Solingen trolleybus
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| Basic information | |
| Country |
 Germany
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| city | Solingen |
| opening | June 19, 1952 |
| operator | Solingen municipal utilities |
| Transport network | VRR |
| Web presence | http://www.sobus.net/ |
| Infrastructure | |
| Route length | 56.6 km |
| Switches | 24 |
| Inlet switches | 25th |
| Intersections | 28 |
| Substations | 20th |
| Power system | 600 V DC |
| Depots | 1 |
| business | |
| Lines | 7th |
| vehicles | 51 |
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The Solingen trolleybus , also popularly known as the pole taxi , is one of three remaining trolleybus systems in Germany , alongside Eberswalde and Esslingen am Neckar . With a route length of 56.6 kilometers, a contact line length of 98.7 kilometers and a fleet of 51 articulated vehicles (up to this point as of 2018), Solingen has the largest trolleybus system in Germany. The seven diameter lines 681 to 686 and 695 are electrically operated .
The local transport company is the Stadtwerke Solingen (SWS). In addition to the trolleybus lines, they also operate various city bus connections. A small part of the Solingen trolleybus network into the neighboring town of Wuppertal to the local railway station Vohwinkel .
Lines
| line | route | Travel time (in minutes) | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|
| 681 | Central station - Merscheid - Graf-Wilhelm-Platz - Central station - Hästen | 36 | 28/27 |
| 682 | Main station - Wald - Central - Graf-Wilhelm-Platz - Grünewald - Höhscheid -Brockenberg | 45/43 | 32 |
| 683 | Wuppertal-Vohwinkel train station - Wuppertal-Vohwinkel suspension railway - Gräfrath - Central - Graf-Wilhelm-Platz - central train station - Krahenhöhe - Burger train station | 47/46 | 36/35 |
| 684 | School Widdert - Vockert - Wittenberg - Bahnhof Mitte P&R - Graf-Wilhelm-Platz - Hasselstraße | 27/28 | 22nd |
| 685 | Aufderhöhe - Schmalzgrube - Blade Hall - Graf-Wilhelm-Platz | 33/34 | 24/23 |
| 686 | Graf-Wilhelm-Platz - Mangenberg - Kotten - Schmalzgrube - Aufderhöhe | 40/39 | 29 |
| 695 | Gräfrath Abteiweg - Graf-Wilhelm-Platz - Central Station - Meigen | 40/33 | 29/24 |
Lines 681 and 682 are operationally linked at the main station, as are lines 685 and 686 at Graf-Wilhelm-Platz, so that you can continue your journey in the same vehicle. This means that there is a ring traffic between the city center and the main train station . In the city center there is a trunk line in the section Rathaus-Mühlenplatz-Graf-Wilhelm-Platz , which is served by six of the seven lines (681 - 684, 686 and 695). A total of 137 stops are served, seven of them in the Wuppertal city area. 27 of them are started with the auxiliary or battery drive, including two in Wuppertal. The seven intermediate loops Gräfrath , Wald Kirche, Höhscheid , Schmalzgrube, Bülowplatz, Bahnhof Mitte and Krahenhöhe enable shortened routes. The Schmalzgrube turning loop is the only one that is not electrified.
history
End of the tram and change to the trolleybus
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The infrastructure of the tram network that had existed in Solingen since 1896 suffered considerable damage as a result of the Allied bombing in the Second World War . A modern, two-track expansion of the network would have cost around ten million Deutschmarks; in the first years after the war the city council discussed alternatives to the tram. Initially, however, it was largely repaired provisionally so that local public transport in Solingen could be guaranteed again.
In the early 1950s, the city administration decided to discontinue the Solingen tram and switch to the trolleybus. The main reasons for this decision were the low operating and fuel costs, as well as the long service life of the trolleybuses, despite the high costs for installing the overhead line infrastructure. The tram routes were gradually converted to trolleybus operations over a period of seven and a half years. The last tram line went out of service in November 1959.
