The Soller Tramway

A picture that typifies the tramway, ex-Lisbon tram 24 runs along the sea wall at Puerto de Soller framed on both sides by palm trees

Majorca’s only surviving tramway links the terminus of the the Palma – Soller railway at Soller with Puerto de Soller (Port of Soller) on the island’s northern coast, 4.8 kilometres away. The line opened in October 1913 and still uses its original stock, albeit supplemented over the years by some second hand trams, and remains an important link between the town and the port. Bizarrely it is believed that the line was only constructed in the first place in order to extend the 27km long Palma – Soller railway over the 30km mark, thus making the whole line from Palma eligible for financial assistance from the government. However, and despite this tenuous reason for construction, the tramway has thrived.

1929 electric loco 2 is pictured at Palma awaiting departure to Soller.

The railway line from Palma, Majorca’s capital, to Soller was opened in 1912. Originally steam powered, the route was converted to electric traction in 1929 as its route passes through several long tunnels which made steam rapidly become very unpopular. The 1929 built passenger carrying electric locos still power the stock along the scenic route as it climbs out of Palma, which involves some street running for the first part, and towards the Sierra de Alfabia mountains before falling towards the coast. The railway was for many years the principal means of getting to Soller as the mountain range was bisected only by the railway and one tortuously winding mountain road. However, from 1996 a new road tunnel has opened up the area considerably. Despite this, it is by rail that most tourists will arrive in Soller.

No.2 is one of the original 1913 cars built by Carde & Escoriaza

Operated, as is the railway, by

Ferrocarril de Sóller

, the tramway was originally equipped with three motor cars, nos. 1-3, and two matching trailers originally numbered 7 and 8 but later 5 and 6. Built by Carde & Escoriaza in Zaragoza, and on Brill 21E trucks, these 1913 veterans remain on the line today. In the summer they often run with coupled pairs of open ‘jardinera’ trailers, four of which were acquired from Palma when their system closed in 1954. Numbered 8-11 at Soller they were former horse cars which are believed to date from around 1890. A fourth motor car and matching trailer were obtained second hand from Bilbao in 1959, which became numbers 4 and 7 respectively, although these have since returned to Bilboa for preservation. The most recent second hand acquisitions have been five of the ‘700 series’ motor cars from Lisbon in Portugal, now numbered 20-24, with four of these known to be 716, 718, 725 and 729. These have been re-gauged to 3ft, which was the former Majorca standard and is retained throughout the railway and tramway between Palma and Puerto de Soller, although other lines on the island have been converted to metre gauge in recent years. Other Lisbon cars acquired, but not converted for use, have been similar two axle cars 704 and 734, and four axle cars 334 and 807. The former Lisbon trams were at first operated in basically original condition but have recently almost all been modified to resemble the home fleet which has involved replacing the side panelling with varnished ‘matchboard’ planks and painting the remainder in the familiar Soller orange and brown. More recently, and to cope with the problems frequently encountered when a packed train attempts to disgorge its passengers onto the tiny trams, some larger bogie trailers have been built to a traditional style, but much larger proportions making them appear slightly ungainly.

One of the new trailers is seen outside the tram depot whilst cars 2 and 20 look on. Notice the line to the left of the shed which is actually the railway line towards Palma

The single line Soller tramway provides an attractive ride between the town and the port. Beginning close to the tram depot at an interchange with the railway, to which the line is physically connected at this point, the first section of the tramway is in the street, running through Soller’s main square. After this it moves to a roadside reservation and through a passing loop which is not needed unless more than a half hourly service is running. The line passes through orange and lemon groves and then crosses the main Soller – Port road reaching the half way passing loop which is regularly in use. After this the line continues alongside the road, passing a disused loop, before approaching the impressive bay at Puerto de Soller from the west side. The tramway then runs around almost the full length of the bay, which is framed by palm trees, before terminating at the east side on a double track run-round loop. A headshunt extends beyond this which is ofter used for stabling a car between the peaks. The tramway runs all year round with a basic hourly frequency in operation during the winter, requiring just one tram and trailer set, whilst the frequency is doubled in the summer with two sets normally in use. The layout of the line does not allow for much improvements in frequency. Running time is about 20 minutes each way. Tickets are available from conductors on board the trams with one way journeys priced at 4 euros.

