Part 1
A sight to behold in winter is a Bratislava tram, literally, ploughing its way through fresh snowdrifts, creating a ship-like bow wave of scattered snow. Viewed from a distance, it is almost like a ship in snow except for the squeaks, squeals & rumbles of heavy metallic wheels on tracks as it trundles downhill towards the city centre.
Come snow or sun, wind or rain, the humdrum sounds of a tram are quite varied, from the sound of the overhead motor unit, the rattle of carriages to the clunking of wheels moving over uneven rail track joints.
Day in, day out, the sturdy cream & red liveried workhorses convey their human loads from suburbia to the centre in the mornings. Drowsy, dreamy commuters sit inside the carriage without paying any attention whatsoever to the sounds heard in each and every tram.
The most obvious tram sound is the electrical hum of electricity coming from the overhead motor unit, feeding power, heat and light to the tram. As it pulls away from a stop, the hum playfully whines, willingly accepting the commands from the driver to accelerate and pick up more speed. However, when the tram slows down, the whine becomes a kind of begrudging, plaintive moan, as the electrical load decreases and speed is lost.
Every time a tram arrives at a stop, there is the sound of a short sharp ‘ding’, which is quickly followed by the squeaking of doors folding back inwards. On the more modern trams, the squeaks are replaced by some sort of hydraulic “swishing hiss” as the doors swing outwards.
To be continued......
Notes:
Livery: the common design & paint scheme a (transport) company will use on its vehicles (including logos)In this sense, the term ' livery' is applied to railway locomotives & rollling stock, trams, ships, aircraft and road vehicles such as buses or coaches.
Humdrum: Lacking in variety or in this context: humdrum character or routine; monotony. Verbs describing movement are highlighted in italics.
Words describing noises & sounds are highlighed in dark blue.
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