In contrast to many other cities in Germany, Solingen had converted its entire main transport network to operation with trolleybuses and not just smaller sections like other cities.
The individual sections of the first four trolleybus routes went into operation as follows, the current stop names are listed:
| 06/19/1952 | Graf-Wilhelm-Platz - Rathausplatz - Mangenberg - Central Station | 8.3 km | line 1 |
| 08/01/1953 | Central station - forest church | 4.2 km | Line 2 |
| 10/01/1953 | Forest Church - Central - Rathausplatz | 3.9 km | Line 2 |
| 06/15/1955 | Graf-Wilhelm-Platz - Birkerstraße - Höhscheid | 2.4 km | Line 2 |
| 08/07/1955 | Graf-Wilhelm-Platz - Werewolf - Central Station - Hästen | 3.4 km | line 1 |
| 06/01/1957 | Werewolf School Widdert | 4.6 km | Line 4 |
| 07.10.1958 | Central - Wuppertal- Vohwinkel suspension railway | 5.8 km | Line 3 |
| 12/02/1959 | Central station - Burg Bridge | 6.1 km | Line 3 |
The new lines were mainly served by vehicles of the type ÜHIIIs. On December 2, 1959, with the conversion of the last tram route, the 1939 rail network was completely changed. At the same time, the Unterburg turntable went into operation, meanwhile a well-known curiosity of the Solingen company.
With a route length of 38.7 kilometers, Solingen had the third largest trolleybus network in Germany after the Moers trolleybus and the Siegen trolleybus . When it comes to the number of vehicles, Solingen was even the leader, with all four lines being served every five minutes during rush hour. However , there was never a connection to the trolleybus network of the Wuppertal public utilities , which existed from 1949 to 1972.
The Solingen trolleybus era (1968–1988)
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Some of the vehicles of the first generation achieved a service life of over 20 years; they were only taken out of service at the beginning of the 1970s, after the second generation of trolleybuses with a total of 80 vehicles - the Trolleybus Solingen- type trolleybuses built by Stadtwerke's own company - was fully operational. The background of this self-construction measure was the lack of a suitable, series-produced vehicle type that met the requirements of the Solingen public utility company in terms of space and performance.
Since the establishment of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) on January 1, 1980, the Solingen trolleybus has also been integrated into it. As a result, the line numbers changed, lines one to four became lines 681 to 684. At the beginning of the 1980s, two smaller extensions were made:
| 05/30/1981 | Rathausplatz - Hasselstrasse | 2.6 km | Line 684 |
| 09/11/1982 | Höhscheid - Höhscheid-Brockenberg | 0.787 km | Line 682 |
In 1988, all vehicles of the second generation were taken out of service and, with two exceptions, sold to the trolleybus operator in Mendoza , Argentina ; on May 1, 2010, it was finally decommissioned.
The generation of MAN solo and articulated vehicles (1984–2003)
The plans for the procurement of the third generation of vehicles were made at the beginning of the 1980s. This time it was decided to go back to production vehicles. From 1984 the first articulated wagons of the type MAN SG 200 HO were finally delivered and put into service. The three-axle MAN SL 172 HO solo cars followed two years later . In 1987 the entire fleet was renewed.
In the 1990s, the network was expanded so that it reached its current size. In this context, the number of lines increased from four to six:
| 08/22/1993 | Mangenberg - Kotten | together 8.2 km |
Line 686 |
| 08/22/1993 | Birkerstrasse - Kotten | Line 685 | |
| 08/22/1993 | Kotten - Aufderhöhe | Lines 685 and 686 |
In the mid-1990s, Stadtwerke Solingen, the operator of the trolleybus operation, was partially privatized . In 1995, the new investor suggested giving up the trolleybus operation for reasons of cost. The intention was to replace the now outdated vehicle fleet with modern diesel buses . From 1996 onwards, more and more resistance from politics and the population formed against these plans, new reports showed, among other things, the costs for the deinstallation of the infrastructure (overhead lines, masts, substations) a much lower cost advantage than initially assumed. In November of the same year, the municipal utilities rejected the plans; new trolleybuses should be purchased at the turn of the millennium with the help of state subsidies.
