| November 1st, 2008 |
The famous Moscow MTV-82 tram will be released in our range in 1:43 scale in 2010. This will be a completely new models, finished to a modern St.-Petersburg Tram Collection high quality standards. Ref.103/II By 1945, the Moscow tram undertaking had 972 motor and 1214 trailer cars,
only 60 of them were modern M-38 cars, built before the World War II.
During last years of the war, the Motor and Automobile Research institute
in Moscow developed a unified model of buses and trolleybuses, which were
very close in appearance to Yellow Coach/GMC buses. In 1947 twenty-five
trams, using bodies of the new MTB-82 trolleybus were built on the military
aviation Factory No. 82 in Tushino (it corresponds to 82 number in the
vehicle index). There were numbered into 1065-1089 series, but there were
a problems in operation because of the clearance difficulties. In Summer
1947 a modified version with narrowed front and end was designed and the
serial production at Tushino's plant was started in September 1947. In
1947 Moscow received 14 new cars, they were allocated to Bauman's depot
and were used on routes 5, 39, 50 and 54. Mass deliveries were started
in 1948, with 189 cars arrived. The new cars were also allocated also
to October's and Apakov's depots. In October 1948 the serial production
of the MTV-82 trams was started also in Riga, by Rigas Vagonbuves Rupnica
factory, which deliver the new cars to other Soviet cities, but Moscow's
trams were built by Tushino's plant until Spring 1950 (453 cars were built
at all). First Riga's built MTV-82 tram No. 2369 arrived in Moscow in
1951. By 1954, 469 MTV-82 trams were delivered to the Soviet's capital.
First cars were built with pantographs, but were replaced by bow collectors
shortly. A new streamlined livery of cherry red and cream was introduced
on Moscow's MTV-82s and it was standard for all RVR factory built cars
(1,707 at all) delivered to other cities of the Soviet Union. The drivers
and staff liked MTV-82 very much for its simplicity, reliability and durability.
Ref.103/II-1 The MTV-82 trams served Moscow very well, in 1960s there were some minor exterior modifictions (front chrome plates were omitted, bumper's design was simplified and extra turn lights were installed at front and rear of the cars). The new simplified livery was introduced in 1966 and it was standard by early 1970s. Last MTV-82 tram was withdrawn from revenue service in 1981. Car 1278 has been restored and preserved.
Ref.103/IIa Kiev, a capital of Soviet Ukraine, received their MTV-82 trams from Riga's factory started from 1949. They were regular serial cars and differed from Moscow's cars only by ventilators at the front part of the roof. At total, Kiev received 247 MTV-82 trams which were allocated to Lukianov's and Kurenev's depots.
Photo: Ray Degroote Ref.103/IIa-1 Started from late 1950s, Kiev's MTV-82 trams were repainted to the blue and cream livery to match standard city's tram colors.
Photo: Ray Degroote
|
| March 10th, 2008 |
The famous Cincinnati Car Co. Curved-Side lightweight interurban cars will be released in our range in 2010-2011 in 1:48 scale. Ref.458 In 1938 Lehigh Valley Transit Company acquired four lighweight interurban
cars from Cincinnati Car Co. These cars were built for Dayton & Troy
Electric Railway Co. in 1929, but were returned to Cincinnati Car Co.
for resale in 1932 and were barely touched by the 1937 flood. The cars
were extensively refurbished by LVT and were assigned on the 17-mile Allentown-Easton
line, called Easton Limited. The line was discontinued in favor of buses
in August 1949. Two of the cars were resold to the Speedrail operation
in Milwaukee, WI. Photo: Don Ross Collection. This model will be also available in the post'41 livery with pearl gray roof (Ref.458-1).
