Yes-6 (omnibus)

JaGAZ
A Ja-6, made in 1929 on a Soviet postage stamp from 1973
Yes-6
Manufacturer	Yaroslavsky Gosudarstwenny Avtomobilny Zavod
design type	City bus
Production period	1929-1932
axes	2
engine	Hercules-UXS six-cylinder gasoline engine
power	93 hp
length	7.75 m
width	2.46 m
height	3.00 m
Wheelbase	4780 mm
Turning circle	18 m
Seats	35
Empty weight	approx. 5500 kg
Previous model	none
successor	YesA-2

The Ja-6 ( Russian Я-6 ) was a Soviet bus model from the Jaroslawski Gosudarstwenny Awtomobilny Sawod (Russian Ярославский государственный автомобильный завод, which was produced in series from 19А29 to завод, for short from JaGAZ to 1932). It was the first full-fledged city ​​bus from Soviet production, around 360 copies were made. There is no evidence that a vehicle has survived.

Vehicle history

In the late 1920s, there was a great shortage of city buses in the Soviet Union and, often, of public transport in general. In Moscow, for example, there were only about 5000 taxis, 730 trams and 175 buses for the then approximately two million inhabitants, all of which had been delivered by Leyland in Great Britain . On the one hand, there were far too few buses, and on the other, they were too expensive by Soviet standards.

The first buses from our own production were made from 1926 based on the AMO-F-15 truck . However, they were small and could only carry 14 passengers. The engine output of the vehicle was also very low at 35 hp. In the following three years, there was no local bus available that could have carried a large number of passengers.

In 1929 the Jaroslawski Gosudarstwenny Awtomobilny Sawod began production of the five-tonne Ja-5 . The truck's chassis seemed suitable for a bus body. In order to be able to transport more people, the frame was extended by 580 mm. Since the plant did not have the means to mass-produce the relatively complex bus body, only the chassis were built in Yaroslavl . The superstructures were manufactured in various repair shops and then placed on the frames. So it came about that open bodies were also created. The companies that manufactured the superstructures were located in Moscow , Leningrad , Kharkov , Rostov-on-Don and Tbilisi , among others . The bodies had a wooden frame and were covered with sheet steel on the outside and plywood on the inside.

The still young and underdeveloped automobile industry in the Soviet Union was unable to manufacture various parts at all; they also had to be bought in abroad. The engine came from the US Hercules Engine Company , while the transmission, brakes, steering and clutch also came from the USA. Nevertheless, the production was cheaper than buying complete buses from abroad.

The buses had to be constructed relatively high due to the axles used. However, the large ground clearance of around 300 mm quickly turned out to be an advantage on the poor roads. The comfort for the passengers was very limited. The seats were hard, there was no heating, ventilation was very simple and the suspension was not designed for passenger transport. Nevertheless, the buses remained in operation for a relatively long time, in some cases until the beginning of the Second World War . A total of 364 chassis were built, 237 of which went to Moscow, 50 to Yaroslavl and at least 30 to Rostov-on-Don. Open buses were also produced there, 16 of the 30 units were given a closed body.

In 1932 production of the JaG-10 , a heavy three-axle vehicle, began in Yaroslavl. The project was considered important and all the engines imported by Hercules were used on the new truck. The otherwise available engines from the AMO-F-15 (35 HP), as well as from the truck AMO-3 (60 HP) and its successor ZIS-5 (73 HP) were too weak for the bus. Accordingly, production had to be stopped in 1932. Today, probably no Ja-6 vehicle has survived.

Technical specifications

Not all technical data have been handed down. Some information vary slightly depending on the source, which is also due to the fact that only the chassis always came from the same manufacturer.

• Engine: six-cylinder gasoline engine
• Engine type: Hercules-UXS
• Power: 93 PS (68 kW)
• Consumption: 45 l / 100 km
• Top speed: 50 km / h
• Gearbox: Brown-Lipe-554
• Transmission type: four-speed manual transmission
• Coupling: Brown Lipe multi-plate coupling
• Drive formula : 4 × 2

Dimensions and weights

• Length: 7750 mm
• Width: 2460 mm
• Height: 3000 mm
• Wheelbase: 4780 mm
• Turning circle: 18 m
• Seats: 35, 27 is also indicated
• Standing: 0 or 8 depending on the source
• Places in total: 35
• Empty weight: approx. 5500 kg
• Doors: 2 passenger doors, separate driver's door

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Лев Шугуров: Первый автобус . Техника-Молодёжи, 1986. Journal article, available online . (Russian)
2. ↑ Website for Ja-6, including different numbers of items (Russian)
3. ↑ Website on various historical Soviet bus models, including the Ja-6 (Russian)

Web links

Commons : Ja-6  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Scan of the original article Первый автобус as well as contemporary photography from the 1930s with two Ja-6s (Russian)