Large composite panel
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The large composite panel (GVP) is a type of construction in the track construction of trams . There were different forms of it. This track construction was used in the GDR in order to be able to renew the longest possible track sections as quickly as possible. It was called the large composite slab because the two rails were held at a distance from one another by a concrete slab. Steel spacers lay in the concrete. Since tracks could thus be prefabricated, the construction costs on site were lower. The manufacturer was the panel factory Cossebaude of the VEB concrete lightweight construction combine Dresden . GVP was available in meter gauge (1000 mm), standard gauge (1435 mm) and broad gauge (1450 and 1458 mm). They were 12.5 meters long, half slabs were 6.5 meters long.
For faster laying there were four laying machines ( gate loaders ) in the GDR . Two of these machines from the company Valmet from Finland existed in Dresden and one each in Leipzig and Berlin, although the Leipzig vehicle is still used occasionally to remove and reinstall GVP. They were able to lay 25 GVP per shift, which reduced construction costs. A similar design in Hungary became known as the Budapest design.
In most cases, this superstructure was unable to cope with the stresses and strains of everyday operations. Unsound subsoil and lack of maintenance caused damage to the track. Due to their design, the GVP cause a very high level of noise when tram vehicles drive them.
In most of the companies, the installation of GMPs ended with reunification at the latest. GVP were last relocated in Leipzig in 1991. In many cities they have for the most part already been replaced by more permanent superstructures, while in Leipzig they still shape the picture in many places. In 2006, a good third of the Leipzig route, i.e. a total of around 52 kilometers, was equipped with GVP.
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- ↑ Local transport plan Leipzig 2007 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 11.9 MB), accessed on July 31, 2012
