Vehicles of the tram in Frankfurt am Main

VGF tram R 036 at the Rebstockbad stop

Meeting of all drivable tram types in Frankfurt (here without K-Wagen) 2016 in the tram station "Stadion"

The vehicles of the city tram in Frankfurt am Main have been running on a changing network of routes since 1899 . To date, there have been 20 multiple units and 13 sidecar series, most of which are still divided into several sub-series.

General

Frankfurt am Main has had a tram network since 1872 , which was fully electrified between 1899 and 1904 .

This article describes the vehicles that run on this rail network . A list of further information on the Frankfurt tram and its history can be found here .

Series designations

Since the beginning of electrical operation, the locomotives have been designated in chronological order with capital letters ( A to S ), while the associated sidecars have been designated with lower case letters ( a to m ). An exception was the on lines of Frankfurt local railway used vehicles , which is labeled V and v (for V received orortbahnen). The letters J and Q have been omitted to avoid confusion with I and O.

From the 1930s onwards, the Offenbach tram, which was operated by the company, used the series designations R (1906–1909), S (1926) and U (1949/54) for railcars and r (1907), s ( 1911) and u (1947/53) for sidecars.

For vehicles with more than two axles , it was sometimes common to specify the number of axles in addition to the series designation ( L4 , M6 , N8 , U6 ), but this has since been abandoned as this led to a conflict with the designation system of the Frankfurt subway . In contrast to trams, underground vehicles are designated with a U and a consecutive number ( U1 to U5 , see article U-Bahn Frankfurt ).

Modifications and sub-series are represented by lowercase letters ( Mt , U2h , Ptb ), other engine types are identified by the series letter in front of or after the series whose engine type was used: A C, C F ( italics : original car type). Engine conversions have not occurred since the two-axle railcars were withdrawn.

overview

Until the 1950s, apart from a low-floor sidecar operated from 1923 to 1954, only two-axle motor coaches and sidecars from the A to K series were procured. The four-axle Duewag open -plan cars introduced in 1955 were given the series designation L. In the 1960s, the Duewag articulated cars of the M and N series were added as one-way vehicles and the O series as two-way vehicles.

The P-railcars procured from 1972 to 1978 were used on both the tram and the Frankfurt metro . The R-Wagen, which was delivered from 1993, was the world's first low-floor tram across the entire length of the vehicle, and at the same time the last series specially developed for Frankfurt. Due to the bad experience, the development was not pursued further. The S series vehicles that were procured from 2003 to 2013 resulted from a tender in which the Bombardier Flexity Classic prevailed. The youngest vehicle type is the T series, which was announced in 2017. The first Citadis Frankfurt vehicles are to be delivered in 2020.

numbering

Railcars originally had numbers between 1 and 399 , sidecar numbers between 400 and 999 , and after the First World War between 600 and 999 . Towards the end of the 1930s, the system was expanded again: Newly purchased sidecars were given numbers from 1000 , so that from the 1960s onwards, all numbers between 1 and 999 could be used for railcars . Service vehicles with and without drive have had numbers in the range 2000 to 2999 since the 1920s .

Second and third assignments of number groups were common in the history of the Frankfurt tram : from 1899 an A- powered rail car, from 1928 a G- powered railcar, from 1974 to 1992 the K- powered rail car 125, which was converted into a driving school car, and finally an R from 1993 -Motor car number 1 or 001 .

In recent years, operational museum vehicles have been classified in the 1xx group originally intended for the K series so that the original number groups can be used for new acquisitions. L wagons 224 became 124 , M wagons 602 became 102 , N wagons 812 became 112 , O wagons 902 and 908 became 111 and 110 and Pt wagons 690 and 748 became 190 and 148 (see article on the transport museum in Schwanheim ).

General modifications

• The series A to E were initially only equipped with a single lantern , which had to be repositioned by staff when the direction of travel was changed. The V , C , D and E series received built-in headlights at both ends of the car after the Second World War . All later series had this already upon delivery.
• The series A to D were supplied by Siemens with Lyra pantographs , which were replaced in the 1920s and 1930s with so-called wooden slat sanding bars. The functional principle of these was similar to the Lyra pantographs, but they were more robust. The F and G series were equipped with such sanding hanger ex works.
• The wooden slat sanding bows had to be replaced by pantographs during the Second World War . The reason was the numerous sparks produced by the grinding hanger, which were visible from afar when it was darkened . This concerned the series A to G and V ; the H and J series have already been supplied with pantographs.
• From January 1, 1960, stricter safety regulations made magnetic rail brakes necessary for all tram vehicles in passenger traffic. The A , B , C and E series , in contrast to the V , D , F , G and J series, were not retrofitted and were withdrawn from passenger traffic. The series H , K , as well as all later series were already delivered with magnetic rail brakes.
• From the mid-1960s, for reasons of cost, the abolition of conductors in tram operations began. In the case of the two-axle vehicles, this was limited to the railcars, which from then on could only be used by passengers with season tickets or by transfer passengers, the sidecars remained manned by conductors. In the case of the open- plan cars, the conductors were completely eliminated (with the exception of car 201 ), and ticket sales were now taken over by the driver . With the widespread introduction of ticket machines after the establishment of the Frankfurter Verkehrsverbund in 1974, the cash registers were finally expanded again.

A and B, E

Type A tram cars at the Bockenheimer Depot

B-railcar 345 in the Transport Museum Frankfurt am Main

A total of 181 type A railcars were delivered between 1899 and 1900 by Siemens in the electrical part and Falkenried , Gastell , Herbrand , MAN and Werdau in the mechanical part and formed the basis of the emerging electrical operation. The cars corresponded to the so-called "Siemens type" and had Lyra pantographs and open entry platforms. The cars had two engines of 17 hp each  and, with an unladen weight of 9  tons , could carry a total of 36 people, half of them on seats.

In the years 1901 to 1909 a second series of largely identical cars followed, but they were equipped with more powerful 35 hp engines and were accordingly designated as the B series .

The A cars had the chronologically assigned numbers from 1 to 181 , the B cars the numbers 182 to 347 . With a total of 347 units, they are still the largest standardized series of railcars in the history of the Frankfurt tram .

Modifications:

• As early as 1912, glazing of the open platforms began in order to better protect the staff from the weather. These measures dragged on until 1923. Only three cars remained without platform glazing.
• Also from 1912 onwards, 51 A multiple units were equipped with more powerful engines with an output of 61 hp. These were also used in the C series , accordingly the converted cars were referred to as the AC series.
• In 1913, 12 A multiple units were converted to the B series by replacing their engines.
• At the same time, B- wagons received 224 new platforms in an angular design, as they were in the C series . It thus became the prototype for the E series .
• In 1924, 35 A railcars were fundamentally rebuilt: They were given angular platforms based on the model of the C series and more powerful engines with 51 hp. They formed the independent series E with the numbers 88 to 122 . At the same time as the conversion of the E series , 21 series A and B wagons also received 51 HP engines, but retained the original platforms. They therefore became the AE series . Two A- railcars were converted into mail cars.
• Between 1924 and 1937, more A-railcars became B -railcars by replacing the engines .
• In 1935 at least eight class AE railcars were dismantled to B- railcars .

Retirement

The decommissioning of the A and B railcars began as early as the 1930s, as numerous larger and more comfortable trams of the F and G series were procured, but the outdated vehicles could not be dispensed with until the Second World War . The wagons that survived the war had to be used in passenger traffic until the 1950s due to the blatant lack of wagons. After the situation had eased through repairs and new purchases, the remaining A , B and E cars could be retired. As a service and advertising car , some vehicles remained in active service until the 1960s.

In the Transport Museum in Frankfurt-Schwanheim , the B- Car 345 has been preserved in the state it was in the 1920s. In addition, the identical car 15 of the Offenbach tram is preserved there.

sidecar

Between 1904 and 1907 90 sidecars were built parallel to the railcars by the Herbrand and Van der Zypen and Charlier companies. They differed from the railcars mainly in the chassis, which had two axle brackets attached to the box instead of a separate frame.

Between 1919 and 1922 all sidecars were rebuilt, with closed platforms and chassis similar to the railcars. From then on, they were referred to as the cu and du series and were mainly used together with the A to E series. Since magnetic rail brakes were not installed, they were no longer allowed to be used in passenger traffic after January 1, 1960. Some cars were in railroad service until 1971, but eventually all sidecars were scrapped.

Up until the First World War , numerous former horse-drawn trams were also used behind A and B railcars.

V

V-railcar 400 in the Transport Museum in Frankfurt am Main

Low-floor sidecar 1300

The type V wagons were built in 1910 in seven copies by the Uerdingen and Siemens wagon factory . They were largely identical to the 18 wagons produced by Herbrand and AEG for the Frankfurt Local Railway and were used together with them on the suburban lines to Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and Oberursel . They had 24 seats and 34 standing places with a curb weight of 16.3  t and a drive power of 2 × 85 hp. As a special feature compared to the other Frankfurt trams, the suburban trains had a compressed air brake , which allowed otherwise unusual train compositions up to four-part sets.

The cars were originally numbered 348–355 . In 1925 the numbering was changed to 475-482 , in 1949 the last renumbering took place, in which the urban wagons were given the numbers 393-400 and the FLAG wagons the numbers 301-318 .

Car 479 was badly damaged in air raids in World War II in 1944 and retired as a war loss.

