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Old January 1st 06, 05:15 PM posted to uk.transport.london,uk.transport.buses
Ian Jelf Ian Jelf is offline
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First recorded activity at LondonBanter: Jul 2003
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Default Gatwick Fastway (Fantasy?)

In message , Aidan Stanger
writes
Martin Clark wrote:

Aidan Stanger wrote...
That's interesting because the description matches that of an O-bahn.
Does this mean that the Adelaide O-bahn is no longer the only one in the
world?*


It hasn't been the only one for some time:
http://www.garden.force9.co.uk/OBahn.htm
http://www.busesintl.com/July_2002.htm
http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/york...itybus/quality

busindex.php
http://www.campaignon.com/caseforrail/Busway%20Proposal/default.aspx


I'd forgotten about the W Yorkshire busways. I wasn't sure if they were
proper O-bahns or not, but looking at the pictures on the website it's
clear that they are. That means that the Adelaide O-bahn has never been
the only one in the world, as W Yorkshire got them before the Essen one
closed.

What happened to the Essen one? Was it converted to tramway or simply
abandoned? I always thought that Essen had several of them, too. Was
that not the case?

UIVMM the Ipswich one isn't proper O-bahns because the guidewheels are
not directly connected to the steering.

I can't quite get my head around this one. Could someone explain the
difference?

Have any of Britain's guided busway promoters yet figured out that
they'd be more successrful if the buses actually went fast.

The WMPTE Tracline 65 certainly could certainly go fast.
Unfortunately, it did so on a stretch of already fast and quiet dual
carriageway, so its benefit was more or less nil. It was supposed to
be the shape of things to come but never was, of course.

I've always though that the best place for the guided technology is
inside bus stations.
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
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