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Maschinenfabrik Esslingen GT4

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(Redirected from GT4 (tram)) Tram type used mainly in Stuttgart, Germany
GT4
GT4 in Stuttgart
ManufacturerMaschinenfabrik Esslingen
Constructed1959–1965
Number built380
Capacity
  • 38–41 (seated)
  • 121–125 (standing)
Specifications
Train length18,800 mm (61 ft 8 in) over couplers
Width2,200 mm (7 ft 3 in)
Height3,160 mm (10 ft 4 in)
Doors3
Maximum speed60 km/h (37 mph)
Weight19,500 kg (43,000 lb)
Power output
  • 2 x 90 kW motors
  • 2 x 125 kW motors (Neunkirchen)
AAR wheel arrangement(1A)' (A1)'
Bogies2
Track gauge

The GT4 (from German: Gelenktriebwagen 4-achsig, which translates as 4-axle articulated tramcar) is an articulated tram vehicle built by Maschinenfabrik Esslingen from 1959 until 1965.

History

380 GT4 trams were produced of which 350 were delivered to the Stuttgarter Strassenbahnen, the public transport operator of Stuttgart. The remaining 30 vehicles were delivered to Freiburg (19), Neunkirchen (Saar) (8) and Reutlingen (3). The 350 Stuttgart vehicles were uni-directional, had three double-doors, and were built to metre gauge. The cars for Freiburg and Reutlingen also metre-gauge, but were bi-directional. The Neunkirchen cars also bi-directional and were built to standard gauge. They also had four powered axles whereas the standard variant had only two.

With around 70 trams in service, as of 2023, the largest operator of GT4 is CTP, the public transport company in Iași, Romania.

Technical specifications

Bi-directional GT4 tram in Freiburg.

The GT4 was developed because the longer six-axle articulated trams with Jacobs bogies, such as the GT6, were not suitable for the Stuttgart network, which had a large number of sharp curves and steep gradients due to the city's hilly topography.

The design of articulation is unique: both bogies are connected by an underframe, upon which the two halves of the tram body rest. When the tram drives around a curve, the underframe prevents the body from overhanging the inside of the curve, allowing tighter clearances and more flexibility than a non-articulated tram. On all except the Neunkirchen vehicles only the inner axle on each bogie is powered, with two thirds of the vehicle's weight resting on the powered axles.

The bi-directional variants have a second driver's cab and additional side doors, unlike the uni-directional models.

Trailers

The GT4 can operate in multiple. In later years, some vehicles were only used as powered trailers therefore had no modernised driver's cab. This was the case for a total of 180 vehicles, 24 from the first series, 30 from the second series, 98 from the third and fourth series and eight in the fifth series.

Sale to other cities

As the metre-gauge tram network in Stuttgart was converted to the standard-gauge Stadtbahn system from 1985 onwards, some surplus GT4 cars were sold to other cities:

  • Arad (Romania) - 46 cars
  • Iași (Romania) - 108 cars
  • Augsburg - 40 cars (23 cars later resold to Iași)
  • Halberstadt - 13 cars, 10 ex-Stuttgart and 3 ex-Freiburg
  • Halle - 40 cars, ex-Stuttgart (27 cars later resold to Iași)
  • Nordhausen - 12 cars (3 cars later resold to Iași in 2012)
  • Ulm - three cars ex-Reutlingen and 14 cars ex-Stuttgart
  • Fukui via Kōchi (Japan) - two cars joined into one, see details below
  • Brandenburg an der Havel - 3 cars, ex-Freiburg

Some vehicles were destroyed or damaged beyond repair during a great fire in the Feuerbach depot in Stuttgart in 1986.

One Iași tram was rebuilt in 2013 by Electroputere VFU as type GT4M.

The bi-directional cars originally delivered to Reutlingen (59, 60 and 61) were later sold to Ulm. The Ulm workshop rebuilt them to uni-directional cars, numbered 11, 12 and 13 and entering service in 1982-1984.

In 1989 two uni-directional cars from Stuttgart (SSB 714 and 735) were exported to Japan. The front sections of the two trams were joined together as one bi-directional vehicle, and the back sections were scrapped. The vehicle had no additional doors, however having only two doors on each side suited the Japanese tram fare collecting system. The car was also regauged to fit the 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge. The car was initially used by Tosaden Kōtsū and since April 2014 has been operated on the Fukui Railway as their type F10 tram under the nickname "Retram" (レトラム).

  • Augsburg GT4 419 Augsburg GT4 419
  • Fukui Railway Type F10 (SSB 714 & 735) at their departure ceremony in Fukui Railway Fukui Railway Type F10 (SSB 714 & 735) at their departure ceremony in Fukui Railway
  • Iași GT4 #128 at its 60th anniversary in 2019 Iași GT4 #128 at its 60th anniversary in 2019

References

  1. ^ "Kurzgelenktriebwagen, Typ GT4" [Short articulated railcar, type GT4]. Landesstelle für Museumsbetreuung Baden-Württemberg (in German). 2014. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  2. ^ v. Rohr, Joachim (October 1962). "The GT4 articulated cars of Maschinenfabrik Esslingen". Modern Tramway and Light Rapid Transit. pp. 352–357. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  3. ^ Taplin, M. R. (June 1973). "Germany's smallest tramway". Modern Tramway and Light Rapid Transit. pp. 187–192. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  4. ^ Haas, Andreas (March 2023). "Rüstige Klassiker aus Esslinger Produktion" [Robust classic from Esslingen production]. Straßenbahn Magazin (in German). GeraMond. pp. 76–81. ISSN 0340-7071.
  5. ^ Taplin, Michael (1995). Light Rail in Europe. Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN 185414 180 5. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  6. "Die letzte Fahrt der "alten gelben Straßenbahn" in Nordhausen – Verladung der GT4" [The last journey of the "old yellow tram" in Nordausen – Loading of the GT4]. Stadt Nordhausen (in German). 5 July 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  7. ^ Tugemann, Claudia (May 2022). "Bahn für die Spatzen" [Tramway for the Sparrows]. Straßenbahn Magazin (in German). GeraMond. pp. 34–16. ISSN 0340-7071.
  8. ^ Breithut, Jörg (27 April 2022). "Wie eine Stuttgarter Straßenbahn nach Japan kommt" [How a Stuttgart tram came to Japan]. Stuttgarter Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  9. "Als westdeutsche Straßenbahnen nach Brandenburg an der Havel rollten" [When West German trams rolled into Brandenburg an der Havel]. Märkische Allgemeine (in German). 21 September 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  10. "Modernised tram presented to Iaşi". railwaygazette.com. DVV Media International. July 2, 2013. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.

External links

Media related to Maschinenfabrik Esslingen GT4 at Wikimedia Commons

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