What makes a tram a tram?

Tram vehicles are usually lighter and shorter than main line and rapid transit trains. Today, most trams use electrical power, usually fed by a pantograph sliding on an overhead line; older systems may use a trolley pole or a bow collector. In some cases, a contact shoe on a third rail is used.



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If you've been on a streetcar in San Francisco or a trolley in Philadelphia, you've ridden a tram. The word tram was originally a Scottish term for the wagons that are used in coal mines, stemming from a Middle Flemish word meaning rung or handle of a barrow.

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This article covers the many design types, most notably the articulated, double-decker, drop-centre, low-floor, single ended, double-ended, rubber -tired, and tram-train; and the various uses of trams, both historical and current, most notably cargo trams, a dog car, hearse tram, maintenance trams, a mobile library ...

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I think the main difference between a tram and a train is that a train (heavy rail) has a dedicated locomotive that carries no passengers or freight (besides the operator) but tows unpowered passenger or freight cars, while a tram has just one or two powered passenger cars with an operator's cabin at each end.

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A tram, is a more international term for what would be called Streetcar, or Light Rail, in North America. A subway is usually an electric train of passenger cars operated in subterranean tunnels, though the term is often stretched to include EL or elevated Trains and even some at-grade urban electric trains.

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Tram — a light train for passengers capable of being used extensively on street level. Metro — a grade separated train for passengers (on bridges, tunnels and stuff that prevents it from crossing street levels) separate from the standard railways in the area within an urban area that runs on high frequencies.

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Low Carbon Emissions: Trams have minimal carbon emissions making them an ideal option for eco-conscious individuals. Not only do they produce less pollution but they also emit less greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Efficient use of Energy: Trams run on electricity which makes them highly energy efficient.

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Monorails are single-rail systems often found in airport transfers and medium-capacity metros. Monorails differ from trams and light rail systems by always being separated from other traffic and pedestrians, and they do not use pantographs.

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An extensive tram network covered large parts of London for several decades during the first half of the twentieth century. By the 1950s, however, trams were seen as old fashioned and were gradually phased out to create more room for buses and cars.

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What type of fuel do trams use? Almost all trams use electric power. There are multiple methods for delivering power, from under-street rails to a third-rail system like a metro, but the most common is a catenary system using an overhead wire and a flexible pole or plate on the vehicle that contacts it.

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