Modifications:

• Sidecar 803 was converted to railcar 483 in 1929 .
• 14 railcars received 102 hp H series engines in 1958 and became the VH series ; Car 396 received engines of the K series with 81.6 hp and was accordingly designated as the VK series.
• In 1962/1963, 10 VH wagons received electrovalves for the air brake and were henceforth called the VHE series.

Retirement

The obsolete wagons were replaced on the suburban lines by large-capacity trains of the types Lv and Mv and two-axle vehicles of the type Hv and retired. Eight vehicles were used as work vehicles on their traditional routes until the 1970s , most recently even in the subway network. Car 400 (the former sidecar 803 , until 1949 No. 483 ) was preserved in the Frankfurt Transport Museum.

sidecar

The same manufacturers who had supplied the railcars also delivered 12 sidecars to the Frankfurt tram and 21 sidecars to the Frankfurter Lokalbahn . In the mechanical part they corresponded to the railcars and also had a continuous compressed air brake . The FLAG also had a four-axle sidecar with a low-floor entry from 1923, which was used on suburban lines until 1960. This sidecar with the number 1300 has been preserved today together with the v- sidecar 1396. Both vehicles can be viewed in the Transport Museum in Frankfurt am Main, all other vehicles were scrapped.

C.

C- powered rail car 375

The C series was delivered in 1913 by Gastell and Herbrand and Siemens in 30 copies. In terms of construction, they were similar to the previous A and B series , but had closed platforms from the start. They had a curb weight of 12.4 t and an engine output of 2 × 60 hp and had 18 seats and 18 standing places. The series originally had the numbers 356–385 , in 1924 they were changed to 348–377 .

Modifications:

• Car 363 was permanently connected to the 911 sidecar from 1930 to 1935 . A conductor could be used in the railcar and the sidecar at the same time via a connecting bridge, but this concept was not pursued.
• The B- railcar 224 received the electrical equipment of the C- railcars in 1937 . Since its platforms had already been rebuilt in the same way as the C series before the First World War , it became a fully-fledged C railcar with the number 347 .

Retirement

The installation of magnetic track brakes was omitted after the war , so the allowed C railcars after 1st January 1960 not be used in passenger more. With the exception of the museum car 375 , all vehicles were scrapped.

sidecar

Between 1911 and 1913, Talbot and Waggonfabrik Uerdingen produced a total of 250 type c sidecars , making them the largest series of sidecars on the Frankfurt tram . They had the numbers 691–790 and 804–953 . Due to the lack of a magnetic rail brake , they were retired like the C railcars on January 1, 1960. Sidecar 778 was preserved as a museum piece.

D.

D-railcar 392 in the Transport Museum Frankfurt am Main

d-sidecar 957 in the Transport Museum Frankfurt am Main

The D- railcar was delivered in 1914 in 18 copies by Gastell as well as Siemens and AEG . The vehicles were largely identical to the C railcars, only the platforms were extended by around 45 cm, which resulted in an additional weight of 1.5 t. When delivered, the series had the numbers 386–403 , in 1924 these were changed to 378–395 .

Modifications:

• The railcar 394 in 1930 together with sidecar 600 to a setup - GTW (number 394 , series Dd rebuilt). The vehicle operated as a special vehicle for city tours until the start of the war. It wasn't until 1977 that this idea was revived with the Ebbelwei Express . The 394 railcar was no longer used after the war and was scrapped in 1949.
• The railcars 392 and 393 were also converted to an articulated double railcar in 1931 (number 392 , class DD ), but in contrast to car 394 operated in normal regular service. The car was also parked at the beginning of the war and in 1955 it was restored to its original design.
• All D railcars that survived the war were fitted with magnetic rail brakes . Therefore, they could still be used after January 1, 1960. In addition, the driver's cabs were modernized; they received driver's seats and one-piece windshields.

Retirement

After the delivery of the type L and M large railcars , the D-type railcars became superfluous and were converted into work cars at the beginning of the 1960s. In this function, some specimens survived until the 1970s. Car 392 , formerly part of the DD car, was preserved as a museum vehicle.

sidecar

In parallel to the railcars, 60 type d sidecars were also purchased from Gastell . Like the railcars, they were equipped with magnetic rail brakes and remained in use until 1966. The 957 sidecar has been preserved in the Frankfurt am Main Transport Museum in Schwanheim .

F and G

F-railcar 411 in the Transport Museum Frankfurt am Main

f-sidecar 1508 in the Transport Museum Frankfurt am Main

The F series was delivered in 1925 and 1926 in a total of 50 units by the companies Gastell , HAWA , Schöndorff , Waggonfabrik Uerdingen and Van der Zypen and Charlier . Compared to the predecessor series, the vehicles were significantly larger and more comfortable, which earned them the nickname Pullman cars among the population . The entire series had the numbers 401-450 , of which the cars 401-410 were provided with riveted steel superstructures, which is why they were jokingly referred to as armored cars by the staff . The other vehicles and all sidecars, however, had conventional wooden superstructures.

In 1928 a second series of 30 vehicles followed, which, however, differed in some details from the previously delivered vehicles and was therefore classified as the G series. Among other things, the G series had more powerful engines with 62.5 hp and a handbrake acting on the gearbox , but like most of the F series had wooden bodies. This series was given the numbers 1-30 .

The cars of the series F and G , which survived the Second World War without major damage, were used between 1945 and 1950 on the special "Roundup" line, which was only allowed to be used by members of the Allied forces. For this purpose, the cars were temporarily painted olive-green in US Army colors and enjoyed first-class care even during the post-war period, which was characterized by a lack of materials.

Modifications:

• As early as 1927, the 401 , 402 and 426 F railcars received G series engines with 62.5 hp, which is why they were classified in the G series. The company numbers were not changed.
• Between 1934 and 1937 the f- trailer cars 1504–1550 were converted to F- railcars . 22 sidecars received engines from the C series and thus became the CF series with the numbers 31-53 , the rest received 51-hp engines and were assigned the numbers 451-474 to the F series . The cars 473 and 474 also received multi-step speed switches of the H series and were therefore referred to as the Fv series.
• In 1938, the g- sidecars 1551–1560 with type C engines and multi-stage switches from the H series were converted to the CFv series railcars with the numbers 54–63 .
• 1955 were F railcars 401-407 , 409 , 410 , 451 and 453-460 of the series FK rebuilt. They received K engines with 81.6 hp and redesigned driver's cabs based on the model of the H and K series .
• The driver's cabs of the 28 G railcars that survived the Second World War were redesigned in 1959 based on the model of the FK series . However, they kept their old engines, the series designation did not change.
• The CFv railcars 63 in 1960 also rebuilt, he received this series engines G and was with the number 6 as a second assignment in the series G incorporated.
• In 1960, 41 F multiple units were converted into F side cars, as the older c , cu and du series vehicles had to be taken out of service due to the magnetic rail brakes required by law from January 1, 1960 .

Retirement

The class G railcars became redundant and retired after the opening of the first underground line in 1968. No G- railcar has survived. With the delivery of the P series from 1972, the F series was also retired.

The railcar 411 (probably former f-sidecar 1505 ) was preserved in the Verkehrsmuseum Frankfurt am Main .

sidecar

Parallel to the F railcars were 1925/1926 50 f -Beiwagen by the DÜWAG delivered. In contrast to the railcars, they all had wooden car bodies. This was followed by 109 g sidecars from Credé , Gastell , HAWA and Schöndorff in 1928 . The f sidecars were numbered 1501–1550 , the g sidecars 1551–1659 .

The f -Beiwagen 1501–1503 were converted in 1935 for operation on the suburban lines of the Frankfurter Lokalbahn , they were fitted with air brakes and wider wheel tires. The series designation was henceforth fv , the dismantling to the f series took place in 1960. All other f trailer cars were converted to F railcars by 1938 . Of these, 25 vehicles became f- sidecars again in 1960. The retirement of the f and g series was completed by 1972.

After retirement, three f- sidecars ( 1566 , 1646 , 1657 ) were taken to the Hanover Tram Museum in Wehmingen , where they have since been scrapped. In Transport Museum Frankfurt in Schwanheim who remained f -Beiwagen 1508 (former F railcars 432 received).

The four open summer cars No. 52–55 of the 1935 Bad Homburg vor der Höhe tram were sold to the Frankfurt am Main tram and used by them as sidecars No. 584–587 for excursions to Bergen or Schwanheim .

H

H-railcar 510 in the Transport Museum Frankfurt am Main

h-sidecar 1559 in the Transport Museum in Frankfurt am Main

The first ten class H railcars were delivered by Westwaggon in 1939 . The vehicles represented a further development of the F series and contained many of the design principles of the standard tram car that was being developed at the time . Among other things, the entire structure was executed in welded lightweight steel construction. The vehicles were also equipped with magnetic rail brakes and pantographs ex works . The driver's work has been made much easier by a driver's seat and large one-piece windshields. Line number and destination were displayed for the first time by Brose tapes. Like the predecessor series, the H series vehicles were also comparatively luxurious on the inside and were popularly known as Pullman cars . The entire series was numbered 501-525 .

In 1942 a second series of 15 railcars followed. This differed in the design of the chassis from the first delivery, which had to be made more massive due to the poor steel quality caused by the war.

The railcars 505 , 510 , 512 , 514 , 516 and 524 were badly damaged by hits from aircraft bombs in 1944 and were rebuilt in unchanged form at Gastell until 1950 .

