Cobra tram increases wear on track
Adding to the various problems that have plagued the Cobra trams throughout their careers so far, is their increased wear on track due to their heavy axle loads, especially on shallow-groove pointwork. To mitigate this, VBZ are evaluating new alloys for such track elements. At intersections where the angle allows it, deep grooves are also being used instead of shallow ones.
A Cobra tram has only six axles, meaning the weight per axle is greater than on the older types of trams (which have 10 or 12 axles for a set of comparable length or capacity). Ironically, it was the goal from the beginning that Cobra should be a very track-friendly tram. Adding to early problems were modifications to the design that added weight (such as the air conditioning, which was not originally envisaged).
this item was added on 16.07.2012 (4302 days ago)
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