Information AboutHandcar |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT HANDCAR | |
| maintenance of way equipment | |
| human powered vehicles | |
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A handcar (UK: pump trolley) is a Maintenance Of Way or Mining Railroad Car powered by its passengers, or by people pushing the car from behind. A typical design consists of an arm that pivots, seesaw-like, on a base, which the passengers alternately push down and pull up to move the car. Handcars have been normally used by railroad service personnel for railroad inspection and maintenance. Due to their low weight they can be put on and off the rails at any place. Handcars have since been replaced by self propelled vehicles that do not require the use of manual power, instead relying on diesel or electricity to move the vehicle. Handcars are nowadays used by handcar enthusiasts to organize races between handcars driven by five person teams (one to push the car from a halt, four to pump the lever). BAMBOO CART In Cambodia and other developing countries, local citizens sometimes make their own unofficial carts to transport goods along the railway tracks. JAPAN In Japan , dozens of commercially operated handcar railway lines, called or existed in early 20th Century . Those were purely built for its service, and "drivers" pushed small train cars all the way. The first line, Fujieda-Yaizu Tramway, opened in 1891 , and most of others opened before 1910 . Most lines were very short with less than 10 km lengths, and the Rail Gauge s used were either or . As the human-powered system was fairly inefficient, many human car tramways soon changed their power resources to either Horse or Gasoline . The system was not strong against a competition with other modes of transport, such as Truck s, Horse s, Bus es, or other Railway s. Taishaku Human Car Tramway ceased its operation as early as 1912 , and almost all the lines were already closed before 1945 . List of human car tramways existed in Japan
image from circa 1895, shows four natives from British India pushing a hand-car in Bolan Pass , Pakistan .]] TAIWAN In s. The network developed later under Japanese Rule . In 1933 , its peak, there were more than 50 lines in the island with 1,292 km network, transporting local passengers, Coal s, factory products, Sugar s, Salt s, Banana s, Tea leaves, and others. Most lines, excluding those in mines and isolated islands, have disappeared after Japanese have left. However, a few lines survived well until 1970 s. Currently, only the sightseeing line in Wūlái still exists, although its line is not human-powered anymore. IN POPULAR CULTURE Handcars are a recurring plot device of twentieth century filmic comedy. For example, the opening scene of '' Blazing Saddles '', depicting railroad construction, features a handcar. SEE ALSO
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