Modifications:

• At the beginning of the 1950s, the Brose straps were removed from all railcars in order to be able to use the plug-in labels common in the other series.
• The 501-515 cars received 81.6 hp engines of the K series in 1958 and were henceforth referred to as the HK series.
• In 1964, cars 511-525 were converted to the Hv series for use on suburban lines . The vehicles received double headlights and wider wheel tires . The HK wagons 511-515 were again given type H engines with 102 hp. In 1968 the wide wheel tires were removed and the cars were used as the H series in city traffic.

Retirement

Due to the small number, the H series began to be phased out in the early 1970s. After the first P-cars had been delivered, the last H- railcars could be retired by 1973. The railcar 504 ended up in the Hanover Tram Museum in Wehmingen , but has since been scrapped there.

In Transport Museum Frankfurt remained H railcars 510 received.

sidecar

As early as 1938, the Uerdingen wagon factory delivered ten type h trailer cars , the structure of which largely corresponded to the railcars. The series was numbered 1551-1560 and was in use until 1976. Sidecar 1559 was preserved as a museum vehicle. The cars 1551 and 1553 also ended up in the Wehmingen Tram Museum , but have since been scrapped there.

I.

I-railcar 580 in the Transport Museum Frankfurt am Main

Driver's cab of I-powered railcar 580

i-sidecar 1468 in the Transport Museum Frankfurt am Main

Interior of I-railcar 580

I-railcar on the Zeil (1960)

Interior of the i-sidecar 1468

The I series is the Frankfurt variant of the so-called war tram , which was manufactured by the Fuchs company in Heidelberg towards the end of the Second World War and was intended to reduce the greatest deficiencies in the vehicle fleet of many German tram operators during the war. In 1944, Frankfurt received a total of 20 vehicles to compensate for the loss of vehicles due to the air raids on Frankfurt am Main . These vehicles were supplemented by 25 more cars in 1947. The series had the numbers 551-595 . Part of the series was delivered to Frankfurt without electrical equipment and equipped on site with material from AC , C and D railcars that had been destroyed in the war . Accordingly, the vehicles 555-580 carried the series designation IC . The other I railcars received new engines with an output of 81.6 hp. The war tram car was always referred to as the class I in Frankfurt . However, until the 1960s, the letter "I" was often ticked so that it looked like the letter "J" in use today. In order to avoid confusion between uppercase i and lowercase L, the series designation was therefore always written as "J". In contrast, there was never an actual “J” series because of the risk of confusion.

The vehicles were designed in a lightweight steel construction analogous to the construction principles of the standard tramway car planned before the war . In accordance with the requirements of the time, the cars were very robust and spartan and only had 12 seats but standing room for 70. There is no interior cladding or opening windows. The railcars had an empty weight of 11.5  t .

Modifications:

• In 1954 and 1955, the engines of the IC cars were exchanged for engines of the I and K series with 81.6 hp.
• All I- railcars received the statutory magnetic rail brake until 1960 .
• In the mid-1960s, the cars were converted to operate without a conductor and henceforth used in one-way traffic.

Retirement

With the delivery of the first P- railcars in 1972, the I -cars were gradually superfluous and some were parked as a reserve. Car 554 in 1970 to curve lubricating cars in 2022 rebuilt. With the introduction of the FVV in 1974 and the associated higher demand for wagons, however, the remaining wagons were reactivated and continued to be used until 1977.

Car 580 was preserved in the Transport Museum in Frankfurt am Main .

sidecar

Frankfurt did not procure any brand-new i- sidecars. However, a number of KSW sidecars built between 1945 and 1947 were taken over from other cities and had the numbers 1451-1470 in Frankfurt . All cars came from the Uerdingen wagon factory .

• In 1966, two sidecars were taken over by the Offenbach tram .
• In 1967 a total of 14 sidecars were bought by the Düsseldorf Rheinbahn . Two of them originally came from the Giessen tram .
• Also in 1967 four sidecars of the Duisburg tram came to Frankfurt.

The sidecars remained in use together with the railcars until 1977. The 1468 sidecar from Duisburg has been preserved in the Schwanheim Transport Museum . The former Giessen sidecar No.  11 was bought back by the Giessen municipal utilities and erected as a memorial, but was resold in 1998. In the meantime he has found a detour again with the Düsseldorf Rheinbahn .

K

Driver's cab of the K railcar 104

K-Car 107 as an Ebbelwei Express

Interior of the K-railcar 104

K railcar 104 in the Transport Museum in Frankfurt am Main

Rail grinding train 2003, formerly K 121–124

k-sidecar 1725 in the Transport Museum Frankfurt am Main

K-Wagen 476 in September 2008

Driving school car 2000, formerly K 125

Work car 2015, formerly K

2001 work car, formerly K 111

The K series was procured in a total of 65 copies between 1949 and 1955. They represent the last two-axle multiple unit series of the Frankfurt tram . The first 40 vehicles delivered between 1949 and 1953 by Düsseldorfer Waggonfabrik AG ( DUEWAG ) were given the numbers 461–500 . They were referred to as body coaches because chassis from war-damaged F and G railcars were reused for this series . Only wagons 496–500 received new chassis in a welded construction, which optically corresponded to the chassis of the other vehicles.

Due to the material and financial shortage in the post-war years, the first series was just as spartan as the Type I war tramcars (KSW)  . One vehicle of this series (railcar 476 ) stood for many years as a play device in a kindergarten in Schöneck -Kilianstädten. It was acquired by the Historical Tramway Association of the City of Frankfurt am Main (HSF), which also operates the Frankfurt Transport Museum . The association intends to work up; It is still open whether an operational state can be established.

In 1954, the Gebrüder Credé wagon factory delivered another series of 25 completely new vehicles. They corresponded to the widespread even in other West German cities dressing trolley and got the numbers 101-125 . Outwardly, the vehicles differed mainly through a newly designed chassis in a welded construction. In the interior, on the other hand, the cars were again equipped according to pre-war standards and had clad interior walls and even upholstered seats. The railcars had an hourly output of 2 x 82 hp and also had a magnetic rail brake .

Since there was a lack of powerful railcars to pull the heavy two-axle type f and g trailer cars that were still in existence after the war , a second order for two-axle railcars was considered. But it did not come about because the successor series L was already in production at this point in time.

Modifications:

• The coaches of the body type were retrofitted with a magnetic rail brake in the course of the 1950s . In addition, they received folding windows in the passenger compartment, which the cars of the second delivery already had ex works.
• In 1977 cars 106 to 108 were converted for use as an Ebbelwei express . The doors were locked on one side and built up with crate holders and a music system. The music system consists of a car radio with playback options for CDs and MP3 files via a USB connection , whereby the radio part has been shut down in order not to have to pay GEZ fees. In addition, there was a colorful paint job, and the interior was redesigned accordingly. The tables by the windows were given recesses for glasses and an ashtray so that the glasses can be safely positioned while driving. In 1983 a fourth vehicle was added with car 105 . In 2007 the ashtrays were removed and the place where they were before pasted over with a no-smoking symbol; since then it is no longer allowed to smoke in the Ebbelwei-Express.
• Initially still available as a reserve, K-railcars were largely converted to rail service vehicles. The railcars 109 , 111 , 112 , 116 and 120 are still available as railway service vehicles . A four-part rail grinding train was created from wagons 121–124 . Car 125 was converted into a driving school car and can now be viewed in the Transport Museum.

Retirement

In the 1960s, some K railcars were taken out of regular service and converted to work cars. With the progressive commissioning of the P wagons, the K railcars were gradually displaced into reserve services from 1977 onwards. On March 11, 1978, the end of the two-axle railcars in regular service was finally celebrated. In addition to the four Ebbelwei Express cars, car 104 has been preserved in its original condition. It can be viewed today in the Transport Museum in Frankfurt am Main .

sidecar

At the same time as the type K body wagons , 12 similar sidecars were built on the chassis of destroyed g sidecars by the Westwaggon company . The cars with the initial series designation k had the numbers 1661–1672 , which was changed in 1953 to 1659–1670 . In 1963 the designation was changed to gk to distinguish it from the k- sidecar of the association type . The vehicles were retired by 1978.

Also by Westwaggon, a total of 50 sidecars were rebuilt between 1950 and 1952 on the chassis of destroyed c and d sidecars. Since these had a shorter chassis with only 2.5 m wheelbase, the otherwise identical car body to the gk cars was shortened by a window. The vehicles designated as shortened body wagons were given the unused series designation  e . It was mostly used behind type J railcars and ended in 1977.

Between 1953 and 1955 a total of 60 sidecars of the so-called Association Type II were again produced at Westwaggon (wagons 1671 to 1680 ) and Fuchs (wagons 1681–1730 ). Initially these were referred to as series kv , in 1963 this was changed to k . The cars remained in use until 1978 and some were kept in reserve until 1981.

In 1963, the sidecars 1671–1700 were converted for use behind large-capacity railcars at Düwag . Analogous to the large sidecar, they received Düwag folding doors on one side along with the associated opening buttons, an auxiliary drive switch with headlights in the rear and a Scharfenberg coupling at the front. This as a series ka called variant was to 1980 behind the saloon car of the types L , M and N used.