Photo: Eugene Van Dusen Collection This model will also available in the Dayton & Troy Electric Railway livery (Ref.458.0). Ref.458.0 The Dayton & Troy Electric Railway Co. ran from Dayton through Tippicanoe City, Troy and Piqua and had trackage rights into Lima, Ohio. In 1929 the company acquired four curved-side light interurban cars from Cincinnati Car Co. They were numbered 201-204 and were painted out in the attractive orange and maroon livery with cream stripes and beige roof. They were very comfortable cars with plush bucket seats and linoleum floor. The interurban line was hardly hit because of the Depression and in 1932 all four cars were returned to Cincinnati Car Co. and they were resold to the Lehigh Valley Transit Co. in 1938.
Photo: Cincinnati Car Co. Ref.459 In 1942 Cleveland Interurban Railroad (CIRR) - Shaker Heights Rapid Transit from 1944, acquired six Cincinnati Car Co. Curved-side cars from Intercity Rapid Transit (IRT). These cars were built for Indianapolis & Southeastern Rairoad Co. in 1928 and 1929 which ran them until 1932 and then they were purchased by IRT. The cars arrived in the Kingsbury Yard of CIRR in April 1941. The cars were renovated at a cost of $20,650 and first of them were placed in service in November 1941, all were in service by first half of 1942. They were numbered into 60-65 series and they work very hard during the war and in 1946 they received a general overhaul during which a smoking compartments were removed. After arrival of the Pullman-Standard PCC cars in 1948, the Cuved-side cars were sold to the Milwaukee Rapid Transit and Speedrail in 1949.
Photo: Don Ross Collection. Ref.459-1 Car 65 was painted in the experimental Shaker Heights Rapid Transit two-tone green livery as test and remained in this livery until sold to Milwaukee's speedrail in 1949.
Photo: Don Ross Collection. Ref.460 After most of TMER&L's interurban system had been abandoned or cutback, Rapid Transit service remained from Milwaukee to Hales Corners and Waukesha. Following brief ownerships by Kenosha Motor Coach Lines, Shore Line Transit and Northland Greyhound, these two lines were sold to Jay Maeder from Cleveland. Maeder formed the Milwaukee Rapid Transit & Speedrail Co., which was more commonly known simply as Speedrail. The first official run was on September 2d, 1949. The company acquired six second hand one-man, lightweight curved-side cars from Shaker Heights Rapid Transit which retained their numbers in 60-65 series. They received a Speedrail orange and maroon livery and looked very attractive. A major accident during a fan trip on Labor Day of 1950 which caused 10 deaths and many injuries and the resulting claims, higher insurance premiums and loss of ridership put the company in a downward spiral. All service ended on June 30, 1951.
Photo: John F.Bromley Collection. Ref.460-1 A modified version of the original livery was adopted by Speedrail in 1950 with maroon beltrail and front whisker stripes.
Ref.460a Car 66 was built by Cincinnati Car Co. in 1929 as Dayton & Troy Railroad car 203. It was returned to Cincinnati Car Co. in 1932, and in 1938 it was sold to Lehigh Valley Transit as car 1102. In 1949 it was sold to Speedrail, but was not rehabilitated until March 1951. It was introduced on March 31, 1951 to public and press. It was refurbished in the Transport Company's Cold Spings Shop in the attractive orange, maroon and silver livery, new MRT winged logo was applied. A refurbished seats from ex-TM heavyweight 1100-series cars were installed as well as bullseye lighting. Often referred to as a "last hope car" by railfans, car 66 only ran for 3 months before the line was abandoned and then scrapped in 1952.
Ref.461 The interurban system of the Georgia Power Co. at outbreak
of the World Word II, consisted of two lines, each about 20 miles in length,
the most travelled
Ref.462 Nashville Interurban Railway was a 19-mile line connecting Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville and Mt. Pleasant, Tenn. In 1929 the company acquired two Curved-side cars from Cincinnati Car Co., they were numbered 101 and 102. They were equipped with front trolley pole for backup moving. In 1932 the company acquired another Curved-Side car, a former Indianapolis & Southeastern Railroad Co. car 255. It was numbered 104. The livery was red and cream with gray roof. The luxury fleet served Nashville-Franklin line until November 1941 when they were replaced by buses. The cars were sold to Atlanta's Georgia Power Co.
