Anyway, my Sheffield experiences:
I was there last week for a day (sprog uni delivery) and liked the trams. Without in any way seeming merely quaint, I thought they added a pleasing focus and coherence to the city centre, and seemed to be well-used.
I don't know where they ran to - I didn't see any maps - but that's always what I find lacking in public transport systems apart from the Tube, I've no idea how to use them.
I saw a man come within an inch of being run over. He was jaywalking wearing headphones and just walked straight in front of a tram. The driver slammed on the brakes with the loudest horn I have ever heard and the tram screeched to a halt, but the man just walked on oblivious.
The trams don't make the same noises as the old ones I remember. There is far less clanking, and none of that grinding noise as they negotiate tight turns or points. I think the reason might be that the rails are different. They now seem to have a narrow groove in the middle.
Looking up the two types of tram/train wheels I find that there are two different principles. Train-type wheels have solid axles and the wheel tyres are angled so that they change their effective diameter as they turn a bend. The wheel flanges are there for special circumstances only but do clang a lot if used for tight turns, such as trams.
The other kind of wheel has a central flange running in a groove but with a split axle and differential on the driving wheels.
The other change from the old ones is that the pickup arm reliably stays engaged with the overhead wire. My earliest memories are of trams in London, Liverpool and Glasgow, and watching the conductor get out with his special pole to re-engage the electricty.
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Trams. new
Trams. new