For more information and train and tram times/fares visit http://www.trendesoller.com

Written and Illustrated by James Millington

A Galaxy of Fallen Stars

My recent visit to Germany took in Leipzig and Halle, both of these neighbouring systems made extensive use of Czechoslovakian built Tatra cars. Both also, currently, have many in store. I had located most of the depots in Leipzig during my visit but was aware of Leutzsch depot which had closed in 2001, but reopened temporarily between 2003 and 2005 to release space at another depot for reconstruction work. The depot is located alongside Leutzsch railway station and is accessed by a branch from route 7 - passenger services were removed from here at the last major network review in 2001. Currently a shuttle minibus serves the residential area around the depot. A warm summer's evening seemed a sensible time to visit, without any inclination of what I may (or may not) get to see.

As I approached the depot I was confronted by a row of around 20 heavily graffiti covered Tatras (motors and trailers), all unrefurbished unlike those still in use.

Leutzsch Depot Yard Line up

The are Tatras under all that Grafitti

It also soon became apparent that this was something of a 'ghost depot'. Unlike most other depots it was not fenced off. Whilst the yard was tightly packed with withdrawn cars but the depot appeared empty save for a withdrawn refurbished Tatra (apparently the depot shunter) in side closest to the railway. However a view from another angle (below) showed an serviceable Tatra and indeed a more modern articulated car. I left as darkness began to fall and caught a service car back into the city - just in time to witness a pair of home built Leoliner cars turning down the depot approach track to Leutzsch.

In the depot hall on the left two cars were receiving attention from a solitary fitter.

Close up views of vandalised cars.

Meanwhile there is a second fleet of stored cars in Leipzig. In 1988-1990 its last Tatras arrived T6As 1001-1028 and B6A trailers 801-814. Reportedly these were not CKD's finest work and quickly required new truck frames and an interior refurbishment. In 2006/7 they were retired at a very young age for trams, but remain in stock - perhaps because they retain a book value or their lease has not been paid. They are stored at Paunsdorf and Wittenberger Strasse depots generally i

Line up of T6As at Wittenberger St depot.

My visit to Halle included a short trip to Naumberg and on the way back I alighted from the train at Merseburg and travelled along the Bad Dürrenberg interurban route (5) as far as Leuna where route 15 branched off to Merseburg Sud. This once used the two rare double ended Tatra including 900 in the Halle Museum and 902 with the TMS at Crich. A depot is adjacent to Kötzschener Weg tram stop but this is now solely used to store withdrawn or reserve cars.

Several Tatras are lined up in front of the main building with many more parked in the yard to the right of the photo below.

What the future holds for these fallen stars is unknown. Since my visit a the stored cars at Leutzsch have been towed away, probably to the main works as shown here:

http://www.l-nv.net/pages/gallery/27.08.2009-leutzscher-tatras-verschwinden537.php

The last four reportedly left on 27 October.

Schöneicher-Rüdersdorfer Strassenbahn

SRS car 47 new in 1973 to Heidelberg at Rahnsdorf Strasse.

The Greater Berlin area has three feeder tramways to its S-Bahn network - service 87 (Woltersdorf), service 89 (Strausberg) and the "Schöneicher-Rüdersdorfer Strassenbahn" (SRS)- service 88. All are independent, but integrated into the Berlin network and ticketing structure. The SRS started in 1910 and runs from Rüdersdorf through Schöneiche to Berlin Friedrichshagen S-bahn system - with nearby interchange with the Berlin tram network.

Car 78 is a 1957 Gotha car used on the line into the 1990s

During the Communist era, the tramway struggled financially and relied on cascaded stock from other systems. In 2001 70% of the shares were privatised - with international firm Veolia holding the majority take and the two local authorities 15% each.

On weekdays a 20 minute service is operated using four trams with the first car leaving depot as early as 03:34 and the last back in at 00:32. At weekends 3 cars provide a 30 minute frequency.

The mainstay of the fleet is a batch of ex Heidelberg Duewag articulated cars acquired between 2001 and 2008. In total 12 have been purchased, though not all are in use. The fleet is:

41 of 1966 acquired 1999 ex HB 225, named "Grätzwalde" - stored.
42 of 1966 acquired 2000 ex HB 219, named "Kalkberge" - in service (above)
43 of 1966 acquired 2003 ex HB 218, named "Rüdersdorf" - in service (above)
44 of 1966 acquired 2003 ex HB 226, named "Schöneiche" - in service.
45 of 1966 acquired 2003 ex HB 229, - stored (one half).

