GT4 train from Bremer Wagonbau in original colours in front of the city hall of BremenGT4/GB4-train from Wegmann & Co.GT6 car derived from a Wegmann GT4
The Bremish GT4 is a GT4 type tramcar that was built in two main versions from 1959 to the 1980s.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Bremish tram company Bremer Straßenbahn, like many other German tram companies, changed old two-axle tramcars for modern ones on bogies. The cars could be longer, if they were articulated. In Bremen, like at the same time in Stuttgart, articulated cars on only two bogies were constructed by the local manufacturer Hansa Waggonbau. The articulation was controlled by transmission shafts. All the Bremish cars were designed for unidirectional traffic (doors only on the right side), so that they required loops on the ends of their courses.
With few changes (types GT4 to GT4c), this tramcar was produced till 1968. For Bremen and Bremerhaven, 79 such trams were built. In daily service they ran partly single, partly in trains of two such cars. Later, part of the motorcars were transformed to trailers. In Bremen, these trams were in service till 1990. Afterwards, several of them were sold to Timișoara in Romania, where they are still in use.
After the decay of Hansa Wagonbau, since 1973 the Wegmann & Co. railcar company in Kassel continued the production of trams for Bremen. The principal structure of Bremish GT4 was kept, but the articulation was now controlled hydraulically. These types were called GT4d to GT4f, in all 61 items. The Bremish Wegmann articulated tram was also produced as a trailer (types GB4d to GB4f, in all 47 items). In that period, most trams in Bremen ran as trains of an articulated motorcar and an articulated trailer.
In 1986, two of these Wegmann cars were enlarged by interposition of a third segment, also with two doors and three windows on the right side. These cars were called GT6, but they were very different from Duewag GT6.
The experiences acquired with these cars were used by AEG manufacturing company, when they developed low-floor trams for Bremen, which they also sold to several other systems, such as the Berlin tramway and the Munich tramway.
A bogie is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transport. A bogie may remain normally attached or be quickly detachable. It may include a suspension component within it, or be solid and in turn be suspended ; it may be mounted on a swivel, as traditionally on a railway carriage or locomotive, additionally jointed and sprung, or held in place by other means.
A low-floor tram is a tram that has no stairsteps between one or more entrances and part or all of the passenger cabin. The low-floor design improves the accessibility of the tram for the public, and also may provide larger windows and more airspace.
Bremer Vulkan AG was a prominent German shipbuilding company located at the Weser river in Bremen-Vegesack. It was founded in 1893 and closed in 1997 because of financial problems and mismanagement.
Düwag or Duewag, formerly Waggonfabrik Uerdingen, was a German manufacturer of rail vehicles. It was sold in 1999 to Siemens with the brand later retired.
The ADtranz low floor tram was introduced in the 1990s as the world's first tram with a completely low floor design. This tram was developed by MAN for the Bremen urban transport system. The prototype, tram number 3801, was first publicly introduced on 9 February 1990. From 1991 to 1993, it was being tested in many European cities. Ten German cities have purchased this type. Adtranz took over the rail division of MAN in 1990.
The GT4 is an articulated tram vehicle built by Maschinenfabrik Esslingen from 1959 until 1965.
Germany has an extensive number of tramway networks. Some of these networks have been upgraded to light rail standards, called Stadtbahn in German. Straßenbahn and Stadtbahn schemes are usually operated on the legal foundation of the BOStrab, the Tramways Act of Germany.
The Tramway Français Standard (TFS) is a type of tram designed and manufactured by Alstom for use on various tramway systems in France. The TFS is no longer in production, having been superseded by the Alstom Citadis range of tramcars.
The Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB), literally translated into English as the Leipzig Transport Authority, operates the tramway and bus transport services in Leipzig, Germany. The LVB network is a part of the regional public transport association, the Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund (MDV). The LVB was formed by the merger, from 1 January 1917, of two predecessor undertakings, the Großen Leipziger Straßenbahn and the Leipziger Elektrischen Straßenbahn. The merged undertaking was also known as GLSt until it was reorganized and renamed as the LVB, from 29 July 1938.
The Marseille tramway is a tramway system in Marseille, France. The city's modern tram network now consists of three lines, serving 32 stations and operating over 15.8 kilometres (9.8 mi) of route. The current, modern Marseille tram network opened on 7 July 2007.
The Tatra T6A2 was a tramcar built by ČKD Tatra between 1985 and 1999. Having enjoyed widespread success with its previous models among mainly Soviet customers, the T6A2 was quite different in appearance to its predecessors, and was bought extensively by cities in the former East Germany, as well as by Szeged (Hungary) and Sofia (Bulgaria).
SL79 is a class of 40 articulated trams operated by the Oslo Tramway of Norway. The trams were a variation of the Duewag trams that had been developed by the German manufacturer since the 1950s. The six-axle vehicles are unidirectional with four doors on the right side. The trams can seat 77 passengers three and four abreast, with an additional 91 people able to stand. Power output is 434 kilowatts (582 hp), provided by two motors on the two end bogies, that supplement a central unpowered Jacobs bogie located under the articulation. The trams are 23.0 metres (75.5 ft) long and 2.5 metres wide. They are capable of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) and have standard gauge.
The Munich tramway is the tramway network for the city of Munich in Germany. Today it is operated by the municipally owned Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft and is known officially and colloquially as the Tram. Previous operators have included Société Anonyme des Tramways de Munich, the Münchner Trambahn-Aktiengesellschaft, the Städtische Straßenbahnen and the Straßenbahn München.
The Bremen tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Bremen, Germany. The network is currently operated by Bremer Straßenbahn AG, and integrated in the Verkehrsverbund Bremen/Niedersachsen. As of 2014, the network had seven lines, extending over 114.6 kilometres (71.2 mi) of route.
Tatra KT4 is the name of a four-axle type articulated tramcar developed by the Czech firm ČKD Tatra. The first pre-production vehicles entered service in Potsdam in 1975, with the first production vehicles in 1977. A total of 1,747 units were built, with initial deliveries to East Germany (DDR) and later to the USSR and SFR Yugoslavia. KT4 variants were built for both standard gauge and metre gauge tramways. Production of the KT4 tramcar was halted in 1991 due to worldwide economic and political changes at the time. Production was briefly resumed in 1997 to construct the last 20 units for Belgrade, Serbia.
Trams in Vienna are a vital part of the public transport system in Vienna, capital city of Austria. In operation since 1865, with the completion of a 2 km (1.2 mi) route to industrial estates near Simmering, it reached its maximum extent of 292 km (181.4 mi) in 1942. In February 2015, it was the fifth largest tram network in the world, at about 176.9 kilometres (109.9 mi) in total length and 1,071 stations.
The Bern tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Bern, the capital city of Switzerland. In operation since 1890, it presently has five lines, one of which incorporates the Bern–Worb Dorf railway.
Dundee and District Tramways operated a tramway service in Dundee between 1877 and 1899.
The Schöneiche bei Berlin tramway is the tramway network of the city of Schöneiche bei Berlin, Germany.
Trams have been used since the 19th century, and since then, there have been various uses and designs for trams around the world. This article covers the many design types, most notably the articulated, double-decker, drop-centre, low-floor, single ended, double-ended, rubber -tired, and tram-train; and the various uses of trams, both historical and current, most notably cargo trams, a dog car, hearse tram, maintenance trams, a mobile library service, a nursery tram, a restaurant tram, a tourist tram, and as mobile offices.
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