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City Trams in Prague in the CZ Republic. ..05 july 2011..
Between 30th of June and the 9th of July I took a Road Trip to Prague in the CZ Republic riding my 600cc Suzuki Bandit.Visiting the Dams breached by the Dambusters and Colditz Castle on the way.Whilst staying in the City for a few days took the opportunity to picture some of the many Trams that run through this superb place.With no parking in the main streets here Trams are 'THE' way to get about the area.Often up to 10 trams could be seen at busy times queueing up to turn at junctions or calling at stops.These services obey the same traffic lights as the quite sparse road traffic and the system is a model that we in the UK could well do to emulate on a national scale.Unlike Britain Prague never scrapped their City Trams so are now reaping the major benefits.
All Picture taken using a Fuji-Finepix AV130 12M-pixel Compact bought recently for the bargain price of just £49 A perfect holiday camera when space is at a premium and your subject matter is either stopped or going rather slowly. (As Trams do!)
33 Images
For a full up to date description of the current operational Tram-Fleet clickHERE
For full information on Routes and Route-Numbers click HERE
Parked in Wenceslas Square is seen an old wooden bodied Tram-Car number-2077.Now doing duty at a Pavement Cafe.
Cars 2077 and 1429 doing duty as a Cafe in Wenceslas Square.The Hub of the City of Prague.
9147, a quite new design built by Skoda of a class numbering 60 examples.
9075,a KT8D5 of CKD-Tatra manufacture but a newer design.Note 'Kentucky-Fried-Chicken' and 'McDonalds' have even reached Prague!
8491,a Tatra-T3RP slowly passes an inconsiderate Renault driver with a Route-17 service.
8747 a CKD-Tatra T6A5 eases past the pedestrians in the crowded Prague streets.
Another 'DP Praha' product 8490 dwarfs a passing car that is busy dodging Tatra's!
Interesting comparison of old and new! 8442,a 'DP-Praha' Prague built T3RP and a later Skoda,the final built 14T number-9170.Seen at the lower end of Wenceslas Square.
Built actually in Prague at 'DP Praha' is 8536,a T3RP type.This factory now closed and is now a massive shopping precinct!
T3RP 8448 on service-217 trundles past that great British institution 'Debenhams' nr Wenceslas Square.
A T6A5 No-8718 built by CKD-Tatra passes through the empty streets devoid of cars with headlights blazing!
A pair of unmodernised 'Soviet-type' T3SUCS,s 7180 and 7181 working together on a 22-route service.The small route-indicator box shows these are unmodified originals.
Skoda 14T 9167 comes around a quite severe 'S' bend on the cobbled streets in Central Prague.
Service-20 with 9167 pauses at an inner city stop.Tramstops denoted by the white and red striped signs.
7066 and 7181 both pause at the same Tramstop.The pair are early 'Soviet-type' T3-SUCS series.
7051,yet another early 'Soviet-Type' runs slowly through the streets on route-22 going to Bila-Hora.
Tagged behind 7051 is 7050,both T3-SUCS series products from a production run of 272 units.Note the combined traffic-jam of cars and trams!
Singleton 8155,a T3.PV type swings through the reverse curve at Karmelitska-Praha 1. with a service on route-20.
Up to now (July 2011) there are just 23 of these new 'ForCity' Skoda 15T type in service.Regretfully this is face of things to come with a total of 250 on order planned to be in service by 2018.So to see the Classic older T3-Tatra a visit to Prague has to be done in the next few years. Here is 9203,one of the new breed running a service-17 duty.Looks nice beside the modern buildings here but will be well out of place in the older parts of the City.
Skoda 14T-9164 slows through Karmelitska.Note the traffic-warden skulking behind the wall waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting occasional motorist!
Another Skoda 14T,this time 9139 glides to a halt at a tramstop in a seemingly deserted street with old CZ buildings as a backdrop.
Capitalist advertising and a gaudy livery has completely ruined the traditional look of 8459.A T3RP made by Tatra in the now closed and demolished local factory of 'DP-Praha'.
8356,another T3RP operating in single-mode chugs past on a 6 route-service.Standing in the back area by the curved windows seems to be a popular choice.
7094,a T3SUCS gives way to 9124,a Skoda 14T at a busy intersection.
Same pair as above.7094 was on the move even before the Skoda 9124 had cleared the junction.Very slick driving.Not too many SPAD's issued in Prague methinks!
8677 a well filled T6-A5 type runs round a cobbled corner with a number 9-service.
8369 a T3RP carrying an advertising livery making it look so different to the original colours as seen by its paired-partner here on a number 3-service going to Lehovec.
Going to Spojovaci on a number 9-service is seen 7288,one of the 'Soviet-type'.Plenty of other street user here,4 wheeled and 2 legged.
Skoda 14T-9149 passes 7214 a T3-SUCS at a busy tramstop in central Prague.
14T-9149 having moved off from the tramstop (see above) now accerates off down the street to its next port of call.
9072,a KT8-D5 Tatra passes a reliveried 8399 in Samsung colours adjacent to another corrupting influence the Soviets tried so hard for years to keep the other side of the 'Iron Curtain'.Yes thats right---McDonalds!!!!!!
Typical Prague street scene with 8705 a later Tatra type T6-A5 trundling down the centre on a number 9-service.
My final shot of the Prague Trams was one of the newest models which in the fullness of time will displace all the older pre 'Prague-Spring' units by about 2018.Here is 9210 a new Skoda 15T 'Forecity' type running a number 24-service to Kobulisy.These new ones really do look like buses.--------Pity.
For more information on these new Trams click HERE