46 of 1966 acquired 2004 ex HB 220, named "Friedrichshagen" - in service
47 of 1973 acquired 2006 ex HB 237, named "Brandenburg" - in service.

Interior of 46

48 of 1973 acquired 2006 ex HB 238, - in service (below)

Additionally Heidelberg car 227 of 1968 is stored as acquired (back in 2004), while three others have been scrapped. Car 228 did run as car 43 until 2004, whilst 222 and 240 were used for spares. Entry into service of the Heidelberg cars was slow with refurbishment undertaken in house. 48 entered service in 2009, for example, three years after purchase.

Ex Cottbus Tatra 18 is stored in the depot yard - this part having been disconnected from the system.

These double ended cars replaced several much younger single Tatra cars. Between 1992 and 1994, eight Tatra T5s were acquired from Cottbus and overhauled, to replace the traditional four wheel cars with trailers. Today just two remain at the depot - one apparently active, the other long term stored. The depot is also host to a number of stored cars.

The line is undergoing upgrading and for much of the summer was truncated on the outskirts of Rüdersdorf. The route is a mixture of single track with loops and double track sections.

Works car A73 of 1975 is one of the vintage cars kept at the depot

This is believed to be car 113 in long term store

See also http://www.srs-tram.de and

http://paul-turner.fotopic.net/c1782701.html

Amsterdam’s last classic artics

Amsterdam’s ‘classic’ articulated cars were constructed in several batches and to several designs between 1957 and 1980 and the fleet of first generation (high floor) artics eventually numbered 252 examples. Most of these have been replaced in the years since 1990 by the delivery of low floor trams including 45 partially low floor cars from BN (the forerunner to Bombardier) in 1989-91, and 155 Combinos from Siemens in 2002-4. This left only the final batch of ‘classic’ artics in service in Amsterdam, the 37 Linke-Hofmann-Busche cars, 780-816, which were delivered in 1979/80. Whilst there has been no out and out policy to rid the fleet of these final high floor cars, the class has been on the decline in recent years owing to a number of factors, particularly the completion of an upgrade program to improve the reliability of the new Combinos. This has resulted in less trams being required in the fleet, and has allowed inroads to be made into rank numbers. The first of the type to go was 814 which was damaged by fire in August 2006 and eventually went for scrap in March 2008. Four more of the type were also withdrawn in early 2008, 796, 797, 806 and 811, the first two of these having suffered accident damage. All four were scrapped in September and October of 2008.

On July 11 2009 LHB car 810 departs Centraal Station with a route 4 working to Station Rai

In September 2008 it was announced that 16 of the type had been sold for further service to Sarajevo, a system which was still trying to improve its fortunes following the damage it sustained during the conflict of the mid 1990s. 783, 788-793, 795, 798-800, 802, 803, 807, 808 and 812 were withdrawn from service in October 2008 in preparation for transport to Bosnia, 800 being the first to leave, transported by railway on a flat wagon, on February 9 2009. The other 15 followed during February and March. In Sarajevo the 16 cars have been renumbered 801-16, in numerical order (783 becoming 801, 788 becoming 802, etc).

16 examples remain in Amsterdam as of Autumn 2009, split between the two operating depots. 809 and 816 are based at Havenstraat as driver training cars, although they are still available for service if required. 780-782, 784-787, 794, 801, 804-805, 810, 813, 815 remain at Lekstraat where they see regular use on routes 3, 4, 7, 9, 12 and 14. All but one are in the standard blue and white livery of operator GVB, the exception being 813, which has recently carried various themed liveries.

