Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum..

[rich1998]

A museum I have been to a few times. Not far from my location.
Great area for kayaking below the dam. They open up the gate about noon every day for white water.
The pump car was a blast with a former girlfriend.
The trolley runs on 600 VAC. Does not need anymore power than that.

https://sftm.org/index.shtml

Rich

[jward]

600 volts is not uncommon. Most Diesel electrics with DC traction motors used a 600 volt system, as did the Pittsburgh Railways trolley lines. As fas as i know that is still true of the light rail system that currently exists. There was alot of overlap between the old and new in Pittsburgh, with newer light rail vehicles running on the old interurban lines, alongside PCC cars. Those same LRVs are still running though most of the lines have been rebuilt.

[rich1998]

The mainline for the Pan Am Railway runs right nearby to the Hoosic tunnel which martially collapsed not too long ago. Opened now but still undergoing some repair.

Rich

[ebtnut]

Minor correction - the most common trolley power was 600 volts DC, not AC.  Most all city systems used 600VDC back in the day.  Higher voltages and AC power were generally limited to interurbans and heavy electric roads. 

[rich1998]

Maybe it was DC. It would make sense with that old a system. It has been ten years since I was there. I remember the operator saying 600 volts. I guess I assumed AC. My bad.
Place is closed right now because of the Covid.

Rich

[jward]

Back in the day they didn't have the ability to control AC traction motors by varying the frequency of the AC the way they do now. AC motored electrics usually were restricted to a few speeds due to this. DC motors, on the other hand, could be controlled by varying the voltage applied in the same way a DC model locomotive operates. Voltage was varied through the use of high current resistors, and by switching the traction motors between series and parallel.

[rich1998]

I do remember the operator moving through different steps on the controller now.

Rich