Lugano tram

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disused tram
Lugano tram
image
Three-phase tram car Ce 1/2 Nt. 3 with two trolley collectors
Basic information
city Lugano
opening June 1, 1896
Shutdown 17th December 1959
operator TEL (1897–1918)
TCL (1918–1944)
ACT (1945–1959)
Infrastructure
Route length 7.484 km
Gauge 1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Power system Trial operation: 350 volts ∆
up to 1910: 400 V 40 Hz ∆
from 1910: 1000 volts =
business
Lines four (and one LCD )
Network plan
Lugano's tram network at its greatest extent

The Lugano tram was a tram in Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino that was in operation between 1896 and 1959. It was the first three-phase current operated railway in Switzerland.

history

Trial operation and opening

The 4.6 km long network of the Lugano tram when it opened in 1896.

Before and after the turn of the century, there was a relentless dispute over the choice of the most suitable traction current system . Brown, Boveri & Cie. (BBC) favored the three-phase system and was able to supply the electrical equipment for the Lugano tram. Aside from test operations, the Lugano tram was the first three-phase current operated railway in Europe.

From December 1895 until the opening of operations, BBC carried out test drives with 350 volts 40 Hertz three-phase current on a 2.5 kilometer section of the Lugano tram. During the test drives, disruptive influences occurred on the telephone line running parallel to the tram line for more than a kilometer , which could be reduced to a tolerable level by the time operations opened.

The private stock corporation Società Luganese dei Tramways Elettrici , founded in 1894, began regular operation on June 1, 1896 with 400 volts 40 Hz three-phase current. The three lines led from Piazza Giardino in the city center to Cassarate , along Lake Lugano to Paradiso (with a branch to the valley station of the San Salvatore Railway ) and to Molino Nuovo .

The energy required to operate the railway was supplied by a hydropower plant in Maroggia , which also supplied the city of Lugano and the San Salvatore railway with electricity. In contrast to direct current railways, thanks to three-phase operation, there was no need for a substation that was still staffed at the time . A transformer station reduced the voltage of the transmission line from 5000 volts to the contact line voltage of 400 volts. The two-pole catenary branched into four wires at the diversion and branch points. Since there were no catenary switches, the railcars stopped to manually relocate the two trolley pantographs.

Further development

Three-phase tram at the Piazza Giardino
Tram in the Piazza Molino Nuovo passing point around 1940

One year after opening the company, the company changed its name to Tramvie Elettriche Luganesi (TEL). Due to the good traffic results, the network was gradually expanded: In 1905 the line from Molino Nuovo to the cemetery was extended and in 1910 a fourth line from Piazza Giardino to Lugano train station was put into operation.

The three-phase current system 400 volts 40 Hertz with two-pole catenary, which has been used since the opening of operations, could not show its advantages in tram operation with the short distances and frequent stops. In 1910 the three-phase system was replaced by 1000 volts DC with a single-pole contact line. The tram thus had the same voltage as the connected overland trains Lugano-Cadro-Dino-Bahn (LCD), Lugano-Tesserete-Bahn (LT) and Lugano-Ponte-Tresa-Bahn (FLP). The conversion to direct current made the purchase of new rolling stock necessary. The re-electrification and network expansion led to new interest charges, which were responsible for a sharp rise in operating costs. With the outbreak of war in 1914, the financial situation became precarious and the business was in deficit. On July 1, 1918, the TEL was sold to the municipal company Tramvie Comunali di Lugano (TCL), with the city of Lugano compensating for the deficits.

In 1927 the line was extended from Lugano train station to Besso , with the tram network reaching its greatest extent. On January 1, 1945, the TCL changed its name to Azienda comunale del traffico Lugano (ACT).

Cessation of operations

From 1954 the tram network was gradually shortened and replaced by the Lugano trolleybus . The overhead line voltage of 1000 volts, which is unusual for trolleybuses, was adopted by the tram, which made the changeover easier. On December 12, 1959, tram operation was finally stopped entirely to make room for motorized road traffic.