784 heads out of the city through Rembrandtplein on July 14 2009 on service 9 to Diemen

During summer 2009 813 carried this in-house livery for OV-Chipkaart, the new ticket for use on the Metro network. Rembrandtplein, July 14

Written and Illustrated by James Millington

An Underground Running Day

On 12 May 2008 the Tram Museum in Brussels held a commemorative running day to mark 30 years of the North to South subway. Several vintage cars associated either with the subway or the former street tracks it replaced were used. The subway is entered from the north at Thomas where a triangular junction allowed the museum cars to reverse. The first stop is Gare du Nord where a four track layout exists, then follows Rogier with through trams on level 3, terminating trams on level 2 (then under refurbishment) and the Metro on level 1 nearest street level. Rogier, De Brouckere, Bourse and Annessens have platforms on both sides for passenger flow, reflecting the intial intention to replace the trams with high floor metro. The tunnel emerges into the 1957 subterranean station of Lemmonnier from where there is a ramp down into the more recent tunnel to Albert. The museum cars carried on below the railway lines into the street level Gard du Midi tram station (there are two more tram and Metro levels below) before turning onto the street under the railway to turn on the triangular junction at Place Bara.

4032 and 7500 ready for departure from the museum.

The trams line up at the museum depot and left via Montgomery and route 81 through Flagey to Midi then through the subway to Thomas. From 900 to 1200 they shuttled through the tunnels at frequent intervals, observing all stops before retracing their steps back to the Museum depot.

4032 poses for photos at Jason on its way into the city.

Tram 1064 and Trailer 102. These represented the traditional motor and trailer sets used on the street lines before the subway. 1064 dates from 1938 and 102 from 1928. 1064 carries a pantograph to allow it to access the full city network.

1064 sets off from Place Bara as 9079 arrives.

4032 is the sole survivor of a batch of articulated cars built on the chassis of two four wheel cars with a small centre section fitted. New bodies were designed to match the PCC cars, though traditional equipment was used. 4032 dates from 1965.

4032 arrives at Thomas on its first run

The interior of 4032 showing the turntables.

5008 of 1935 is one of a batch of bogie cars built for the trade fair at Heysel. No less than six survive in the museum collection including 5016 which spent several years in the UK. 5001/8/16 regular provide the tourist tram round the city whilst 5018 was rebodied with a PCC style body.

The turning triangle at Bara included the truncated section of route 83 (closed 2007) from Gare L'Ouest via Rue Birmingham. 5008 was reversed as far as the surviving overhead would allow for this photo.

5008 in the murky environment of Gare du Midi tram station

PCC 7016 of 1952 was in operation in as withdrawn condition. This had received an interior refurbishment as per sisters 7156-7171 and the articulated cars. Here it reverses at Bara using the shunt controller.

7093, restored to 1970s condition was used for the Royal Opening of the tram subways and is seen below at Gare du Midi

7500 is a unique car a prototype articulated version of the PCC built in 1962. It was not immediately a success as it was underpowered, however it eventually lead to a production batch of 98 single ended and 30 double ended cars in the early 1970s. All but one of the single ended cars were rebuilt to double ended - the exception 7529 was destroyed by fire but donated its equipment to 7500. This remains in use as the only single ended articulated car and shares duties with the PCCs on routes 39/44. This event made a welcome return to the city centre for the car.

7500 arrives at Lemonnier station

Ready to reverse round the triangular junction at Thomas

9079 is one of several four wheelers to be rebodied with PCC style bodywork. It dates from 1960 and is seen below at Bara.

Works car 2 is one of a surprising number of preserved works cars in the museum collection. It was once a sister car to 5008 (as 5021) it was converted to a breakdown truck (Depannage) in 1977. An unusual addition to any running day.

A ride on the blue tram

Situated on the Mediterranean coast, Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and is the capital of Catalonia. It has three tramway systems of which two, the Trambaix and the Trambesos, are modern light rail lines which opened in 2004. Of interest to us here, however, is a unique survivor of Barcelona’s original tramway system, the Tramvia Blau (Blue Tram).

Electric trams have run in Barcelona since 1899 but the original system closed in 1971, except for one route. This short double track line, just 1,276 meters in length, has operated in isolation ever since, albeit now only daily during the core summer season and otherwise just at weekends and during public holidays. It provides a link between the city’s metro system and a funicular railway which leads to mount Tibidabo, a local attraction. At 512 meters above sea level Tibidabo is the highest peak in the area and affords spectacular views of the city and the surrounding coastline. An amusement park at the summit makes this one of the most popular attractions in the area. The Tramvia Blau runs from Avinguda Tibidabo to the base of the funicular railway at Placa del Doctor Andreu, and features a fleet of seven four wheeled survivors of which most are enclosed four wheel single deck cars painted in the distinctive blue livery that gives the line its name. Car 2 was built in 1901 and survives in largely original condition whilst 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 date from 1904 but have all been extensively, but sympathetically, rebuilt during the years since 2000. Finally, car 129 of 1906 is an open sided tram that originally operated on the main city system and this retains the red livery of Tranvias de Barcelona. It is mounted on the truck from Tramvia Blau car 9.

