MATA Trolley

The MATA Trolley is a tram in Memphis (Tennessee ) in the United States. MATA is an acronym of the operating company Memphis Area Transit Authority. "Trolley " is in the English language for the caster at the upper end of the rod current collector and is used in a broader sense also for the pantograph itself. " Trolley car" (like "Streetcar " ) is an American term for a tram railcars. While the predecessor company had called their vehicles as streetcars kept the current system its name, although the current is collected since 2003 no longer rods and reels.

• 5.1 stops
• 5.2 railway tracks and power supply
• 5.3 Depot

History

The first electric trams ( streetcars ) wrong in Memphis in 1897. Owners was the Memphis Street Railway Company, which from 1931 to 1960 also operating trolleybuses. On 15 June 1947, the tram traffic was stopped.

In the late 1980s the construction of a museum tram was discussed for tourism purposes, which should lead along the Mississippi River. In January 1990, the Memphis City Council, however, decided to build a track in the inner city.

The first line of the MATA trolley was tested from 10 March 1993 and handed over to the public traffic on 29 April 1993. It crosses at about four kilometers, the Downtown ( downtown) along Main Street from north to south. Intended primarily as a tourist attraction, they only partly fulfilled an inner-city transport function and is associated with the inadequate bus network of MATA. The vehicles of the Main Street Line were all purchased used trams from Porto in Portugal. They had been built under license from JG Brill Company there and in the same dimensions and appearance American vehicles of the early twentieth century. From the Memphis -based company core - Wilcheck Associates they have been restored and adapted to current requirements.

On 1 October 1997 was opened with the Riverfront line a second line. It has several features:

• Designed as a tourist cruise line (loop) it is traveling in only one direction counterclockwise an elongated, substantially oval course.
• In a north-south direction, they mostly use the former western track of the railway line from Chicago to New Orleans, the eastern track is traveled in passenger only once per day in each direction from the legendary speed City of New Orleans.
• In the opposite direction it is traveling at full length the eastern track of the Market Street Line and branches after their last stop just before the depot for railway back from.
• The Riverside loop is traversed by all existing types of vehicles.

With the previously third line along Madison Avenue, the first line was opened with a real traffic function on 15 March 2004. It starts off at Court Square, which is also serviced by the other two lines, and branches shortly thereafter perpendicular from Main Street in the Madison Avenue from. After about 3.2 kilometers it reaches its endpoint Cleveland station and opens it to the Regional Medical Center and the UT Health Science Center a major hospital setting.

The commissioning of the new routes made ​​an increase in the vehicle pools required. They opted again for used vehicles, this time four-axle W -class trams (type W2) from Melbourne ( Australia). Unlike the two-axle from Porto such vehicles in the United States were not previously in use. From the appearance forth the end of the 1930s built tramcars fit but good to the previous. In addition, a native of Rio de Janeiro car was rebuilt and created two more replicas than new.

In early 2003, the system was converted to pantograph during a three-month break from the operating current consumption by trolley booms.

Routes and lines

On Main Street and Madison Avenue existed until 1947 already tram lines of its predecessor Memphis Street Railway Company.

Main Street Line

The route runs at full length in the predominantly rectilinear streetscape of Main Street. Northern end point is the stop North End Terminal at Shadyac Avenue, the center is a single track road space and has recently been reconsidered. The track is turning track for the Main Street Line, but transit rails for the trains of the Riverfront Line and the depot.

Just south of the station the route is double track and remains in the further course. The classification tracks are far apart and allow intervening lanes giving for road transport. At the same time, the lateral location, bus capes are affected in this way without Gleisverschwenkungen.

Between the Exchange Avenue and Peabody Place Main Street is a pedestrian area, here the tracks are closer together. The " Trolley Stop " Civic Center Plaza with its striking glass superstructure of the net. The passage Station Court Square is also the terminus of the Madison Avenue line that applies here on the western Streckengleis butt on the platform. Shortly afterwards, the unloading, this line on the east, where the existing track triangle is traversed in regular service only from north to east and vice versa.

At the southern end of the pedestrian zone, beyond the station Peabody Place, the tracks estranged from one another and extend, apart from two slight curves, straight road space. The next station is located at the intersection with Beale Street, also known as the " Home of the Blues " and is one of the biggest tourist attractions of the city. Near the bus stop Huling Avenue is the former Lorraine Motel (now the National Civil Rights Museum ), on the balcony on 4 April 1968, the black civil rights activist Martin Luther King was assassinated.

Shortly after the terminus Butler Avenue the route is single track on a abmarkierten section in the middle of the street, at the next junction opens the route of the Riverfront loop single track from the East G E Patterson Avenue. Immediately behind it is the railway siding for the Main Street line, waiting for the applied for car - in front of the building of the Memphis Central Station without designated stops plant ( the main train station of the 650 - thousand -inhabitant city of Memphis is only of a daily pair of trains approached ).

Peabody Place " Trolley Stop " in the pedestrian zone

Converted tramcar from Rio de Janeiro and track change in the South Main Street

Southern terminus Butler Avenue

Riverfront Loop

The Riverfront line has a ring line no clear start and end point. Between the East G E Patterson Avenue and stop North End Terminal, it uses the eastern section of the track Main Street Line. After the end point it is traveling to a few meters, the operational track to the depot from which it branches off at right angles to the left. At just under a hundred meters, it runs on its own line, then crosses into a left turn earlier northward leading track of this formerly double track railway line from Chicago and ends in their tracks once leading to the south.