In 1999 the Obus-Museum Solingen was founded as a voluntary association for the repair and maintenance of historical trolleybuses.
In connection with the transition to the fourth generation of vehicles, the MAN articulated wagons were gradually shut down at the beginning of the new millennium, with wagon 20 ending on June 18, 2003. Many solo wagons also went out of service. Only 15 vehicles of this type remained and until autumn 2009 mainly served route 683 on the route from Wuppertal-Vohwinkel to Burg. Car 32 went to the German Museum in Munich in 2006 and has been on display in the traffic center ever since .
Most of the decommissioned trolleybuses of the types SG 200 HO and SL 172 HO were handed over to the Sarajevo trolleybus . Some of them are still in use there today. Most recently, in November 2015, the 13 SL 172 HO vehicles that had been parked in Solingen for many years were transported to Mariupol in the Ukraine . After a technical and optical refurbishment, the trolleybuses are still in use today. The two museum carriages 5 and 42 are excluded from this. They belong to the Solingen trolleybus museum, but are occasionally used in scheduled public services by the municipal utilities. This is primarily intended to avoid damage to the stand .
Car 5 has not been used in traffic since 2010 and has to be reconditioned after various damage to the stand has been removed; it is dismantled in the trolleybus museum. Car 42 is used almost every day in the morning school traffic on line 681.
Fourth generation (since 2001)
With the introduction of the fourth generation of vehicles, the switch to modern low-floor technology went hand in hand. In addition, since 2009 only articulated vehicles have been operating.
Delivery of the first of a total of 15 Berkhof articulated wagons began in 2001, and the first of a total of 20 Van Hool articulated wagons followed a year later. Both vehicle types came from joint orders with other trolleybus operators in Germany , Austria and the Netherlands .
In December 2009, the Stadtwerke finally replaced the last remaining high-floor MAN solo wagons with Swisstrolley 3 articulated wagons from Carrosserie Hess. In this context, on November 16, 2009, line 683 was extended to the new terminus at Burger Bahnhof , which was previously called Burgtalstrasse. As a special feature, however, no new overhead lines have been installed; rather, the trolleybuses that run there have been using their auxiliary drive in regular passenger service for the first time on a distance of around one kilometer . With this, a driving speed of 50 km / h can be achieved even in diesel engine operation. Two new stations were added with the Haus Sonne and Burger Bahnhof stops. Wiring is done at the Burg Seilbahn stop , and this process takes place automatically. The Unterburg turntable has not been needed since then, but is still operational for special trips and is to be permanently preserved as a museum. The extension of line 683 to the Burger Bahnhof significantly increased the attractiveness of the line. A new junction was created there with the bus routes in the direction of Remscheid ( Remscheid transport company ) and Wermelskirchen ( Cologne regional transport ).
However, in the course of the third generation change, the number of trolleybuses was reduced from 67 to 50. This resulted in an increased use of diesel buses on trolleybus routes.
Fourth generation articulated trolley : Berkhof Premier AT 18
Van Hool articulated trolleybus, in service since 2002
A Hess Swistrolley that has been in service since 2009
Extension to Wuppertal-Vohwinkel train station (2014)
Since August 4, 2014, the trolleybuses on line 683 have been using an almost 350-meter-long extension to Wuppertal-Vohwinkel station after their previous terminus on the suspension railway . This is also done using an auxiliary drive. Electrification failed because of the low height of the railway underpass at the train station, where an expensive lowering of the carriageway would have been necessary.
The connection to this local rail transport station had been planned since 1983, but failed for many years due to the initially necessary redesign of the forecourt. The Vohwinkel train station was formerly owned by Deutsche Bahn AG and is a listed building . Another problem would have been the high costs for a reversing loop for the trolleybuses: 160,000 euros were estimated in the planning phase. Originally, Deutsche Bahn wanted to sell the square to the city of Wuppertal, but later ceded it free of charge.
