[PRCo] Heritage cars in Europe installment 1

Fri Feb 25 13:16:40 EST 2011

Heritage - trams in Europe
Historischer Straßenbahnverkehr in Magdeburg - Juni 2010.   Magdeburg was an industrial city in the former DDR where the autobahn and railroad from Helmstadt to Berlin crossed the Elbe River.   At the end of World War II about 340,000 lived there.   Upon reunification, most of the factories closed.   Only about 230,000 live in the capital of the state of Saxony - Anhalt today.   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjSanQ2B8lo&feature=related

Namburg in the former East Germany --- Does a daily operation with Gotha cars qualify as a heritage operation?   Read this quote:  "Naumburg, a city of about 25,000 in the German state of Thuringia (Thüringen), has the smallest streetcar system in Germany. The original route was built in stages from 1892 to 1914 in the form of a 3.3 mile (5.3 km) single-track loop, connecting the main railroad station (Hauptbahnhof) with the city center via two different routes. Five passing sidings allowed six cars to circulate around the loop simultaneously, three in each direction.
After German reunification, the line was deemed uneconomic, and in 1991 it was replaced by a new three-route bus system. A group of enthusiasts managed to preserve much of the infrastructure, gradually restored part of the line, and began operating restored cars from the East German (GDR) era on it. They started with occasional trips in 1994, then one day a month beginning in 2000, then every weekend in 2006, and finally daily since 2007. About 1.5 miles (2.5 km) of track are in service, a bit less than half of the original ring route. A further quarter mile (0.4 km) is to be restored soon.

The current daily operation is funded by a subsidy from the state of Sachsen-Anhalt through the end of 2009."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xs-Lkgs0Xs&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k91VRxAHt8M&feature=related
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There are a several suburban electric railways around Berlin that begin at s-bahn (commuter railroad) stations and wander off into the burbs.   The Woltersdorfer Strassenbahn is one of them.

Wikipedia provides a decent write up but it was written for their German language readers.   Sorry 'bout that.  I've translated the text only  You will need to go to the link to get the map:  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woltersdorfer_Straßenbahn

The Woltersdorf Street Railway GmbH is a transportation company that operates a standard-gauge, interurban railway in the town of Woltersdorf (Oder-Spree) on the eastern outskirts of Berlin. Owners are the community Woltersdorf and the Oder-Spree split equally.

History

The line was on 17 Opened in May 1913 over a length of 5.6 kilometers. Up to now the route has remained unchanged. The operation is one of the smallest tram companies in the world. The train operated on its line of ten stops, and needs only about 16 minutes. In the spring of 1990 increased the number of passengers again, the track has been completely renovated. Since then runs the tram Woltersdorf below the line number 87 in the Transport Association Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB).

Route

The route runs from the train station Rahnsdorf initially for about two kilometers straight Berlin by the city forest. At the border to Brandenburg, the development of the community is achieved. The tram goes there first by an older, suburban residential area (Berlin Road) and the emerging development area (Berlin area) until it reaches the Thälmannplatz the center. From there the route leads down the slippery road gate to the terminus at the area between Flakensee and Kalksee Woltersdorfer lock.

Beyond the gate in turn is a forest area (the Rüdersdorfer Heath). Because of the beautiful course of the road with forests and lakes plays for the Woltersdorfer tram trip driving is an important, however, it serves mainly as a feeder of some 8,000 inhabitants of the village to the Wolter S-Bahn Berlin (line S 3).

The entire route is single track, passing places are at Thälmannplatz and near the city limits, and since the summer 2006 timetable also at the Berlin court.

The main track is in the first place position next to the Berlin Street, from Berlin's place in the side of the carriageway of the road, which is several times between the center and lock the side of the street changed. The depot of the tram Woltersdorf located on Bird Road in villages near the central station Thälmannplatz.

