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January
2003 |
| Vienna |
Trams |
| Depending
on who you ask, Vienna is either the centre of a vanished empire, the home
of the great composers, or a good place to drink coffee and eat cakes.
While all of this is true, it also happens to be home to one of the
world's most interesting tram systems. Although the Viennese
themselves will complain that today's network is a mere shadow of its
former self, it is still, by any standards, an extensive and impressive
operation. |
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| An
E1-class tram waits at Schottentor (Scots Gate), a busy interchange point
on Vienna's famous Ringstraße, named after a group of Scottish monks who
once founded a monastery in this area. Routes 1 and 2 (seen here) travel
right round the horseshoe-shaped Ring, completing the circuit on Franz-Josefs
Kai. |
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| Above
left: Another E1 car (4833) with C-class trailer is seen
travelling the other way round the Ring on Route 1, against a backdrop of
trees in the Volksgarten. Above middle: The Wiener
Lokalbahn (WLB) provides an interurban express service to the nearby spa
resort of Baden. Street running is a feature at both ends of
the route. Traditional and low-floor trams are seen waiting at
the Baden terminus before making the return journey to the Opera House in
Vienna. Above right: An E1 tram (4438) without
trailer has just set out on route 62, running against the general flow of
traffic on a slightly raised trackbed. The impressive
bulk of Vienna's State Opera House can be seen in the background. |
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| The
familiar E1/C combination enters its terminal loop at Schottentor on
service 43. Directly below, adjacent to the U-Bahn station, a
second loop serves as the terminus for another group of routes.
The recently cleaned twin spires of the Votivkirche form the backdrop to 4865. |
Vienna's
new ULF (Ultra Low Floor) trams are aptly named : they have the very
lowest of low floors, extending the full length of the vehicle, apart from
the driving cabs. The motors are vertically mounted in the
walls of the articulated sections, each supplying power to a single
"axle-less" wheel below. 644 passes the Opera
House on driver training duties. |
| Vienna
Trams |
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| Vienna's
tramway history is well preserved at the excellent Straßenbahnmuseum,
situated near the Schlachthausgasse U-Bahn station and tram stop in
Erdberg, which opens its doors to visitors at weekends. The
museum also provides preserved vehicles for so-called "old
timer" tours on the city's network. |
734
is an F class tram. The wraparound front windows present a
very different aspect compared to the anti-glare, steeply angled
windscreens of the E types. |
| Vienna
Trams |
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| All photos taken in
September 2002 by Gerry Cushley. Click to enlarge. |
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