Tramvia Blau car 7 of 1904 was extensively rebuilt in 2004. On 4th January 2009 it loads at Avinguda Tibidabo for another trip up the line.

The curious thing about the Tramvia Blau is that despite exuding a museum type atmosphere it is a working line which has managed to retain its period feel. The refurbished cars 5-8 and 10 appear to maintain the basic service and have all received a thorough rebuild in recent years which has involved much reconstruction of the bodies. The electrical equipment has been thoroughly modernised and now incorporates computerised control, although this is operated via authentic style controllers. These look the part but the method of driving, from ‘off’ to ‘top notch’ in one movement before the car even sets off gives the game away to the eagle-eyed enthusiast that these are far from original controllers! These refurbished cars all feature modern head and tail lights, trafficators and windscreen wipers, but none of these features really spoils the traditional look of the old cars.

Traditional looking controllers belies the fact that state of the art controls are employed on the refurbished trams

To take a ride on the Blue Tram, your journey will normally start in the centre of Barcelona at Placa de Catalunya. From here you need to take Metro Line 7 to its terminus at Av. Tibidabo and on exiting the Metro station the Tramvia Blau terminus is in front of you. Tickets for the tram can be purchased on boarding but you need to be aware that the service is not very frequent and the trams are very small meaning you can be subjected to a considerable wait at busy times. The trams are packed well by the driver and conductor and the amount of standing passengers can often equal those seated. From the lower terminus the line climbs steadily up the Tibidabo Hill, passing the depot on the left at the end of what has so far been a straight section of route. From here the line climbs through the Sarria-Sant Gervasi district, circling around the plateau at the base of the funicular railway where it terminates in front of the funicular station and adjacent bar and restaurant.

Cars 6 and 7 meet at the upper terminus at Placa del Doctor Andreu

From here most people continue their journey to the summit on the funicular, which also opened in 1901.

Photo: Funicular car 2 at the lower station

The Tramvia Blau is a unique attraction that demonstrates just how easy it can be to modernise a system without compromising the heritage value, perhaps other systems with vintage rolling stock should take note! It is an important part of the package that forms a day out at the Tibidabo amusement park, and its future seems assured.

Tramvia Blau fleet.2. (1901).5-8, 10. (1904). 129. (1906)

Current fares.Single ticket €2.70. Return ticket €4.10. (Tickets on sale on board the tram).


Metro and Tramvia Blau timetables are available to view on the Barcelona Metropolitan Transport website at http://www.tmb.net/
Further photographs of the Tramvia Blau fleet can be viewed online at http://www.tramvia.org/

Written and illustrated by James Millington

A fairly modern relic

Latvia has three tramway systems of which the largest, and indeed the oldest, is in the capital, Riga. The others are at the coastal resort of Liepaja, and the country’s second largest city, Daugavpils. During a holiday to see the tramway in Riga in October 2008 I decided to take a day trip to Daugavpils, mainly because I had a desire to see the old RVZ6 cars of Soviet design, a type which normally requires a trip behind the former Iron Curtain to see the remaining examples. Whilst I will review Riga in a future installment, I had to forgo the trip to Liepaja this time as the local train services required you to spend a night there to get a decent amount of time. However this was seen to be no major loss as the system is relatively small consisting of just one route and one tramcar type, the Tatra T4, and only seven cars are required out daily. Daugavpils seemed to offer much more interest in terms of routes and rolling stock, although I will admit I knew very little about what awaited me in this far flung outpost of Eastern Europe which sits just some 25/30km from the borders with Lithuania and Belarus. The 27km tramway is actually rather modern for a first generation system having opened in 1946, it being one of the better things to have happened to the area during the Stalin era which saw massive industrialisation in the years immediately after the second world war. Despite this relative modernity the system displays an air of dilapidation and neglect, not helped by the poor condition of much of the tram fleet and the areas of work worn pre and post war housing through which the various routes pass.

