the Melbourne tram network, which is fully owned and registered by the Victorian State Government. The current franchise is operated by a consortium named KDR Melbourne which consists of a partnership between French company Keolis and Australian company Downer EDI...
.
Variants: D1 and D2
The class come in two variants: the D1 class which is a three-section tram, and the larger D2 class five-section tram. The trams feature plug-type doors, next-stop display, and several other features. The trams are built '100% low-floor.'The D1-class cars can be found on Melbourne's southeastern and inner tram routes and are based at Malvern, Victoria
Malvern, Victoria
Malvern is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Malvern had a population of 9,422.-History:...
tram depot. The first D2-class cars were delivered to the city in 2004, with the last cars entering service in November 2004.
Cab controls
All D-class trams have a traction braking controller with an integral deadman's trigger that the driver must release and reapply every minute. If this is not done, an alarm sounds. If the alarm sounds for more than a few seconds then the disc brakes are applied firmly, stopping the tram.Originally the driver could hold it down continuously while the tram was moving, if the driver took their hand off, an alarm would sound, followed soon by track brake application. If after four minutes it had been held-down continuously and the tram stopped, the driver would get an audible warning and the tram would not move until the driver had released it. There was also an alternative deadman's button on the side of the armrest. Drivers discovered that if the armrest were dropped low enough, this button would stay pressed without the driver applying any pressure, they still had to be released every four minutes when coming to a stop. But as soon as the management discovered this, their reaction was "vigilance control," actually a dead-man's vigilance device
Dead-man's vigilance device
A dead-man's vigilance device is a railroad safety device that operates in the case of incapacitation of the engineer. It is a hybrid between a dead-man's switch and a vigilance control....
, and hence the notice in the cab "Vigilance control now fitted, release and reapply every 1 minute, if an alarm sounds, release and reapply immediately."