How it Works
Content in this section includes :-
Winchmen and Attendants
At the Controls
Winchmen and Attendants
The lower Section
Look through the window of the control room and you will see me. I am the one facing downwards. I am sitting alongside the electric motor which I control. In front of me is my control panel of buttons and lights.
On this I receive from the tram attendants the signals - start, slow and stop. Without these signals I could not operate motor and the cables because I cannot see the trams as they travel.
At my right hand is a lever which controls the speed of the motor and therefore the trams.
When I receive two ready lights from the tram attendant of ascending and descending trams I take the brake off gently and set the motor in motion.
I slowly raise the speed.
I know I must slow the ascending tram down as soon as it approaches the traffic lights and the trackpoints but I must always be ready for emergency stops. I have to concentrate all the time by keeping an eye on the control panel.
To help me know when the trams are approaching the stations we have yellow paint markers on the drum and the cable. When the marks meet then I know the tram is approaching Victoria Station and I can cut off the motor and apply the drum brake to bring the tram to a gentle stop.'