Daugavpils is situated on the river Daugava and is noted for some fine architecture in the historic centre of the city. It is also surrounded by many lakes and much parkland, and is an important railway centre. The city is directly connected to Riga by rail, although the journey by train is a bit of a bind as it takes almost four hours in each direction for the 230km journey. Four trains run per day in each direction and to maximize my day I opted for the first one out and the last one back. Having purchased my return ticket at Riga’s main station the day before, and for the very reasonable price of 9.17LVL (roughly £11.80), I boarded the 0710 Riga Pasazieru – Daugavpils, and took my seat within the very spartan accommodation which the ex-Soviet diesel multiple unit provided. No catering was provided on the train, so I was grateful that I’d had a coffee and a bite to eat before I departed from Riga – and little did I know just how hard I would find it to get something to eat in Daugavpils! My train arrived at the second city right on time at 1053, and shortly before it came to a halt I caught a glimpse of one of the RVZ6 trams that I had specifically gone to see. As my return train was not until 1800 this gave me a good seven hours to explore the system, and I followed the crowds of fellow passengers off the train assuming that they were heading in a direction that may lead me to the tramway. I expected that the railway station would include an interchange with other forms of transport and that I would walk straight onto a waiting tram, but this was not the case. Instead a series of derelict looking buildings and a petrol station were all that greeted me. However, I followed the other train passengers who had turned right out of the station and I arrived at a tram stop within a couple of minutes. Standing here, without a route map and with no knowledge of the frequency of service or even of how to purchase a ticket (and unable to speak either of the two local languages of Latvian and Russian!) was a fairly surreal experience. However before I had chance to ponder this predicament for too long a coupled set of RVZ6 cars appeared from a grassed reservation across the road and pulled up at the stop.

Coupled RVZ6 cars 028+027 approach the terminus by the main railway station

I boarded the leading car (028) and found a seat which was fortunately next to a system map that was stuck on a hardboard board which was positioned in the window at just the right height to block my view. I photographed the map so as I could refer to it during the day (thank goodness for digital cameras!) and then moved to a seat at which the window wasn’t obscured. The tram was very shabby inside, with peeling paint and much evidence of water ingress into the saloons which had rotted the lining panels and caused them to bow inwards. Deep seat cushions in brown vinyl and green pained interior panels all seemed to add to the down at heel appearance. As it was raining outside the tram had steamed up and the view outside was not very good, despite me having changed seats. With a traditional hiss of air brakes being released we set off. Fare collection turned out to be by roving conductor who all appeared to be either students or fairly elderly women. Despite having a designated conductor’s seat they were all happy to roam and didn’t expect the passenger to go to them. The fare was a flat 0.25LVL (about 33p), which was fortunately printed clearly on the tickets for me to see, as I don’t think either I or the conductor could ever have made ourselves understood. Tickets were torn off a roll and then ripped to validate them. I was glad that I had a pocket full of change to keep paying this small flat fare on boarding subsequent trams. The fare has increased since my visit and is now 0.30LVL (39p).

The spartan and damp interior of one of the RVZ6 cars

Daugavpils system map

Studying the route map I realised I was on route 1 which went through the city from the station (Stacija) to Butlerova. This route is basically the ‘main line’ of the three route tramway and is double track throughout, other termini being at the end of single track branches that connect with the main line at locations along its length. I decided that for this first ride I would get off at Saules Veikals as this appeared to be a location where all three routes converged and it seemed like a good place to observe the trams and maybe get some photographs, although by this time the heavens had opened and when I did alight I quickly ended up soaking wet! As can be seen from the map, the three routes are 1. Stacija – Butlerova, 2. Maizes Kombinats – Butlerova, and 3. Cietoksnis – Stropi, and I was now at the junction of routes 1/2 and 3. As well as the RVZ cars, which originated from Riga, of which there are 38*, Daugavpils also operates 13 Ust-Katav KTM-5 trams built in the early 1990s but looking much older, as well as a solitary KTM8 car built in 1994 (no.114). The system also has 12 Tatra T3 cars which previously ran in Schwerin, Germany, and accelerated the disposal of the worst of the RVZ cars some years earlier (*all fleet figures based on a 2005 stock count). Like Riga, all cars are fitted with trolley poles.

