Amsterdam S1/S2 & S3/M4

[Leipzig_LP]

Will there actually also be these step boards mentioned, as is the case with high-floor trams if there is no platform, as in Bielefeld or Hanover, or are they too complex for the simulator? I mean, we only have limited options. But otherwise hats off to Sjoerd

[Sjoerd]

Will there actually also be these step boards mentioned, as is the case with high-floor trams if there is no platform, as in Bielefeld or Hanover, or are they too complex for the simulator?

The "step boards" of these trains are not ment as a solution no the absence of a platform. On these trains, they are a solution to the vehicle width difference between het Amsterdam metro network, and the tram network; on the Amsterdam metro network, the standard vehicle width is 3 meters. On the tram network, it is 2,65 meters.
These vehicles are designed to be used on the metro network between Amsterdam Central station and Amsterdam South station, where they transition to the tram network for the rest of the way to Amstelveen. So to make that happen, the vehicles could not be wider then 2,65 meters. However, this would lead to a gap between the vehicle and the platforms at the metro stations. To solve this, they were fitted with step boards on the sides, which would be in the "up" position during the ride on the metro section, and in the "down" position during the ride on the tram section.

You can see this here; a train to Amstelveen arrives at station Amsterdam South with the step boards "up", raises the pantographs while at the platform, and when it departs, the step boards fold down in order to fit alongside the platforms on the tram section down the line.
https://youtu.be/71eE09ICgvU?t=258

In the simulator, the step boards will be fixed in the down position, as the platforms in the simulator are already at a distance for vehicles which are 2,65 meters wide (as the simulator is originally based on the Rotterdam metro, which uses this loading gauge).

Note: When I did the Amsterdam M5 trains for the simulator, I actually narrowed them a bit to make them fit next to the platforms... To avoid having to build a whole new map just for that train.

[Sjoerd]

The project is going well...

[Leipzig_LP]

The project is going well...

this is too fast for me

[luka23]

Are you also planning on doing the R-net livery?

[Sjoerd]

Yes, that's the plan. And perhaps a repaintable version.

[tunneltrain96]

The Amsterdam light-rail metro vehicles remind me a lot of the Manchester T-68 trams by Breda. However, the T-68s had steps for a different purpose. Instead of using the steps to fill platform gaps, they were used exclusively in the Manchester City Centre.

The steps would stay in throughout the rest of the network until reaching some of the stops in the city. Several stops had "dual height" platforms. This meant that there was a high-floor part for wheelchair users, and a low-floor tram part for the rest of the platform. Remember, Manchester uses high-floor trams since a lot of the network was made out of old railway lines. The steps would be deployed as a large step to climb aboard from the low-floor platform to the high-floor tram.

City Transport Info has a good video of this in action if you search for it on YouTube.

[brozma]

Well.. NGL, to me, Amsterdam S1/S2 looks like a bulky cousin of Amsterdam 11G/12G trams, which is equipped with 3rd rails shoes. Maybe the design of Amsterdam S1/S2 was inspired by Amsterdam 11G/12G trams (or maybe vice versa, IDK).
Also, the fact, the Amsterdam S1/S2 was "an answer" for Rotterdam's SG2 trains, is an obvious clue, the Amsterdam and Rotterdam transport company had some kind of competition between them in the past and Amsterdam S1/S2 was a result of a competitive fight between those two transport companies. But judging by that R-net livery on Rotterdam rolling stock and R-net livery on Amsterdam M5 metro train, those two transport companies probably realized, the competitive fight between them is pointless and they decided to cooperate. That's not the first case, when two transport companies in Europe started to cooperate. In Czechia, the Prague transport company is partially cooperating with Czech Railways, this resulted with many suburban local train lines being integrated into Prague public transport network and with many more benefits. This cooperation is known in Czechia as "Prague integrated tansport" (In czech: Pražská integrovaná doprava).

Fact: Do you know, the Tatra Smíchov tried to make light rail rolling stock similar to Amsterdam S1/S2 as well? This attempt resulted in two light rail/tram hybrids being built in the 90s.
The 1st one is called "Tatra RT6N1" and it wasn't a big success. It was faulty, unreliable and it had to be modified a lot to work properly. Tatra RT6N1 was first operating in Brno on local tram network, and it was the first rolling stock to be used on that time newly opened interurban tram line between Brno and Modřice. Later, Tatra RT6N1 was sold to the transport company in Poznań, where they're used until nowadays (although reconstructed).
The 2nd one is called "Tatra RT8D5" and this stock wasn't actually meant to be used in Czechia nor Slovakia. It is used as a light rail vehicle in Manila in Philippines. This stock was actually more successful than Tatra RT6N1.
Also unlike Amsterdam S1/S2, none of the both light rail/tram hybrids are equipped with 3rd rail shoe. Both have only pantos (single one placed on the middle for Tatra RT6N1, and the pair of pantos on each end for Tatra RT8D5.)

[Sjoerd]

The R-Net livery (as these trains are currently painted in):


I am still working on the cabview... The one for the older version of the train is done, and I'm now working on the newer variant, which includes an extra monitor to make the train compatible with the CBTC-system the Amsterdam metro now uses. This will basically show the same information as the center screen in the M5 cabview.

[RotterdamMetroLover]

Well.. NGL, to me, Amsterdam S1/S2 looks like a bulky cousin of Amsterdam 11G/12G trams, which is equipped with 3rd rails shoes. Maybe the design of Amsterdam S1/S2 was inspired by Amsterdam 11G/12G trams (or maybe vice versa, IDK).
Also, the fact, the Amsterdam S1/S2 was "an answer" for Rotterdam's SG2 trains, is an obvious clue, the Amsterdam and Rotterdam transport company had some kind of competition between them in the past and Amsterdam S1/S2 was a result of a competitive fight between those two transport companies. But judging by that R-net livery on Rotterdam rolling stock and R-net livery on Amsterdam M5 metro train, those two transport companies probably realized, the competitive fight between them is pointless and they decided to cooperate. That's not the first case, when two transport companies in Europe started to cooperate. In Czechia, the Prague transport company is partially cooperating with Czech Railways, this resulted with many suburban local train lines being integrated into Prague public transport network and with many more benefits. This cooperation is known in Czechia as "Prague integrated tansport" (In czech: Pražská integrovaná doprava).

Fact: Do you know, the Tatra Smíchov tried to make light rail rolling stock similar to Amsterdam S1/S2 as well? This attempt resulted in two light rail/tram hybrids being built in the 90s.
The 1st one is called "Tatra RT6N1" and it wasn't a big success. It was faulty, unreliable and it had to be modified a lot to work properly. Tatra RT6N1 was first operating in Brno on local tram network, and it was the first rolling stock to be used on that time newly opened interurban tram line between Brno and Modřice. Later, Tatra RT6N1 was sold to the transport company in Poznań, where they're used until nowadays (although reconstructed).
The 2nd one is called "Tatra RT8D5" and this stock wasn't actually meant to be used in Czechia nor Slovakia. It is used as a light rail vehicle in Manila in Philippines. This stock was actually more successful than Tatra RT6N1.
Also unlike Amsterdam S1/S2, none of the both light rail/tram hybrids are equipped with 3rd rail shoe. Both have only pantos (single one placed on the middle for Tatra RT6N1, and the pair of pantos on each end for Tatra RT8D5.)

The RT8D5 kinda reminds me of the KT8D5N that is running in Brno. The only difference is the floor and the front of the tram.