|
| November 19th, 2007 |
The famous Tatra T3 PCC-type car will be released in our range in 1:43 scale in 2010. This will be a completely new models, finished to a modern St.-Petersburg Tram Collection high quality standards. At first, T3CS/V (Czechoslovakia) and T3SU/V (Soviet Union) versions will be released, later we plan to add more versions to this project, include an original version of the T3s from early 1960s. The T4D (East Germany) cars will follow. Ref.120/II CS The fifth production series of the T3 cars appeared in 1968 with 30 cars
built for Brno and five for Ostrava. The new production series acquired
some modifications which were introduced on T4 cars for East Germany.
The T3CS version for domestic operators had plastic seats (1+1) and semi-closed
motorman's compartment. As with previous series of the T3 cars, the main
domestic Customer was Prague, in 1970 a batch of 41 cars, numbered 6716-6755
arrived, this series was delivered with light pantographs, which were
later replaced by standard Prague's type. In 1971-72 cars of 6756-6810
series arrived, they were the last Prague's T3s fitted with conductor's
desk. In 1973-1976 Prague received a last T3CS cars, which were numbered
6811-6922. The deliveries of the T3 cars to Prague's were resumed only
six years later, with T3SUCS cars of 7000-series. Photo: Thomas Dvorak. The Tatra T3/V CS model will available on order also in liveries of other cities of the former Czechoslovakia, as 1970/72 Brno 1581-1603 series; 1970/75 Ostrava (749-797 series), 1970/76 Plzen (172-207 series), 1972 Most (294-298 series), 1970 Olomouc (134-145 series) and 1973 Liberec (35-48 series).
Ref.120/II CS - Brno. Ref.120/II SU
First Tatra T3 PCC-type cars were exported to Soviet Union in 1963 when Moscow acquired first batch of 65 trams. These cars were built with two doors according to standard Soviet specification as well as with fully closed motorman's compartment and without conductor's desk. Between 1963 and 1978 Moscow acquired 1,742 T3SU trams in two-door configuration and started from 1978 only three-door cars were delivered, first cars arrived in Summer 1978 in Rusakov's depot and were used initially on routes 13 and 37. First deliveres had a leather upholstered seats, in later years a plastic seats were fitted. Three-door cars were numbered in Moscow into 5000-series and were delivered in large quantities, 50 trams per year in 1978-79 and approx. 100 cars each next year; last 250 cars were delivered in 1987. At total, between 1963 and 1987 Moscow acquired 2,759 T3s. *) Moscow T3SU model may be ordered also in the post'1990 yellow and white livery.
The Tatra T3/V SU model will available on order also in liveries of other cities of the former Soviet Union, such as Kiev, Charkov, Odessa, Riga (with trolley pole) etc.
Ref.120/II SU - Kiev.
|
| April 28th, 2007 |
Chicago & West Towns Railways cars of 107-120 series will be released in our range in year 2010 (one-man version). Both original yellow & maroon and post-1938 dark blue & white liveries will be available. Ref.411 Chicago & West Towns Railway Co. was formed in 1913, acquiring County Traction Co. operations in Chicago's western suburbs, and the Suburban Railroad Co. The Evanston Railway Co. meanwhile was formed to acquire the County Traction Co. operations within Evanston. In March 1912 twenty arch-roof semi-steel cars were ordered by Suburban Railroad Co. from the McGuire-Cummings Car Manufacturing Company. These cars were pattened after the Chicago Railways Company's "turtleback" cars of 1577-1720 series. When this order was cancelled by Suburban, 14 of these cars, numbered 107-120 were delivered to County Traction Co. and then were acquired by Chicago & West Towns Railways in 1913. In 1928 this group of cars was converted to one-man operation and the bulkheads were removed. Ref.411-1 Beginning in December 1938, the Chicago & West Towns Railways repainted 46 streetcars in a new very attractive color scheme of dark blue & white with silver roof and maroon striping. In this livery the cars remained until end of the C&WT rail service in 1948. |