Future prospects

Recently, discussions have flared up in Lugano about building a new urban rail network in order to counteract the increasingly excessive road traffic. A tunnel is planned between the city center and Bioggio in the Vedeggio plain with a stop under the Lugano train station . From Bioggio, branches lead via the airport to Ponte Tresa (on the existing FLP route) and to Manno . Construction is scheduled to start in 2020 and the opening in 2027. In April 2017, CHF 240 million in federal funds were pledged for the project. Further expansion steps are to include routes to Lamone , Lugano-Cornaredo and the Scairolo plain.

network

At its greatest extent, the network consisted of four lines with a total length of 7.484 kilometers:

The network was single track and meter gauge . The minimum curve radius was initially only 15 meters and the maximum gradient of 60 ‰. After the city of Lugano took over operations, the minimum curve radius was increased to 20 meters, but the new line to the station had gradients of up to 93 ‰.

vehicles

Ce 1/2

Three-phase motor car Ce 1/2
Ce 1/2
Manufacturer: BBC , Herbrand
Axis formula : A1
Gauge : 1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Length over coupling: 7600 mm
Width: 2250 mm
Hourly output : 20 hp
Power system : 400 V 40 Hertz ∆
Translation levels: 1 (15 km / h)
Seats: 24

When operations opened, the vehicle fleet consisted of four 24-seater Ce 1/2 1-4 multiple units, one of which served as a reserve. The electrical part came from BBC , the mechanical part was supplied by Herbrand . Each car had a single three-phase motor with an output of 20 hp. The driving speed was 15 km / h. As is usual with three-phase current, the drive motor automatically switched to recuperation braking mode when the fixed driving speed was exceeded. An adjustable resistor , connected in series with the traction motor rotor and installed under the floor of the car, was used for starting .

Because of the increase in traffic, one railcar each was procured in 1900 and 1907.

With the conversion of the power system to 1000 volts direct current, the railcars were taken out of service. In 1913 car 2 came to the Lugano-Cadro-Dino-Bahn (LCD), which converted it for direct current operation and used it as Ce 2/2 5 on its tram section from the city center to La Santa . In 1951 the vehicle was scrapped.

Ce 2/2

Work photo of the Ce 2/2 1
Ce 2/2
Manufacturer: Alioth , SWS
Axis formula : B.
Gauge : 1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Length over coupling: 8200 mm
Width: 2000 mm
Service mass: 1–3: 10.8 t
4–12: ​​9.8 t
Top speed: 35 km / h
Hourly output : 1–3: 66 kW
4–12: ​​41 kW
Power system : 1000 V =
Seats: 18th

With the conversion of the three-phase network to direct current, the four Ce 1/2 railcars were replaced by twelve new Ce 2/2 1–12 railcars.

The electrical part came from Alioth in Münchenstein and the mechanical part from the Schlieren wagon factory. Cars 1 to 3 had a slightly higher performance and were used on the steep stretch of line 4 to the station.

With the abolition of the third car class , the cars were given the designation Be 2/2.

After the dissolution of the tram operation, car 3 of the Lugano-Ponte-Tresa-Bahn was sold, which used it as an official vehicle until 1970. Car 4 was taken over by the Lugano-Cadro-Dino-Bahn, which used it on the tram section from the center to La Santa.

Tram operation of the LCD

Railcar CFe 2/2 No. 1 of the Lugano-Cadro-Dino-Bahn

In 1911 the Lugano-Cadro-Dino-Bahn (LCD) started operating from Piazza Manzoni on the shores of Lake Lugano to Dino. Since the opening of operations, the LCD operated the two-kilometer section of its route to La Santa in the city as a tram. The tram trains ran every 15 minutes in addition to the regional trains. In 1964 the tram operation of the LCD was stopped and replaced by a bus line.

literature

  • Adriano Betti Carboncini: Railways to the Lakes . Editrice Trasporti su Rotaie, Salò 1992, ISBN 88-85068-16-2 (Italian: Binari ai laghi .).

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Direct current , single-phase alternating current and three-phase alternating current (three-phase current)
  2. ↑ according to SBZ, Volume 27, Issue 2
  3. ↑ The simple possibility of regenerative braking is still used today by several rack railways ( JB , GGB , Chemin de Fer de la Rhune and Corcovado mountain railway ). The three-phase operation permitted at full tracks - individual routes in northern Italy were operated until the 1970s it - larger substation distances than when applied in dc traction tensions .
  4. ↑ Information brochure Rete tram-treno del Luganese