Operations [edit]  

As a rule, are on working days, two trains on the route. To 2006 trailers were sometimes used, but usually only between Rahnsdorf and Thälmannplatz. Since 2006, at peak times instead of trailers, a motor car between Rahnsdorf and Berliner Platz is used running every 10 minutes instead of the former 20 minutes with trailers.  The trailers come only on special occasions with increased traffic volume used.

Vehicles [edit]

The two-axle vehicles (six railcars, two trailers) are from the Gotha Wagon Works. There are also two museum trains, one from 1913 (Orenstein & Koppel) and a KSW-train from 1943-44. As a work vehicle, a former Berlin Reko-ATZ is in stock, which was incorporated in 1998 by the SNB.

See also [edit]

A few kilometers away from Woltersdorf also runs the (meter gauge) Schöneiche-Rüdersdorfer tram. The third suburban or perimeter Berlin tram lines is about ten miles northeast beginning Strausberger railroad.

Both of the next two videos show KSW Wagen or KSW Zug?   Was ist das?    Remember that the British and the United States showed the German population what hell looked like in World War II.   At the end of the war their railway fleets were simply decimated.   The solution was simply to haul people; not to worry about comfort.   Out of that need evolved the Kreig Strassenbahn Wagen (Krieg = War, Strassenbahn = street railway, Wagen = car).   They came in two versions, motors and trailers.   Couple them together and you have a Zug or a train.   They rode on trucks from cars that often bombed ... built out of anything that could be salvaged.   If memory serves, Düwag (Düsseldorfer Wagen Fabrik) was the builder but I could be wrong.   

Now go back to that statement about hauling people and not worrying about comfort.   In Teil 2 (Part 2) you will clearly see the lettering above the Fahrer (Driver, Motorman).   The lower script reads "Nicht mit dem Fahrer Sprechen.   If I tell you that the infinitive of the verb to speak is sprechen, you have that all figured out don't you?   Above it notice the signs telling how many standees can be accommodated on those huge platforms:   15 Stehplatz vorn (15 standing positions front), 18 ... hinten (rear).   That's 33 standees on the platforms plus another 30 rammed into the carbody.   

These cars were still commonly used all over Germany in the late 1950s.   By the 1970s you had to look very hard to find any of them.

    Führerstandsmitfahrt Woltersdorf Teil 1.
    (single truck car with trailer - PRW and single track

    side of the road operation)

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKu9RqylafY&feature=related

    Führerstandsmitfahrt Woltersdorf Teil 2.

       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaAWtXNNw6I&NR=1

Woltersdorfer Straßenbahn im Wald zwischen Rahnsdorf und Goethestraße (in the woods between Rahn's Village and Goethe Street) ---  Those little single truck cars like 32 were built by Gotha Wagonfabrik in the town of Gotha into the 1960s until all East German tram car production was transferred by state edict to Tatra in Prague.   This area was one where you used to see the wealthy party members driving Volvos; they were only people entitled to export hard currency for automobiles.   Last time I was there I found a great little Greek restaurant in that end of town ... Ouzo with lunch!   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHC9ZhFfQ50&feature=related

Strassenbahn Schöneiche Teil 1.

(more classic operation - much of it single track and side of the road)  The yellow rectangle on a post mounted with the corners up and down that you see at 4:53, 5:28, 5:52 as examples, is a European highway priority sign.   It tells the motorist that he has priority through the intersection and that the other side has the stop or yield sign.   All sides of an intersection must be signed.   Great idea isn't it?   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up0hY2xpinY&playnext=1&list=PLE72EF38724E23CAE

Strassenbahn Schöneiche Teil 2.  -  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgdCW25H5Zw

Strassenbahn Schöneiche Teil 3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5A-_mxx3b8

But look at this one that shows a lot of older cars including the 2008 rebuilding of an ancient arc on "maximum drehgestelle" or maximum traction trucks.   Es ist fantastisch!   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfnMWJ-sfDw&feature=related

