Do San Francisco's vintage streetcars use regenerative braking?

jmecklenborg · #1 Posted **Apr 1, 2009, 4:42 PM**

I am aware that BART and Muni use regenerative braking. Do the vintage streetcars as well? Can someone provide a link?

BTinSF · #2 Posted **Apr 1, 2009, 6:02 PM**

First of all, San Francisco doesn't have a single type of vintage car. The largest component of the fleet are restored PCC cars and you can Google "PCC Streetcar" to find out all you might want to know about them. Wikipedia has an extensive discussion of their braking at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCC_streetcar . Most of the rest of the fleet are Milan trams, bought when that city modernized its fleet. I don't know much about them but they seem very old and technologically primitive, if charming. The rest of the fleet is a mishmash of vehicles from around the world, from Blackpool, England to Melbourne, Australia. Again, most of them are pretty old and not very technologically sophisticated.

So the simple answer to your question is, I very much doubt it.

jmecklenborg · #3 Posted **Apr 1, 2009, 9:36 PM**

Thanks. Looks like Philadelphia did rebuild some of their PCC cars with regenerative braking:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEPTA_Route_15

jmecklenborg · #4 Posted **Apr 1, 2009, 9:47 PM**

double post

nequidnimis · #5 Posted **Apr 2, 2009, 6:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BTinSF

First of all, San Francisco doesn't have a single type of vintage car. The largest component of the fleet are restored PCC cars and you can Google "PCC Streetcar" to find out all you might want to know about them. Wikipedia has an extensive discussion of their braking at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCC_streetcar . Most of the rest of the fleet are Milan trams, bought when that city modernized its fleet. I don't know much about them but they seem very old and technologically primitive, if charming. The rest of the fleet is a mishmash of vehicles from around the world, from Blackpool, England to Melbourne, Australia. Again, most of them are pretty old and not very technologically sophisticated.

So the simple answer to your question is, I very much doubt it.

Actually, if you follow the link tagged "dynamic brakes" in the Wikipedia entry you mention, you will find it is the same as regenerative braking.

One of many innovations that pulled the US out of the Great Depression (along with, or in spite of according to a few, Roosevelt's New Deal).