Between 1965 and 1967 the Offenbach tram sold its eight type II sidecars to the Frankfurt tram . Since the cars differed in some details from the Frankfurt k sidecars, they were given the designation ko . The cars were used together with the other k sidecars and were taken out of service by 1978.

As Ebbelwei-Express are the k -Beiwagen 1703 , 1705 , 1706 , 1712 , 1723 and 1724 are still in use. In Transport Museum Frankfurt the remained ka -Beiwagen 1684 and is currently not available in the Wagenhalle Neu-Isenburg parked k -Beiwagen 1725 received. Sidecars of the types gk , ko or e have not survived.

L.

L-railcar 236 with L-sidecar, September 2006

Driver's cab of L-railcar 124 (ex 224), September 2007

Museum car 124 (ex 224) on Ernst-May-Platz, December 2005

Interior view of the L-railcar 124 (ex 224), September 2010

L-railcar 124, September 2007

L-railcar 124 with sidecar, September 2008

The L -vans introduced the first seating car in the car park of the Frankfurter tram . Between 1955 and 1957. 42 trains total consisting of a L railcars ( Duewag-Großraumwagen ) and a similar l -Beiwagen (Duewag unit Cart B 4) by Düwag prepared . Two prototypes with the numbers 201 and 202 were delivered by Düwag in 1955 (built 1954/1955). Between 1956 and 1957 the series delivery of 40 cars with the numbers 203–242 followed . The main difference between the prototypes and the series-production vehicles was a different window layout with eight smaller windows compared to six large windows in the series-production vehicles.

The series cars 203 to 217 and the associated trailer cars 1203 to 1217 were factory-fitted with wider wheel tires and double headlights (for the railcars) for use on the suburban routes to Oberursel and Bad Homburg vor der Höhe . To distinguish them, they were given the series designation Lv or lv . Between 1963 and 1980 the L multiple units were also used together with ka side cars.

Modifications:

• In 1962, the railcars 218-221 and the associated sidecars 1218-1221 were also converted to the Lv / lv series .
• In 1967 all Lv cars were converted back to the normal version, but kept the double headlights.
• In the mid-1960s, all series-produced L trains were converted to operate without conductors, but not the pre-series trains, which continued to be manned with conductors.

Retirement

The pre-series multiple unit 202 was the first vehicle to be retired after an accident in the 1960s. The other pre-production car 201 followed in 1983.

Most of the other L trains remained in service until the beginning of the 1990s, but after the Enkheim route was converted to underground operation in 1992 and the R railcars were delivered from 1993 onwards, most of the vehicles were decommissioned. From 1996 the vehicles were finally superfluous and parked. Already in 1994 eight multiple units and ten sidecars were given free of charge to the Bucharest tram , and in 1997 five multiple units and four sidecars came to the Galați tram .

The L- multiple unit 236 and the L- sidecar 1219 have been preserved as a museum in Frankfurt, but not operational . The railcar can be viewed in the east hall of the Transport Museum, the sidecar is not accessible in the Neu-Isenburg car hall. The motor car and the sidecar still have the orange-beige paintwork. The railcar 224 (renumbered 124 ) and the sidecar 1242 were also preserved . Like all operational museum cars, they can also be rented for special trips. In September 2006, both vehicles were largely restored to the condition of the 1960s and painted in the original beige color with gray trim. L-Wagen 124 had an eight-year general inspection on December 9, 2004. Another was carried out in December 2012.

Car 210 was given as a gift in 1986 to the Frankfurt twin city Birmingham , which passed it on to the Midland Museum of Transport in Wythall. In January 2006 the car was delivered to the Whitwell & Reepham Railway .

Car 226 was kept at the Bergische Museumstrassenbahn in Wuppertal , but was only used there as a sales room for books because of the different gauge of 1000 mm . The car was scrapped in March 2006 because the passenger compartment leaked from being set up in the open air and the chassis was rusty. Car 227 was sold to a private person in Roitham am Traunfall .

The cars handed over to Bucharest have now also been taken out of service. However, some copies have been set up as eye-catchers in front of McDonald’s restaurants in Bucharest and other cities and are still there.

The prototype train 201 / 1201 was of railway friends since 1983 Hanau been preserved, but in 1999 had to a tram middlemen in Salzgitter are sold. The train is still there, but it is parked in the open air and is accordingly in poor shape.

sidecar

The history of the L sidecar is closely linked to that of the L railcar and is therefore described above. In Frankfurt, the L side cars were often used behind the six-axle articulated multiple units of the type M , and for a short time also with eight-axle type N cars . The prototype sidecars 1201 and 1202 were mainly used together with the prototype multiple units 201 and 202 and were therefore retired in 1983. Most of the other sidecars remained in use together with the M multiple units until 1998.

In May 1998, a 17-year-old girl suffered first-degree burns in an L sidecar when she touched the metal parts of the window frame with one hand and the frame of the bench with the other. Due to a defective cable in the junction box, which is located in the floor of the car, the seat frame was electrically charged, so that the current could flow when an earthed metal part was touched. As a precautionary measure, the seat above the distribution box was removed in all existing L-sidecars.

The 1206, 1208 and 1212 sidecars were sold to Kassel , where only the first two were used. 1206 got the new number 575 and 1208 got the number 576. 1212 was cannibalized as a spare parts donor and scrapped. The vehicles did not prove themselves in Kassel and were soon taken out of service. There were problems in Kassel mainly with the door arrangement, the door control, the heating system, the interior lighting with lightbulbs that differed from other vehicles in Kassel and the misuse of the open handbrake. 576 was scrapped after the Kassel tram association was allowed to cannibalize it. 575 is still there and has been in the Kassel Technology Museum since 2014.

M.

Driver's cab of M-Car 102 (602)

M-Wagen 602 (today 102) with M-Sidecar 1804 in the Wendeschleife Nied church, October 2004

Interior of M-car 102 (602)

M-car 102 with sidecar 1804, September 2008

M-Wagen 638 in the Sandhof loop, June 1998

m-sidecar 1804 in Schwanheim, September 2008

m-sidecar 1804 interior view, September 2008

After the delivery of the L series between 1955 and 1957, the need for additional large-capacity railcars quickly arose . To this end, the six-axis articulated railcar was in 2412 the Rheinbahn brought to Frankfurt in 1958 and extensively tested on different lines. The good results of this test led to the order of initially 30 identical vehicles ( Duewag standard car GT 6 ) from Düwag , which arrived in Frankfurt in 1959 and 1960 and were designated as the M series (numbers 601-630 ).

A second series of 15 vehicles with the numbers 631–645 was put into operation in 1963. Of these, the cars 631–636 were equipped with wider wheel tires for use on suburban routes ; these cars were therefore called  Mv .

Another vehicle of the M series was created in 1975 from the N-Wagen 805 , the middle section of which was removed after an accident. This car was then incorporated into the M series with the number 600 .

Modifications:

• Like all other open seating cars, the M series was converted to run without a conductor from the mid-1960s. The front door in the direction of travel was locked because a cash register operated by the driver and a tape recorder for stop announcements were installed there. Furthermore, all railcars and sidecars were equipped with ticket validators, the conductors seat at the rear door was omitted.
• In 1966 the Mv wagons 631–634 were experimentally equipped with the GEAMATIC electronic control from AEG and the 635 and 636 wagons with the Simatic control from Siemens . This made it possible to drive double units and should provide experience with electronic control systems for the subway cars to be procured. After an accident in which a formation consisting of two Mv -wagen derailed on a switch at Opernplatz because the switch controlled via the overhead line was triggered twice, the system was no longer used in the tram sector until the P series and the controls were again used in 1968 converted to conventional rear derailleurs.
• In 1967 the 616–630 and 637–645 cars were also equipped with wide wheel tires and thus also became part of the Mv series .

Use as light rail vehicles

In 1968 the Mv cars 618–645 were converted by Wegmann for use on the newly opened A subway line . The wagons were given a widening made of plastic on the door side (popularly called flower boxes ) to close the gap to the platforms designed for 30 cm wider subway cars. The wagons designated as the Mt series were also given folding steps secured by light barriers in order to be able to stop at stations with 56 or 32 cm high platforms and at classic tram stops without platforms, although the door leaves at the ends of the wagons had to be removed.

The vehicles converted in this way ran together with also converted mt type sidecars on the routes to Oberursel and Bad Homburg vor der Höhe , between Heddernheim and the Hauptwache station they ran in mixed traffic with the U2 type light rail vehicles  .

The mixed operation ended in 1978, in the following period the cars were dismantled into the M series . The extensions have been removed. The only simple doors at the ends of the car and the wider wheel tires were retained. The actuating elements of the train control were relocated behind the cladding when the main inspections were due, but remained active.

Retirement

The M- wagons were withdrawn from the regular service from September 20, 1998, because at that time the second series of the U4- wagons could be fully put into operation. This made it possible to transfer U2 cars to the U7 line, whose Pt cars in turn became available for the tram network, making the M cars superfluous.

Most of the vehicles were sold to cities in Eastern Europe (mainly to Poznan ) in the following months , while others went to tram dealers. Car 602 - partly with the m1804 sidecar - could be observed in regular service until at least the end of December 2004, especially on line 21 between the stadium and Nied Church. Car 602 (now 102 ) is based, like all operational VGF museum vehicles, in the Gutleut depot in Heilbronner Straße. Car 638 was retained as a lounge for employees of the central workshop in Praunheim .

sidecar

In parallel to the first series of M multiple units, Düwag also delivered a series of 14 four-axle sidecars ( Duewag B 4 standard car ) of the type m . A second, 12-car series called ma followed in the years 1964 to 1966, which was equipped with folding steps in preparation for the planned light rail operation, but did not have the later typical widening bulges. The sidecar series had the numbers 1801-1826 .