The station forecourt redesigned at the beginning of 2014
Trolleybus with removed pantographs at Vohwinkel train station
Battery trolley buses (since 2018)
The municipal utilities have been testing four so-called battery overhead line buses (BOB) from Solaris and Kiepe Electric on the existing network since June 2018 . The vehicles basically offer the potential to convert lines previously operated by diesel buses to fully electric operation. This is made possible by the new type of vehicle, which has both a battery and a pantograph installed so that the battery can be charged while driving on routes with the overhead line, but can also be driven away from the overhead line.
The first of these vehicles was delivered to Solingen on January 12, 2018, the second on March 22, 2018. A third and fourth vehicle followed by the beginning of April 2018. The maiden voyage with passengers took place on June 16, 2018. A notification of approval for 32 additional vehicles was handed over by the funding agency in February 2019, after which 16 vehicles have already been ordered from the Polish manufacturer. The vehicles should u. a. also replace the Berkhof vehicles from 2001.
Since the completion of the necessary preparatory work, the four BOBs have been traveling on the 14.3-kilometer-long line 695 from Abteiweg in Gräfrath to Meigen , which has previously been operated by diesel buses and has an overhead line for just 2.8 kilometers. For the remaining twelve kilometers, the two traction motors are fed with electricity from the liquid-cooled battery. It is planned that at least four trolleybuses in Solingen will run with the new technology by 2022. A start of the project originally planned for 2018 had to be postponed, for example due to technical problems and because stops still had to be rebuilt. The use of BOB vehicles on line 695 was expected to start in the second half of 2019.
Electrical operation of line 695 finally started on November 1, 2019.
The BOB on the premises of the Solingen municipal utility
Control units and battery
Central control for switching on and off
Selection of the operating mode, 600 V = overhead line
Driver's cockpit
Display of consumption under full load
Central unit for image storage (60 hours) above the driver
vehicles
| Numbers | piece | Manufacturer | Electrics | Type | Art | Low floor | Period of use / comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First generation (79 cars) |
1-62 | 62 | Uerdingen / Henschel | Kiepe / BBC | ÜHIIIs | solo | No | June 19, 1952 to December 27, 1974, with the exception of museum car 59 |
| 63 | 1 | Uerdingen / Henschel | BBC | ÜHIIIs | solo | No | Built in 1954 for the Bochum trolleybus , taken over as used in 1959 | |
| 64-69 | 6th | Henschel | Box | HS 160 OSL | solo | No | 1960 to July 15, 1971 | |
| 70-75 | 6th | Henschel | Box | HS 160 OSL-G | joint | No | 1960 to July 15, 1971 | |
| 01-04 | 4th | Uerdingen / Henschel | SSW | ÜHIIIs | solo | No | Built in 1953 for the Minden trolleybus , taken over as used in 1965 | |
| Second generation (80 cars) |
1-14 | 14th | Self-made SWS | Box | TS 1 | solo | Yes | from March 13, 1968 |
| 15-45 | 31 | Self-made SWS | Box | TS 2 | solo | No | from 1970 | |
| 46-80 | 35 | Self-made SWS | Box | TS 3 | solo | No | From 1972 to July 7, 1988, Car 68 returned from Mendoza in Argentina in September 2014 and is being refurbished into a museum car. | |
| Prototypes and demonstration cars | 55 | 1 | FBW | BBC Sécheron | 91 GTL | joint | No | 1976, trolleybus from Bern . This car has been a donation in the trolleybus museum's collection since 2004. |
| 81 | 1 | MAN | Box | SG 200 TH | joint | No | 1979 to 1983, then back to MAN, prototype | |
| 82 | 1 | Daimler Benz | BBC Sécheron | O 305 GT | joint | No | 1982, prototype, in the same year for the Kaiserslautern trolleybus | |