At a length of about 2.6 kilometers run tramway and railway parallel. First, in only a small amount reaches above the water level of the Mississippi, the former convention center Pyramid Arena, one of the landmarks of the city. Shortly thereafter, the monorail will pass under the amusement park Mud Iceland and even briefly touches upon subsequent rise along the steep bank of the river a short distance. Once on the plateau, leaving the tram and the train track runs through the street area a residential and commercial area. The East G E Patterson Avenue following it passes under the railway premises and hits next to the building of the Central Station back onto Main Street.

Ex -Melbourne 454 continues to the western railway track

"Melbourne" on the 454 used in conjunction with the railway Riverfront trail

Bridge at the ramp of the Riverfront Loops

Madison Avenue Line

This route was not built primarily for tourism but rather serves the connection of the inner city with a hospital complex. Nevertheless, it is operated with old driving Zugen (type "Melbourne" ) and in accordance with seemingly new and Umbauwagen. Two-axle vehicles of the type Brill do not operate on the Madison Avenue Line.

The line starts at the western platform of the Court Square stop, the track uses a few square meters to the south of the Main Street Line and go east on the subsequent track triangle. At about 120 meters in length, it runs a single track, on abmarkierter area, in the middle of the street. After the intersection with 2nd Street it is double track and remains up to the terminal. Unlike the Main Street Line has a central platform, only the station Danny Thomas Boulevard has side platforms. Here is a quick road is crossed, the other running in the middle of the road tracks are pulled apart and have their own bridges on both sides of the roadway.

The 3.5 km long line has a total of seven stations. East of Cleveland terminus station is a three-pronged turning and parking area in the middle of the street.

Station Danny Thomas Boulevard - exploded tracks over the highway

Birney Safety Car (replica ) on Madison Avenue Line

Central platform Orleans ( station ) of the Madison Avenue Line

Turning point east of the Cleveland station

Access to the Depot

In the course of North Main Street, the depot is reached behind the junction of Riverside loops after 210 meters. The route is single track and is located in abmarkiertem space in the middle of the street.

Traffic

• The Main Street Line now has a function that goes beyond the mere tourist traffic. When the diameter line of the Downtown from north to south it runs weekdays at 10- minute intervals 6:25 to 23:30 clock, Friday, about 1 1 /2 hours longer. On Saturdays (approx. 9:00-1:00 Clock ) and Sundays (approx. 10:15-18:10 clock ) are the peak hours, at the same clock is shortened.
• A similar schedule applies to the Riverfront Line, but a 13- minute cycle and the start of operation 9:00 to 10:00 clock.
• The Madison Avenue Line runs daily 16- minütig, on weekdays from approximately 6:00 bis 23:05 clock, Saturdays extra two hours and Sundays 10:15 to 18:08 clock.

Rolling stock

All vehicles are bi-directional vehicles turning to butt terminals, on the main track or on track change. A turning track exists only on the grounds of the depot, but the turning of the vehicles is also on track triangle Main Street / Madison Avenue possible. All vehicles are traveling individually, trailers or train composition does not exist. The existing vehicle types are:

• Six in Portugal produced under license by Brill replicas of American streetcars. Corresponding vehicles (eg former car 51 ) were also in the earlier, operated by the Memphis Street Railway Company streetcar in Memphis in use.

• Nine built in Australia and used in Melbourne four-axle bogie wagons. The bi-directional vehicles with center entrances of the type W2 are longer than the Brill under license. They have been restored and converted by the Gomaco Trolley Company. The entrances to the car ends do not serve the passenger traffic, they are designed for the mobile worker.
• By car No. 1979, similar to the Brill - cart looking vehicle from the Gomaco Trolley Company was newly built.
• From Rio de Janeiro comes the formerly open on the sides of cars in 1794, which was extensively remodeled and provided with an outer cladding.
• 2004 replica of a Birney Safety Car was put into service, also a new construction of Gomaco Trolley Company.

Carriage 204 (formerly Porto ) from 1940 on the railway siding in front of Central Station

Cars 1794 ( formerly open car from Rio de Janeiro)

Replica of a Birney Safety Cars: 453 cars

Car 454 (ex Melbourne) and 1979 ( Brill - replica)

Operating facilities

Stops

The stations are equipped with handicapped ramps and / or Hubliften and covered. Its length corresponds to that of a tram vehicle.

Railway tracks and power supply

The tram runs on Regelpurgleisen with a track width of 1435 mm. The power supply of 600 volts direct current via an overhead line is fetched from the pantographs of the contact wire.

In the network there are seven crossovers (track change), where vehicles can turn to in case of need prematurely.

In the Main Street is located on Madison Avenue toward a track triangle. In each case a track branches off from the north and south from east and crosses while the eastern section of the Main Street rail line. In the Main Street subsequent crossovers allow the Jump on this track, in the Madison Avenue unite for the first 120 meters, the branches into a single track in the middle of the street.

Depot

In the North Main Street is the depot with workshop. The multi-pronged hall has two entrances and a turning loop.

Others

• On 1 June 2001, there was an accident with six slightly wounded. A " Melbourne " vehicle 194 (type "Porto" ) ascended into the Main Street on the car.

• In the 545 South Main Street, the Memphis Railroad & Trolley Museum, with exhibits and documentation for railway and tramway history of the city.

View

It is discussed on an eastern extension of the Madison Avenue Line, but concrete plans are not known.