Like the railcars in 1967, all m side cars were given wider wheel tires for use on suburban routes ( mv series ) and were converted in 1968, analogous to the railcars, for use by Wegmann for light rail use ( mt series ). From 1978 the so-called "flower boxes" were also dismantled from the sidecars and the cars were used in the tram network. With the exception of the museum vehicle 1804 , all sidecars were taken out of service in September 1998 and most of them were sold to Eastern European companies. However, some sidecars are still parked in Frankfurt, u. a. one of them serves as a café in front of the Nazarene Church on Hügelstrasse. The original interior is no longer there.

N

Driver's cab of N-car 112 (812)

N-Car 808 with advertising for the Frankfurter Rundschau at the Mönchhofstraße stop, October 2003

Interior of N-car 112 (812)

N-Wagen 812, renumbered 112, remained in Frankfurt

N-car 112 in the restored original color scheme

The type M articulated railcars proved themselves very well in everyday use, so that in parallel with the second series M railcars, 30 eight-axle articulated railcars of the N series were ordered from Düwag ( Duewag GT 8 standard car ). The series, which went into operation in 1963, occupied the number series 801–830 and, apart from a central section offering 21 additional seats, was largely identical to the previously supplied M series  .

In contrast to the main series, cars 801 and 802 were delivered with simple folding steps, which should serve as test vehicles for a planned series conversion of all open- plan cars as part of the conversion to light rail operations. As it was soon decided to use real light rail vehicles that were 30 cm wider, the folding steps were removed towards the end of the 1960s.

Modifications:

• Analogous to the M series , from the mid-1960s onwards, all cars were converted to run without a conductor.
• Car 805 had an accident in September 1973 when the train coming from Mörfelder Landstrasse turned into Hedderichstrasse at extremely high speed instead of continuing in the direction of Untermainbrücke as intended. The driver tried to drive on a switch at 50 km / h contrary to the service instructions in order to still "catch" the green phase of the traffic light. Unfortunately, shortly beforehand, a work car had turned to the right on the turnout, which was then only used in a straight line, so that the turnout was on the junction. After the resulting derailment, the car overturned on its left side, colliding with a wall and severely damaging its middle section. With three dead and 32 injured, this was the worst accident in the history of the Frankfurt tram to date . The car was constructed without the middle part and back further than M railcars 600 used.
• The couplings for sidecar operation were removed from all cars by 1984.
• After an accident at the end of the 1990s, car 814 was installed in the rear section of a former Mt car and thus only had a single door at the rear.

Retirement

As the first railcar in the series, the 600 (formerly 805 ) was retired in 1998. Another 14 vehicles with the numbers 801, 803, 804, 806, 807, 813, 814, 819–823, 826 and 828 were sold to Poznan , Poland, from 2001 , where they are still in use. Cars 817 and 818 collided in March 2003 while being maneuvered in the Sachsenhausen depot and were then taken out of service. Car 808 collided with R car 004 on January 31, 2004 due to an incorrectly set switch , the front section was badly damaged. The parts of cars 808 and 817 that remained intact were assembled into a new vehicle with the number 817 , while the remaining parts were scrapped.

The remaining vehicles were withdrawn from regular service in the course of 2004 due to the ongoing delivery of the S series . However, due to a temporary lack of vehicles, individual vehicles were occasionally in use until autumn 2004. The last remaining cars, with the exception of car 812 , which will be preserved as a museum vehicle in Frankfurt, were given to Romania in November 2004 for a symbolic purchase price of one euro per car. Cars 802, 809, 810, 811, 815, 816, 817 and 824 went to the Reșița tram , which was discontinued in 2011, while cars 825, 827, 829 and 830 went to the Timișoara tram - but they have all been taken out of service. Like all other operational museum cars, the museum car is located in the Gutleut depot on Heilbronner Straße.

The 818 accident vehicle has been used by the Frankfurt fire brigade as a training object since August 2004 .

sidecar

There was never a separate " n " series of sidecars , instead the N multiple units were often used together with the ka sidecars . Use with large-capacity sidecars of types l and m was theoretically possible, but it was extremely rare. After initial attempts, they were banned by the police on line 15, as the trains delivered to different intersections. With the decommissioning of the ka sidecars in 1980, the Scharfenberg couplings of the N railcars were completely removed by 1984, whereby the electrics for the sidecar operation in the rear part were retained even after general inspections.

O

Driver's cab A of O-car 111 (902)

O-railcar 111 (ex 902) on a special trip at the fair in March 2008

In 1969, the city ​​of Offenbach closed the section of the market square - old cemetery used by the Frankfurt-Offenbach community line 16 . Since there was no turning loop or a track triangle on the market square , open- plan cars in two-way construction had to be procured for the first time . In 1969, Düwag then delivered eight eight-axle articulated railcars ( Duewag GT 8 Z standard car ), which were given the numbers 901-908 . Due to the urban importance of line 16, the cars were financed by the cities of Frankfurt and Offenbach as well as the state of Hesse .

The two end cars of the O multiple units technically corresponded to the front end car of the N series , which meant that all electrical components were duplicated. Technically, both directions of travel were protected against each other several times by protective circuits. Driving with both pantographs on the contact wire was therefore not possible. This increased the weight compared to the N series to 29  t and reduced acceleration. In addition, only the doors on the right in the direction of travel could be opened. The passenger capacity was also slightly lower with 62 seats and 172 standing places. In contrast to M and N cars, the O cars never had a clutch for sidecar operation.

Modifications: At the beginning of the 1990s, the door control of some cars was modified so that the doors could also be opened on the left in the direction of travel. Otherwise, the O series was spared major modifications.

The O-Car 110 restored in 2009 on a special trip in April 2009

The "O-Wagen" 110 museum car, restored in 2009, was used by passengers in winter and spring 2012

Retirement

The O- wagons were withdrawn from regular service in the course of 2004 and the first few months of 2005, as enough new type S vehicles arrived in Frankfurt. In spring 2005, the 901 and 903 to 907 trams were sold to the Poznan tram . The same company had previously acquired M and N series cars . There the cars will be used by passengers for a few years. Cars 902 and 908 remained in Frankfurt . Car 902 was renumbered to 111 and was subsequently used when there was a shortage of cars or special trips. The vehicle was parked with the deadline on April 5, 2008 at midnight after several special farewell trips. Due to the originally planned full advertisement for a well-known large bakery, car 111 is painted in a bright yellow base color. The full advertisement was ultimately not placed because the client had decided at the last moment to advertise on R-cars instead. Nevertheless, no repainting was carried out. It was reactivated in the summer of 2017 and is now also a museum vehicle, but it lost its yellow paintwork.

Car 908 was the last high-floor tram that was delivered to Frankfurt. It is therefore of particular historical importance. As a museum vehicle at the VGF, car 908 has been given car number 110 . At the beginning of 2009, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the extension of the FOTG route from Frankfurt-Oberrad to Offenbach , the operational refurbishment to the original condition of the year of delivery took place in the Stadtbahn central workshop on April 22, 2009. It also received a new cream-colored paintwork with a gray decorative line, as it corresponds to the color scheme from the late 1960s. The freshly reconditioned car 110 was presented to the press for the first time on April 15, 2009.

In March and April 2019, the VGF had to return the O -wagen 111 to service on routes 17 and 18 after an accident involving the S -car 222 in order to avoid the cancellation of routes .

P

See also main article Stadtbahn Frankfurt P series

Pt cars in the old and new paint scheme at the Südbahnhof stop

Pt car 690

Ptb car 700 (taken out of service) on line U5 at the entrance to Preungesheim

Ptb car 742 in the former Oberursel freight yard

Parked Pt wagons in the East depot , April 2007

Railcar 738 in May 2013 at the Konstablerwache

The P series was developed by Düwag (vehicle construction part) and Siemens (electrical part) under the type designation P8 and delivered between 1972 and 1978. In addition to the replacement of the last remaining two-axle vehicles of types H to K , this vehicle type was primarily intended to carry out the intended change from the tram to the light rail or subway . For this purpose, the P series was designed from the outset as a light rail vehicle in order to be able to drive both tunnels and conventional tram tracks without any problems. Since the latter should not be converted for 2.65 m wide vehicles for cost reasons, the vehicles were built with a width of 2.35 m corresponding to the conventional tram cars.

The P series has an engine output of 2 × 150 hp and, with a length of 28.72 meters, offers space for 62 seated and 180 standing passengers.

Conceptually, the vehicle type represents a further development of the O -wagen. The three-part body was retained, as was the division of the doors. The technical progress compared to classic trams is particularly evident in the electrical part. For the first time, a Simatic electronic control system with a setpoint generator was used instead of a mechanical switching mechanism with a handwheel. There are also Scharfenberg couplings at both ends , which enable traction of up to three vehicles. Outwardly, the further developed front section is particularly noticeable, which was angularly designed in accordance with the taste of the time, but still shows the relationship to earlier Düwag tram cars.