Rheinischebahn Gesselschaft is shown using ancient equipment on the city tour tram in Düsseldorf, Germany.   Must be a heavy day requiring both a motor and trailer.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RncExx4_UNA

Isn't it great that Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe maintained a few of their ancient fleet as museum pieces?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FpvTZpALJ8&playnext=1&list=PL0CA6138D76FFBF63

This next one is Berlin in 1990, just at the time of unification of the DDR and BRD.  Why is the air so blue?  All those automobiles ... the Trabants and Wartburgs had two cycle engines and burned a mix of gasoline and oil like your old two-cycle lawn mower engine.   The air stank.   Berlin, by the way, is home to about 3.4 million people ... a bit fewer than Los Angeles which has 3.8 million.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUb7GulUiHs&NR=1&feature=fvwp

The longest train I was ever on in Berlin?  Well a PCC broke down.   By the time the supervisor appeared, the crews had already wound off the drum brakes on the Tatra motor car and all the trailers and had coupled the following train to it.   The follower was one of those two axle Gotha cars and it had two trailers.   And off we went with a seranade of bells.   There was no OSHA to tell anyone you had to take the passengers off first.

There has also been some old subway (U-bahn or Untergrundbahn) equipment preserved:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hQnB2mBoWY

And Potsdam ... these aren't museumcars but regular service.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xukytjrBImo&feature=related

Karl-Marx-Stadt was renamed back to Chemnitz just before the collapse of east Germany.   I got there in 1989, the month before currency unification but still the year before the two nations were glued back together.   These older hulks were already gone.   Notice all the Trabant automobiles with their plastic bodies  ... in 1989 the DDR was trying to develop microbes that would eat the bodies because the landfills were overflowing with them.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUb7GulUiHs&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Heritage tram in Budapest.   (This is a merger of two cities ... Buda and Pest.   Budapest has 1.7 million people which makes it a little bigger than Phoenix, the 6th largest city in the United States.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00jrUN4BZWQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ6rOmMVJYI&feature=related

Of course no one would ride trams today in any city.   You see that in this film in Budapest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjQHz-ftemA&feature=related

And look at these old motor trailer sets ... probably 50 meters or half a football field of train jammed with people

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t8QqmpY6y0&feature=fvwrel

Heritage tram parade in Brussels.  -- this includes bothHague and Brussels PCCs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q20m22R3dg

Heritage streetcars celebrating 125 years of UITP in Brussels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3sIhdH-uwU&feature=related

Ancien tramway de Liège à Bruxelles (septembre 2010).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8P9FSPYEtc&feature=related

LIEGE FANTA ! 1950 - 1964.   -   The Vicinal network

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROP8dkcarfY&feature=related

LIEGE-SERAING....1965.   -   One of those double end Peter Witt style cars was cosmetically restored at the tramway museum in Brussels for display in Liege, Belgium.   The guys who did the restoration had the opportunity to play with it after they finished the job.   Fred was lucky enough to be there on the right weekend.   Wow would that car fly.   Understand that the Europeans were always a lot more conscious of economy than the spendthrift Americans.   Instead of two running points on the controller, it has three ... all motors in series, then series pairs connect in parallel, then all four motors in parallel ... three was to get off resistance.  I suspect it might have done 40ish wound out.   I know it caught up to the revenue car ahead of it.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmwmNumidjg&feature=related

LE TRAM DE TONGRES  1953.   (Sorry Peter but I have always had this thing against changing the spelling of words because we don't want to learn how to pronounce it the way they do.   It's French.   It's in Belgium.   Pronounced Toun-gray.
And we are not the only ones to bollox up spelling.   Wikipedia shows it as Tongeren in English (British and USA), Tongern in German.   This is part of the Vicinal system - gone for ages.   It was about 20 km north of Liege, about 100 km east of Brussels and 100 km east north east of Charleroi.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm-pe5xybes&feature=related

Peter Folger
P.O.Box 1741
Biddeford, ME 04005-1741
transitman at maine.rr.com