Tama Monorail's track maintenance vehicle, unit K-2 (left), and the lifting vehicle (right)
Following my last post, I am going to continue to show you the 2018 Tama-mono Festival held at the Tama Monorail Depot near Takamatsu station.
My best memory from the festival was an operation demonstration of the track maintenance vehicles. As you know, monorail operators need special track maintenance vehicles because the tracks are located at higher elevations than those of standard railways. I saw a special lifting vehicle (unit number unknown) being pulled by self-propelled vehicle named K-2 in the depot. Unit K-2 was built in 2015 by Hokuriku Heavy Industries and the other companies. It has four batteries and a VVVF (variable frequency drive) electric control system. Those batteries can obtain regenerative power in regeneration brake control.
The lifting vehicle has special trestles moved by motors. Using these trestles, engineers can inspect at higher elevations or even below the monorail track. During the demonstration, the railway engineers on board the vehicles were smiling and waving to the visitors, which also made for a good performance.
Inside the train inspection building, I saw an operation demonstration of a pantograph equipped on the train. Using pantographs, monorail trains obtain electric power from the feeders on the sides of the track. Different from the standard trains, pantographs on monorail trains are very small and inconspicuous. I found the pantograph operation performance very interesting and easy to understand.
I am truly grateful to Tokyo Tama Intercity Monorail Company (Tama monorail) for holding this special event.
My best memory from the festival was an operation demonstration of the track maintenance vehicles. As you know, monorail operators need special track maintenance vehicles because the tracks are located at higher elevations than those of standard railways. I saw a special lifting vehicle (unit number unknown) being pulled by self-propelled vehicle named K-2 in the depot. Unit K-2 was built in 2015 by Hokuriku Heavy Industries and the other companies. It has four batteries and a VVVF (variable frequency drive) electric control system. Those batteries can obtain regenerative power in regeneration brake control.
The lifting vehicle has special trestles moved by motors. Using these trestles, engineers can inspect at higher elevations or even below the monorail track. During the demonstration, the railway engineers on board the vehicles were smiling and waving to the visitors, which also made for a good performance.
Inside the train inspection building, I saw an operation demonstration of a pantograph equipped on the train. Using pantographs, monorail trains obtain electric power from the feeders on the sides of the track. Different from the standard trains, pantographs on monorail trains are very small and inconspicuous. I found the pantograph operation performance very interesting and easy to understand.
I am truly grateful to Tokyo Tama Intercity Monorail Company (Tama monorail) for holding this special event.
A pantograph of the EMU Tama Monorail 1000 series