With the P -wagen, a new color scheme was also introduced for the Frankfurt tram : orange and light ivory replaced the light beige with green-gray decorative lines that had existed since electrical operation began. The new color scheme was mainly inspired by the S-Bahn vehicles of the 420 series , but it was also intended to represent a compromise between the red and white color scheme of the Frankfurt subway at the time and the beige of the tram. From the 1980s, however, it was finally used in underground trains and buses. The trams of the L to O series were also repainted in the new color scheme.

The first delivery of the P wagons arrived in Frankfurt in 1972 and comprised wagons 651 to 680 . This first delivery had folding steps and was mainly used from 1974 on the newly opened B-route of the Frankfurt U-Bahn. The second delivery comprised the 681–716 cars , which, in contrast to the first series, had fixed steps and could therefore only be used in the tram network. In order to be able to differentiate between the two series, the designation of the car 651-680 was then changed to Pt ( t for tunnel-compatible). A third delivery of P wagons with the numbers 717–750 was put into operation in 1977/1978. The now complete series of 100 vehicles made it possible to park the last two-axle vehicles on March 11, 1978.

Modifications:

• The opening of the C-line in 1986 required the conversion of the 724–750 cars into the Pt series .
• In 1992 the extension of the U7 line to Enkheim went into operation. Now the remaining P-cars 681–723 were equipped with folding steps, the actual P series no longer existed.
• In order to be able to drive on the B and C routes in mixed operation with the 30 cm wider type U2 and U3 cars, the Pt cars 692 to 750 were widened in the door area in 1998 and thus became the sub-series Ptb ( b for wide) . The remaining Pt wagons could only be used on the tram since then, but the 41 wagons for the P series were not dismantled because they were retired by 2007.
• Car 664 was converted into a driving school car in autumn 2005. It was officially classified as a company vehicle with the number 2050 ; an additional teacher's desk enabled various vehicle defects to be simulated. The former passenger compartment has been converted into a classroom. When the car was rebuilt again as a consequence of the day-long standstill of the entire tram operation in the "ice winter" 2012/13, snow blades were installed under the front sections, and a second pantograph on the roof of the C-section to wet the overhead line with glycerine to prevent icing. In addition, the car was therefore also approved for driving on the steep section on the Riedberg, which is otherwise blocked for Ptb and U2 cars. The car is no longer available to the driving school due to the modifications, the corresponding labels have been removed.
• Between 2005 and 2006 most of the cars were equipped with reinforced axles .

Retirement

The first vehicle to retire was Wagen 679 after an arson attack by left-wing extremists on May 3, 2001. The attack represented an act of revenge for the transport of neo-Nazis (ordered by the police) to a May rally by the VGF . The car was cannibalized as a spare parts donor and the remains contaminated by the smoke were scrapped.

On September 15, 2004, cars 669 and 670 collided head- on on the route to Schwanheim . The damage was enormous, so that both cars were cannibalized as spare parts donors, car 670 was parked in the Neu-Isenburg car hall and car 669 in Eckenheim.

In the summer of 2005, the car series Pt was parked . After the older N and O series were replaced by the new S series in 2003/2004  , a Pt car was parked in the Eckenheim wagon hall for each new S car that arrived . However, in order to be able to carry out the necessary reinforcement trips for the soccer World Cup 2006 without vehicle bottlenecks, the vehicles were reactivated. After the end of the world championship, some of them were parked again in the corner home ( 652 , 659 , 662 , 668 , 672 ); 25 of them were for sale as of September 1, 2006. Until then, they were still needed for replacement traffic due to the closure of the city ​​tunnel of the S-Bahn . Eleven cars initially remained in Frankfurt as a reserve, but were later also sold.

Since April 1, 2007, no Pt cars have been used as planned. In addition to the Eckenheim depot, the vehicles were also parked on the grounds of the East Depot . Of these, the Pt 690 car with the new number 190 was initially still in use sporadically as an operational museum vehicle. 25 of the parked cars were offered for sale in 2006. TubeSolutions bought 15 vehicles and two damaged vehicles and a spare parts package for their planned tram network for the Turkish city ​​of Gaziantep . The total investment is around one million euros . The conversion was carried out by a consortium consisting of the companies Tülomas ( bogies ), Hiztaz ( car body ), and epa / Kiepe ( electrics and air conditioning ) in a locomotive and wagon factory in Eskişehir in Central Anatolia . The first converted vehicle was brought to Konya for test drives , as neither Eskişehir nor Gaziantep can be tested because of the lack of infrastructure .

Due to a lack of wagons, three vehicles (728, 738, 748) of the Ptb type, which had previously been used in subway traffic, were dismantled to Pt type vehicles in order to be able to help out as a reserve in tram traffic. They were used on line 18 (2 courses) and on line 12 (one course), at home games of Frankfurter Eintracht also in double traction on line 20. The 748 car was in autumn 2014 as a replacement for the former sold to Turkey Museum car 190 (ex 690) repainted in the original orange / beige / brown paint. It was first used as a museum car in December 2014 for the opening of the new Stresemannallee line on the extended line 17. Car 738 also became a museum vehicle in February 2018, and it too was given the original paintwork.

The Ptb cars retired from regular service on October 9, 2016. The U5 line has been served by U5 railcars ever since .

In December 2018, 5 Ptb wagons went back into regular service until further notice, because the extension of line 14 to the Gallus required more vehicles and new T-wagons will only be available from 2021.

R.

VGF R railcar 022 at the Bockenheimer Warte

VGF R railcar 026 at Frankensteiner Platz, May 2007

VGF R railcar 021 on Ernst-May-Platz, June 2007

Towards the end of the 1980s it became clear to Frankfurt's local politicians that the originally pursued goal of a complete shutdown of the tram by the year 2000 would not be financially viable. It was therefore necessary to purchase new tram vehicles, which were to be designed for the first time in a low-floor design.

At the urging of the then red - green city ​​government, the Frankfurt municipal utilities ordered a purely low - floor vehicle from Düwag . The R-Wagen was the first mass-produced vehicle in the world that had a 100 percent low-floor share. Since the first vehicle was supposed to arrive in Frankfurt before the 1993 local elections if possible , Düwag only had a few months to design and build. The usual testing with prototypes for a newly designed vehicle had to be omitted due to lack of time. In order to achieve the required 100% low-floor space, single-wheel chassis were used, each of which has one part of the car in the middle of the box. Therefore, only three chassis were installed instead of the usual four. This subsequently proved to be problem-prone. The chassis of the two end cars each have four wheel hub motors, each with an output of 50 kW, the chassis of the middle car body is not driven. The motors are water-cooled. The thermometer of these water tanks is located under the roof of the car, which meant that the car sometimes switched off due to overheated thermometers in summer. The design created by Herbert Lindinger and the new corporate color subaru vista blue, used for the first time on a Frankfurt tram, were innovative . During production, Siemens took over the manufacturer Düwag and thus also the complete R- car delivery.

The order included 40 cars in two series (with an option for 60 more cars), the first of which was delivered in 1993. After the first R car arrived in Frankfurt, a press trip took place, which had to be ended prematurely after a few meters due to technical problems. In the years that followed, the vehicles made headlines due to countless technical breakdowns that had to be repaired by the manufacturer at great expense. The experience gained through the first series flowed directly into the construction of the second series, also comprising 20 cars, which was delivered in 1997. The wheel noises (rumbling and squeaking, especially when cornering ) were reduced by the installation of absorbers and the cornering vibrations were strongly dampened by the installation of stabilizers. The stabilizers also largely prevented the hinged part of the car from swinging in the opposite direction immediately after driving through the bend.

The option for 60 more vehicles was not exercised because the vehicles of the first two series did not work satisfactorily despite numerous improvements. Among other things, the problem with the heat build-up, which caused the hydraulic lines of the suspension to burst in summer, could not be resolved. Another reason for this was the missing couplings , which the municipal utilities had forgotten when ordering. Siemens then no longer built any other type R vehicles , but instead concentrated on the construction of the successor type Combino . Nevertheless, Siemens insisted on exercising the option for a further 60 cars, but now in the form of vehicles of the Combino type. However, because of the procurement guidelines, it would not have been permissible if the city had bought other cars than those that had won the tender at the time. For this, a new tender had to be issued first.

In the period that followed, the VGF decided to initially procure eleven low-floor cars in order to be able to retire the type N trams that were still in existence . For this purpose, several cities were visited, including Kassel , Magdeburg and Potsdam . It turned out that Kassel was very satisfied with the type manufactured by Bombardier , while the Potsdam Combino was judged rather negatively. Bombardier won the tender.

As a symbol of the “rebirth” of the tram in Frankfurt, the entire series bears the road numbers 001-040. The vehicles are used on all tram lines.

VGF R railcar 019 after the redesign at Ernst-May-Platz, June 2007

Modifications
The entire series was redesigned between 2006 and 2014. Among other things, all windows were replaced, the seat covers and floors renewed and yellow handle bars fitted, which are ribbed in the door area. Since an air conditioning system cannot be retrofitted for static reasons, more hinged windows were installed. In addition, there were optimizations to the independent suspension and the renewal of the braking system and on-board electronics. The conversion costs amounted to around 200,000 euros per vehicle. Car 011 was presented in September 2006 as the first modernized vehicle, 019 followed in February 2007; the car 013 was rebuilt as part of scheduled general inspections. With car 033, the modernization of the R-car was completed in January 2014.