The ex-Schwerin Tatra cars are in excellent condition compared to the remainder of the fleet

Route 1 appeared to be operated by all types of cars which included both coupled and single RVZ and Tatra cars, whilst route 2 had single RVZ and KTM cars and route 3 seemed to be operated exclusively by KTM cars, this class always operating solo. After half an hour or so of observing the comings and goings of the tramway I boarded a KTM-5 car (105) on route 3 to Stropi, and found this to be a single track branch with passing loops which terminated at a large single track turning circle in a wooded area.

Ust-Katav car 105 at the wooded terminus at Stropi

This route was almost all on roadside reservations and passed by a number of cemeteries, with ladies in black boarding periodically carrying baskets of flowers for placing at the grave. The KTM-5 cars are of very basic construction and look much older than their c.16 years both in terms of design and condition. Externally they feature corrugated side paneling and three outside slung single piece doors which are operated by a bicycle chain on the inside of the door which looks like it could trap loose clothing if you were standing too close! I rode route 3 to the terminus at Stropi where I alighted and waited for the next car to arrive, which unfortunately was 20 minutes behind, and it was still raining! After this soggy delay I boarded the next car, another KTM-5, and rode back to the city centre area close to the junction where route 3 diverges to Cietoksnis, but alighted here for more photographs before catching an RVZ6 car on route 1 to Butlerova. This route passes through postwar housing developments before terminating at the main depot, opened in 1990, the trams disappearing into the confines of the depot complex where the turning circle is located. Not understanding the language and with the premises not looking as though it would welcome an interloper with a camera I stayed outside the enclosure on the public road until a further coupled set of RVZ cars emerged into service on route 1, which I caught back to a location near the university.

Photo: RVZ6 cars emerge from the main depot at Butlerova

After a fraught period of time unsuccessfully attempting to make myself understood in various food establishments in the city centre I was then fortunate enough to find a bakery close to the junction with route 2 at Ventspils and I was finally able to get something to eat and drink by using the proven method of pointing at something that had the price clearly displayed and tendering the correct money! I then caught RVZ6 car 061 to Maizes Kombinats, passing through an area of much earlier housing than that along routes 1 and 2 to Butlerova. Much of this single track route was set in badly maintained roads surrounded by typical Latvian wooden buildings, whilst the terminus was by a busy railway line along which three lengthy freight trains passed slowly by during the 20 minutes I was there. Riding again from here to the junction at Ventspils I then headed out to Cietoksnis on route 3, which diverges from the ‘main line’ by the Galerija shopping centre in the city centre. This branch is again single track but seems to a higher standard and again terminates in a single track loop at which I did not alight as time had started to press.

KTM-5 cars at the junction of route 3 to Cietoksnis

Once back at the Galerija there was just time for some more photographs before catching a tram on route 1 for the short journey back up to the railway station where I had left myself ample time to catch the 1800 back to Riga. Indeed, I was back at the station at 1715 where I found the train waiting at the station’s only platform. As I was aware that this was the last train of the day back to Riga and civilization as I knew it I wasn’t prepared to miss it! However, with ample time until departure I was able to nip back to the nearby tram stop to record in fading light some final views of the trams on which I had started my day, coupled RVZ6 cars 028+027. Unfortunately I had not managed a ride on one of the ex-Schwerin Tatra cars, which have been refurbished for use in Daugavpils and appeared to be of a much higher standard than everything else, whilst the solitary KTM-8 eluded me, and was not seen on my visit. However, I had become acquainted with the old RVZ6 cars, and the utilitarian KTM-5 cars - both types of trams I had never seen before, and had therefore achieved my goal for the day.

Departure from Daugavpils was prompt at 1800, and three hours and fifty two minutes later we rolled back into Riga’s main station, bang on time. A trip to Daugavpils can be a long day, with almost eight hours’ train travel on trains which are not particularly comfortable, but as I’ve yet to cross the borders beyond Latvia this has so far been my only opportunity to sample Soviet designed trams, and it was an experience I won’t forget in a hurry!

Daugavpils tram fleet
009 – 065 RVZ6 cars (1977-87). C.38 remain
070 – 081 Tatra T3 (1973-83). Ex-Schwerin
101 – 112 KTM-5 (1990-92)
114 KTM-8 (1994)

Current fares
LVL 0.30 (flat fare, payable to conductor on each journey)

For journeys between Riga and Daugavpils with Latvian Railways visit http://www.sirius.ldz.lv/

Written and illustrated by James Millington