| 83 | 1 | Van Hool | Box | AG 280 T | joint | No | March to August 1985, prototype, in the same year for the Ghent trolleybus | |
| Third generation (68 cars) |
1-6, 7 I , 7 II , 8-21 | 22nd | MAN | Box | SG 200 HO | joint | No | February 15, 1984 to June 18, 2003, excluding museum car 5 |
| 22-67 | 46 | MAN | Box | SL 172 HO | solo | No | April 7, 1986 to November 15, 2009, except for museum car 42 | |
| Fourth generation (50 cars) |
171-185 | 15th | Berkhof | Alstom / Traxis | Premier AT 18 | joint | Yes | since June 10, 2001 |
| 251-270 | 20th | Van Hool | Box | AG 300 T | joint | Yes | since September 25, 2002 | |
| 951-965 | 15th | Bodywork Hess | Vossloh Kiepe | Swis trolley 3 | joint | Yes | since January 26, 2009 | |
| Generation BOB (4 cars) | 861-864 | 4th | Solaris Bus & Coach | Kiepe Electric | Trollino 18 | joint | Yes | all have approval SG-SW-1861, SG-SW-1862, SG-SW-1863, SG-SW-1864 |
Not shown in the table are the nine trolleybus trailers from the Peter Bauer vehicle factory in Cologne . They were used between 1952 and 1962 during rush hour on lines 1 and 2; none of them survived. In addition, a MAN NGE 152 from Eberswalde was used on a trial basis in the 1990s . The Kiepe company from nearby Düsseldorf also tested various trolleybuses in the Solingen network that were intended for other companies.
The former Solingen ÜHIIIs number 40 as museum car 123 for the Salzburg trolleybus
Prototype 83 in Gent, still with Solingen company number
See also
literature
- Christian Walther: 50 years trolleybus in Solingen . EK, Freiburg im Breisgau 2002, ISBN 3-88255-842-3 .
- Ludger Kenning, Mattis Schindler (Hrsg.): Trolleybuses in Germany . Volume 2: North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse. Kenning, Nordhorn 2011, ISBN 978-3-933613-31-8 .
- Felix Förster: Future thanks to duo solutions. Trolleybuses in Germany today and in the future. In: Straßenbahn Magazin 03/2019, GeraMond, pp. 28–31.
Web links
- http://www.sobus.net Website of the public utility company
- http://www.obus-online.com Private website for the Solingen trolleybus
- http://www.obus-solingen.de Private website for the trolleybus in Solingen
- http://www.obus-museum-solingen.de Association for the preservation of historical trolleybuses
Individual evidence
- ↑ Obus history www.sobus.net
- ↑ Numbers, data, facts on www.sobus.net
- ↑ The trolleybus in Solingen - brief review
- ↑ http://obus.info/obus/solingen/index.htm Trolleybus Solingen: April 8, 2016 Eleven of the thirteen MAN solo trolleybuses brought to Ukraine are now in service in Mariupol.
- ^ ST series "We in Graefrath": Line extension fails
- ↑ Bus route 683: New hope for an extension
- ↑ Diploma thesis by Reiner Nießen: "Public transport link area Wuppertal Vohwinkel", University of Wuppertal 1983
- ↑ "BOB" goes on maiden voyage with ST readers - accessed on June 18, 2018
- ↑ Solingen receives notification of approval for 32 new BOBs. Solingenmagazin , March 1, 2019, accessed on July 14, 2019 .
- ↑ Battery trolleybus "BOB" goes on tour in April. Solinger Tageblatt , March 9, 2018, accessed on March 20, 2018 .
- ^ BOB Solingen. Sustainability project - regional network points for sustainability , accessed on July 14, 2019 .
- ↑ Test phase for battery trolleybuses starts later. Solinger Morgenpost , October 19, 2018, accessed on July 14, 2019 .
- ↑ Martin Oberpriller: BOB starts its hot test phase in autumn. In: RP Online. June 14, 2019, accessed August 4, 2019 .
- ↑ Andreas Tews: BOBs have taken over line 695 in Solingen. In: Solinger Tageblatt. November 1, 2019, accessed November 14, 2019 .
- ↑ Vehicle information on the Orion person tag “06” ( Memento of the original from September 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