Accidents

Remains of the R-car 017 in the corner home in April 2007

• On September 7, 1996, car 010 hit a buffer stop at the terminus of line 16 in Ginnheim , and the car was badly damaged. It was not put back into service, but served as a spare parts donor for the other vehicles. After the car was completely cannibalized, the remains were scrapped in early 2006.
• Car 017 collided with a buffer stop on July 10, 2005 due to an operator error at the Offenbach city ​​limits . As with car 010, the damage was so massive that the vehicle was taken out of service and is now used as a spare parts donor. This was already the second serious accident involving car 017, it had already collided with car 007 on October 29, 2001 near the main train station, when the vehicle was restored with parts from car 010. As a result, these two cars swapped the B-parts. Since then, 007 consists of 007A + 007C + 017B. 017 consisted of 017A + 017C + 007B until 2005.

For a long time, cars 006 and 008 were parked in the light rail central workshop due to problems with the suspension and the frame . The cars were made operational again by installing spare parts from the 017 accident car.

The Type T vehicles ordered in June 2018 are to replace the 38 R cars from the end of 2020.

S.

S-Wagen 201 (name Bornheim ) at the Südbahnhof

S-Wagen 241 (baptismal name Nieder-Erlenbach ) during the Wäldchestag in double traction with another S-Wagen, Whit Monday 2007

S-Car 203 connected with Scharfenberg coupler in double traction, Whit Monday 2007

Due to the mostly bad experience with the low-floor trams of the R series , the VGF decided not to redeem the existing option for 60 additional vehicles and instead initially procure eleven copies of a different vehicle type. The winner of the tender was Bombardier , which with its Flexity Classic tram (type NGT8-S used in Frankfurt am Main) was able to prevail against the rival product Combino from Siemens . After the country Hessen in connection with the 2006 FIFA World Cup , the subsidization of 60 low-floor trams had announced the appointment has been extended accordingly. In addition, an option for eleven additional vehicles was decided.

After they had previously completed extensive test drives in Chemnitz , the first two vehicles of the new S series arrived in Frankfurt on October 2, 2003 and were presented to the public on October 17 in the former Bornheim tram depot , for which purpose the depot was already closed an event was pulled in again. The rest, in Bombardier -Werk Bautzen -made vehicles were converted at a distance of two to three weeks by road transport to Frankfurt. The original order of 60 cars was subsequently increased to 65, in order to achieve a total of 100 low-floor vehicles despite the breakdown of some R- cars. Since March 30, 2007, the series with the numbers 201–265 has been completed with the delivery of the last four vehicles .

Technically, the S series is much more conventional than the R car. The car has four bogies, two of which are located under the middle section on which the end cars are supported at one end. The bogies of the two end cars are each equipped with two transverse motors with an output of 105  kW .

In contrast to the R series, the wagons only have a low-floor proportion of 70%. For the first time, an air conditioning system was installed as standard . Since the car body was made 5 cm wider than its predecessor, it was possible for the first time to install 2 + 2 seating with a total of 64 seats. Twelve vehicles were equipped with video surveillance systems to reduce vandalism , the other vehicles are prepared for this.

S- Wagons run on all tram lines. The series is equipped with retractable Scharfenberg couplings at both ends of the car , which allow driving in double traction. As planned, this will only be used on stadium amplifier line 20.

Due to a lack of vehicles and other reasons, three S-railcars were loaned to Stockholm for two years in 2007 . On October 26, 2011 it was announced that VGF had ordered another 10 S-wagons, but the order was reduced to 9 wagons for cost reasons. The new 9 cars have the car numbers 266 to 274. From the order at that time, 6 cars were agreed as an option and 4 cars were ordered separately. All new vehicles were delivered at the end of 2013. This means that there are 74 S-cars in Frankfurt.

Baptismal name

Vehicle christenings are carried out for the first time in the S series . It was planned to baptize all vehicles in the names of Frankfurt districts; However, since there are no 65 districts, the Frankfurt twin cities should also be taken into account. The baptisms took place at irregular intervals and usually without special celebrations.

So far have been baptized:

number	Surname	Baptism date
201	Bornheim	October 17, 2003
203	Frankfurt	December 13, 2003
204	Bockenheim	December 13, 2003
223	Schwanheim	September 1, 2005
224	Sachsenhausen	September 1, 2005
225	Fechenheim	September 1, 2005
238	Northrend	December 14, 2005
241	Nieder-Erlenbach	December 14, 2005
242	Gallus	December 14, 2005
263 (temporarily loaned to Stockholm)	Ginnheim	March 30, 2007
264 (temporarily loaned to Stockholm)	Rödelheim	March 30, 2007
265	Heddernheim	March 30, 2007

Car 240 was temporarily named Dieter Geib in November and December 2005 ; The reason was the retirement of the head of the central workshop .

Accidents:

• Car 220 collided with a truck at the Ratswegkreisel on February 28, 2005. The front bogie derailed and the frame of the front part of the car was deformed.
• On July 19, 2005, car 231 crashed into a buffer stop at the Offenbach city ​​limits terminus due to a brake failure and suffered severe damage to one of the end cars.

The still usable components of both vehicles were put together in March 2006 to form a new car with the number 220 ". The remaining vehicle parts were transferred to the Bombardier plant in Bautzen . At the end of June 2007, the car with two new heads and the old intermediate car was re-branded as Car 231 authorized.

• Car 206 (line 15) drove on March 7, 2013 at the stop "Universitätsklinikum" ( university clinic ) on the Theodor-Stern-Kai in the Sachsenhausen district on car 251 (line 12). Both vehicles were severely damaged. The historical vehicles of the types M, N and O were temporarily used on lines 14 and 17.
• Car 222 was badly damaged on March 19, 2019 when a truck collided with the moving tram while maneuvering out of a parking lot.

T

The invitation to tender for 38 T series cars was announced by VGF on June 19, 2017. These are intended to replace the 38 R series cars, with delivery scheduled for 2020 to 2023. Another 15 vehicles were planned as options. On June 19, 2018, the decision of 45 vehicles in favor of the Citadis X05 from Alstom was announced. Delivery of the first three-part railcars manufactured in Barcelona is scheduled for 2020. The delivery will be delayed from autumn to spring 2021 due to corona. This is intended to replace the older vehicles of the P and R series . There is also an option for 10 more vehicles.

The vehicles with the manufacturer's name Citadis Frankfurt are three-part 100% low-floor vehicles with a length of 31.5 meters. An extension to 38 meters by inserting a fourth part of the car is optionally possible. The vehicles can be coupled for use in stadium traffic. They have a passenger counting system. The consistently low-floor vehicle floor is approx. 30 centimeters above street level. The new lift has four doors on each side and eight fewer seats than its predecessor. 197 passengers - instead of 172 people in the S series - can be carried per railcar, theoretically up to 244 with the additional optional middle section. Operation without a live overhead line is possible with an energy storage device that can also be retrofitted.

Other series

Railcar 10 of the Saalburgbahn with a sidecar

Milan test car in 1929

Three railcars (including No. 9 and 10) of the Saalburgbahn , which was shut down in 1935, were used as work cars on the Frankfurter Lokalbahn (FLAG) and the Frankfurt am Main tram until 1959 . Car 9 was given number 21 on the FLAG and number 2027 ^III on the Frankfurt tram . Car 10 was converted to a tower car and was given number 22 on the FLAG and number 2024 ^II on the Frankfurt tram .

In July 1929, a " Peter Witt car " was tested on line 23 . The vehicle from Milan with the road number 1502 was set up for passenger flow with a seated conductor, entry was only allowed at the front.

Self-made

Locomotive 2016 in Marbachweg, August 26, 2001

In the 1980s u. a. The electric locomotive was built in 2016 with M bogies in the central light rail workshop . The locomotive can be used in catenary and battery operation. The batteries were taken over from Akkulok 2020 , which had previously been used on the subway route to Oberursel - Hohemark for the transport of freight wagons .

Vehicle data

model series	Indienst- position	Ausmus- esterification	number	Length [mm]	Width [mm]	Empty weight [t]	Engine power [ PS ]	Seats	Standing room	Wheel alignment
Two-axle railcar
A.	1899	1958	181	8100	2060	9.0	A: 2 × 17 AC: 2 × 61 AE: 2 × 51	18th	18th	Bo
B.	1901	1958	166	8100	2060	9.0	2 × 35	18th	18th	Bo
V	1910	1964	7 + 18	9840	2100	16.3	V: 2 × 85 VH: 2 × 102	24	34	Bo
C.	1913	1959	30th	8300	2060	12.4	2 × 60	18th	18th	Bo
D.	1914	1968	18th	9100	2060	13.9	2 × 60	18th	18th	Bo
E.	1924	1956	35	8100	2060	9.0	2 × 51	18th	18th	Bo
F.	1925	1972	50	10460	2060	13.9	F: 2 x 51.5 CF: 2 x 60	22nd	50	Bo
G	1928	1968	30th	10460	2060	13.8	2 × 62.5	22nd	50	Bo
H	1939	1972	25th	10460	2060	14.1	H: 2 x 102 HK: 2 x 81.6	22nd	50	Bo
J	1944	1977	45	10400	2100	11.5	J: 2 x 81.6 JC: 2 x 60	12	42	Bo
K	1949	1978	65	10500	2163	13.0	2 x 81.6	22nd	34	Bo
Two-axle sidecar
cu	1904	1960	31	8050	2060	6.1		18th	27	2
you	1904	1960	59	8050	2060	6.1		18th	27	2
v	1910	1968	13 + 22	9840	2100	10.6		24	39	2
c	1911	1963	250	8300	2060	7.2		18th	25th	2
d	1914	1966	60	9100	2060	7.7		18th	38	2
f	1925	1972	50	10460	2060	9.6		22nd	56	2
G	1928	1968	109	10460	2060	9.8		22nd	56	2
H	1938	1976	10	10460	2060	8.8		22nd	56	2
i	1945	1977	20th	10400	2100	7.4		12/16	47/43	2
e (1400)	1947	1972	1	8790	2010	8.0		18th	30th	2
gk	1949	1977	12	10500	2100	9.0		22nd	40	2
e	1950	1977	50	8790	2010	8.0		16	32	2
k	1953	1978	60	10500	2100	7.6		22nd	38	2
Bogie railcar
L.	1954	1996	42	14100	2200	15.5	2 × 136	33	52	B'B '
M.	1959	1998	45	19095	2350	20.4	2 × 150	43	76	B'2'B '
N	1963	2004	30th	25645	2350	22.0	2 × 150	64	103	B'2'2'B '
O	1969	2005	8th	26100	2350	26.0	2 × 150	62	102	B'2'2'B '
P	1972	2016	100	27430	2350	29.0	2 × 163	62	108	B'2'2'B '
Bogie sidecar
v (1300)	1923	1954	1	13100	2100	12.5		48	36	2'2 '
l	1955	1998	42	14024	2200	9.5		25/31/36	57/51/45	2'2 '
m	1959	1998	26th	13560	2350	10.0		37	56	2'2 '
Light rail vehicles
U1	1966	1976	2	21800	2650	29.5	2 × 204	64	97	B'2'B '
U2	1968	2016	103	23000	2650	30.5	2 × 204	64	97	B'2'B '
U3	1979	2018	27	24490	2650	36.0	2 × 237	64	109	B'2'B '
U4	1994	in operation	39	24490	2650	37.4	4 × 177	63	111	Bo'2'Bo '
U5-25	2008	in operation	94	25020	2650	37.7	4 × 177	48	136	Bo'2'Bo '
U5-50	2012	in operation	130	24764	2650	36.2	4 × 177	47	142	Bo'2'Bo '+ Bo'2'Bo'
Low-floor vehicles
R.	1993	from 2020	40	27600	2350	36.88	8 × 67	59	111	Bo + 2 + Bo
S.	2003	in operation	75	30000	2400	40.0	4 x 140.8	64	115	Bo'2'2'Bo '

Remarks:

1. ↑ ^{a b} The year in which the first vehicle of the series was put into operation and the year in which the last vehicle in the series was withdrawn from regular service is given.
2. ↑ The number of vehicles that originally belonged to the series is given. It has often changed afterwards as a result of modifications.
3. ↑ Specified is the fixed length over sheet metal (without couplings).
4. ↑ The density of standing places is given differently in different sources and has changed over time. For better comparability, the information from the data sheets has been converted to the current 0.25 m² / person.
5. ↑ ^{a b} As Ebbelwei-Express used in regular services
6. ↑ Information unchecked
7. ↑ Pt wagons taken out of service by 2007, converted version of Ptb wagons as light rail vehicles still in use until October 9, 2016 (line U5), occasionally individual Pt wagons in tram use if there are not enough cars
8. ↑ Wheel arrangement of a double unit, can only be used in a train formation in double traction

Color coding:

No vehicle received

Vehicle received inoperable

Keep vehicle operational

Vehicle still in regular service

literature

• Working group Blickpunkt Straßenbahn e. V. Berlin (Hrsg.): Tram atlas 2005 Germany: Tram, U-Bahn, S-Bahn, O-Bus . Berlin: Arbeitsgemeinschaft, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-926524-24-3 .
• Thomas Hanna-Daoud (Red.): Local traffic in Frankfurt. Tram, underground, S-Bahn, omnibus, railroad . In: Local tram transport special. No. 7 . GeraMond Verlag , Munich 2000, ISBN 3-89724-010-6 .
• Dieter Höltge, Günter H. Köhler: Trams and light rail vehicles in Germany . 2nd Edition. 1: Hessen. EK-Verlag , Freiburg 1992, ISBN 3-88255-335-9 (contains a complete list of vehicles).
• Günter H. Köhler, Claus Seelemann: Post and Tram : Post transport with trams in Germany and abroad . GH Köhler, Hofheim, Reichenberger Weg 6, Hofheim 1998, ISBN 3-934873-99-5 .
• Jens Krakies, Frank Nagel: Stadtbahn Frankfurt am Main: A Documentation . 2nd Edition. Frankfurt am Main 1989, ISBN 3-923907-03-6 .
• Horst Michelke, Claude Jeanmaire: One hundred years of Frankfurt trams: 1872–1899 - 1972 = Tramways of Frankfurt am Main (Western Germany) . 1st edition. Villigen AG: Verlag Eisenbahn, book publisher for railway and tramway literature, Brugg / Switzerland 1972, ISBN 3-85649-018-3 .
• Frank Nagel, Monika Mutzbauer, Matthias Arning: Mobility for Frankfurt - 50 years of modern Frankfurt local transport . Ed .: Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main mbH (VGF) corporate communications . Societäts Verlag , Frankfurt am Main 2018, ISBN 978-3-95542-320-9 .
• Robert Schwandl, Mark Davies: Frankfurt Stadtbahn Album - The Frankfurt Light Rail Network + S-Bahn . 1st edition. Robert-Schwandl-Verlag, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-936573-21-3 (German, English).
• Walter Söhnlein, Jürgen Leindecker: The Frankfurter Lokalbahn and its electric Taunus-Bahnen . GeraMond Verlag , Munich 2000, ISBN 3-932785-04-5 .
• Walter Söhnlein, Gerta Walsh: Clear the way! - Railways in the Taunus 1860–1910–2010 . Societäts Verlag , Frankfurt am Main 2010, ISBN 978-3-7973-1223-5 .
• General traffic plan Frankfurt am Main, result report 2004 - study on behalf of the city planning office on the future development of Frankfurt traffic networks. (PDF; 23.8 MB) City of Frankfurt am Main, December 1, 2004, accessed on November 18, 2018 . 
• Dana Vietta, Bernd Conrads, Frank Nagel, Ole Bannert, Uwe Niemann, Charles Tang: U . Frankfurt U-Bahn - the backbone of the Main metropolis. Ed .: Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main mbH (VGF) corporate communications , historic trams of the city of Frankfurt am Main e. V. Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main mbH, Frankfurt am Main 2018.
• Anton Wiedenbauer, Hans-Jürgen Hoyer: Driving into the future: the history of the Frankfurt tram . Waldemar Kramer publishing house , Frankfurt am Main 1968.

Web links

• Current information in words and pictures about vehicles, routes, etc.
• Public transport in Frankfurt
• Reports on the construction of depot East etc.
• Various pictures of vehicles from Frankfurt and many other cities

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Walter Söhnlein, Jürgen Leindecker: The Frankfurter Lokalbahn and their electrical Taunus-Bahnen., GeraMond, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-932785-04-5 , pp. 52-53
2. ↑ Article Tram 476 returns home to the Main in the Frankfurter Neue Presse (FNP) on April 19, 2008
3. ↑ See also [1]
4. ↑ Tram Page Frankfurt - Archive 1998
5. ↑ see VGF press release of February 11, 2009  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )
6. ↑ see VGF press release of March 20, 2019
7. ↑ The years from 2000: a slow farewell ( memento of December 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
8. ↑ VGF employee magazine in Fahrt April / May 2010, p. 18
9. ↑ Operation of the U5: The station "Musterschule" will be used from tomorrow ( Memento from October 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
10. ↑ Florian Leclerc: Local traffic in Frankfurt: VGF is again using trams with a running board. In: Frankfurter Rundschau. May 18, 2018, accessed May 20, 2018 . 
11. ↑ see VGF press release of January 31, 1997 ( Memento of October 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
12. ↑ Complete renovation of the "R" cars: VGF improves interior equipment - air conditioning for the "U4" subways. Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt, September 20, 2006, accessed on May 8, 2018 . 
13. ↑ 07.03.2013: Accident with two trams on Theodor-Stern-Kai. March 7, 2013, accessed October 9, 2013 . 
14. ↑ Sandra Busch: After a tram accident - vintage cars save tram traffic. fr-online.de , March 8, 2013, accessed October 9, 2013 . 
15. ↑ Hanauer Landstrasse truck rams tram in Frankfurt - two injured - Hessenschau.de
16. ↑ VGF procures new trams - 38 “T” cars will replace the “R” cars between 2020 and 2023 - an option for 15 more trams. VGF , June 27, 2017, accessed June 28, 2017 . 
17. ↑ Bernd Conrads: New face of the Frankfurt tram. In: Blog of the Frankfurt Transport Company (VGF). June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018 . 
18. ↑ Stefanie Wehr: A new generation is rolling out . In: Frankfurter Neue Presse . Frankfurter Societät , Frankfurt am Main June 20, 2018.
19. ↑ Tweet of the VGF. In: Twitter. @vgf_ffm, June 19, 2018, accessed June 19, 2018 . 
20. ^ Alfred B. Gottwaldt: Trambahn Album . 2nd Edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-613-01296-0 , p. 127 .