In Memory of Kiev Trams. Photo galleries:: Kiev Cars:: KTV-55-2

KTV-55-2 — THE PUSH-PULL OF KIEV

Youth (1955-1969)
Routes 1, 6, 8, 16

[ Youth 1, 2 | Maturity 3, 4, 5 | Decline 6, 7, 8, 9 ] [ Kiev Cars ]

The KTV-55-2, popularly nicknamed Tyani-Tolkay, or Push-Pull, was a double-ended version of the KTV-55, manufactured at the same Dzherzhinsky Electric Transportation Plant in Kiev. They were assigned numbers in the 20xx series.

1. Ploschad Bogdana Khmelnitskogo - Ploschad Tolstogo; Ploschad Bogdana Khmelnitskogo - Universitet

The old route 1, a remnant of the city's once main tram route which used to run along Kreschatik, later Vladimirskaya, and Krasnoarmeyskaya down to Lybed, had just barely got a chance to see a handful of the new Kiev cars serve it. Pictured here is car 2002, the second one to leave the works, Ploschad Tolstogo bound at Vladimirskaya and Bulvar Shevchenko.
[Archive of Photographic Documents of Ukraine, 1956]

In 1956 the stretch from Universitet to Ploschad Tolstogo was shut down, and the route officially ceased to exist. In fact, though, it did carry on, with interruptions, in a shortened version to Universitet. That went on until 1959 when the whole Vladimirskaya line was abandoned. Pictured here is a car on route 1 at the Ploschad Bogdana Khmelnitskogo terminus, several months before the end,
[Raymond De Groote Jr., 11.07.1959]

6. Vokzal - Svyatoshino

Although, naturally, the main function of the cars was to serve routes with stub termini, they were almost immediately tried at ordinary routes, with loops at both ends, as well. Here is car 2021 at Zhilyanskaya, Vokzal-bound on route 6 from Svyatoshino.
[Wolfgang Schreiner, 10.1959]

A few seconds later, the same car is about to turn right into Kominterna St. for a descent towards Vokzal (railway station). Visible in the background are an MTV-82 and a look-alike MTB-82 trolleybus.
[Wolfgang Schreiner, 10.1959]

8. Universitet - Zheleznodorozhnyj Massiv

Route 8 was cut back to the Universitet stub terminus in 1959, as a result of the above-mentioned Vladimirskaya closure. That was when the "push-pulls" came to serve it. For some period of time they, as well as MTVs before them, used to run in pairs: The passenger flow was too big for single cars to handle, but trailers could not be used because of steep hills. Car 2016 with its "partner" is seen here at the above-mentioned terminus.
[Wolfgang Schreiner, 06.1961]

Same place, view from the other direction; here as well one sees a second car, which was not physically coupled to the first one but ran paired with it (and cleared the passing tracks on the single-track alignment together with it!).
[Wolfgang Schreiner, 06.1961]

One more pair at the same terminus; a color photo let us see the livery, the standard one at that time (red-and-yellow was apparently more rare).
[Wolfgang Schreiner, 1963?]

16. Krasnaya Ploschad - Ploschad Leninskogo Komsomola

Route 16, which after being cut back in 1962 became identical to the very first tram route in Kiev's history, employed the KTV-55-2 during fifteen years. Its Podol end was the south side of the Krasnaya (Kontraktovaya) Ploschad terminal.
[Wolfgang Schreiner, 1963?]

A stub terminus was constructed at Ploschad Leninskogo Komsomola (Evropeyskaya), where the double-ended cars changed direction. In this picture one sees cars 2011 at the stub and 2018 waiting for its turn.
[Hans Oerlemans collection, 21.06.1963?]

Same place, 2003 at the stub and 2013 on approach.
[Wolfgang Schreiner, 1963?]

The same stub again; in the background is the former Evropeyskaya hotel building, which later gave way to the V.I. Lenin museum.
[Wolfgang Schreiner, 1963?]

The frequency of service can be appreciated by looking at this picture, with as many as three cars in place! In the foreground is 2006, followed by 2016 and 2011.
[Wolfgang Schreiner, 1963?]

The same place, cars 2019 and 2011, viewed from the opposite direction (to the right, stretching away from the viewer is the upper part of Aleksandrovskaya St., nowadays Grushevskogo).
[P.H. Kiers, 28.07.1964]

At the same spot again, with the Philharmonic Society building in the background. The car is about to begin its descent towards Podol.
[Kiev Electric Transportation Museum]

[In Memory of Kiev Trams | Photo Gallery of Trams and Trolleybuses]

© Stefan Mashkevich, Aare Olander, 2003
Any usage of materials found herein requires explicit consent of the author and/or copyright holders as specified.
Last modified 19 October 2003

1. Ploschad Bogdana Khmelnitskogo - Ploschad Tolstogo; Ploschad Bogdana Khmelnitskogo - Universitet
	The old route 1, a remnant of the city's once main tram route which used to run along Kreschatik, later Vladimirskaya, and Krasnoarmeyskaya down to Lybed, had just barely got a chance to see a handful of the new Kiev cars serve it. Pictured here is car 2002, the second one to leave the works, Ploschad Tolstogo bound at Vladimirskaya and Bulvar Shevchenko. [Archive of Photographic Documents of Ukraine, 1956]
	In 1956 the stretch from Universitet to Ploschad Tolstogo was shut down, and the route officially ceased to exist. In fact, though, it did carry on, with interruptions, in a shortened version to Universitet. That went on until 1959 when the whole Vladimirskaya line was abandoned. Pictured here is a car on route 1 at the Ploschad Bogdana Khmelnitskogo terminus, several months before the end, [Raymond De Groote Jr., 11.07.1959]
6. Vokzal - Svyatoshino
	Although, naturally, the main function of the cars was to serve routes with stub termini, they were almost immediately tried at ordinary routes, with loops at both ends, as well. Here is car 2021 at Zhilyanskaya, Vokzal-bound on route 6 from Svyatoshino. [Wolfgang Schreiner, 10.1959]
	A few seconds later, the same car is about to turn right into Kominterna St. for a descent towards Vokzal (railway station). Visible in the background are an MTV-82 and a look-alike MTB-82 trolleybus. [Wolfgang Schreiner, 10.1959]
8. Universitet - Zheleznodorozhnyj Massiv
	Route 8 was cut back to the Universitet stub terminus in 1959, as a result of the above-mentioned Vladimirskaya closure. That was when the "push-pulls" came to serve it. For some period of time they, as well as MTVs before them, used to run in pairs: The passenger flow was too big for single cars to handle, but trailers could not be used because of steep hills. Car 2016 with its "partner" is seen here at the above-mentioned terminus. [Wolfgang Schreiner, 06.1961]
	Same place, view from the other direction; here as well one sees a second car, which was not physically coupled to the first one but ran paired with it (and cleared the passing tracks on the single-track alignment together with it!). [Wolfgang Schreiner, 06.1961]
	One more pair at the same terminus; a color photo let us see the livery, the standard one at that time (red-and-yellow was apparently more rare). [Wolfgang Schreiner, 1963?]
16. Krasnaya Ploschad - Ploschad Leninskogo Komsomola
	Route 16, which after being cut back in 1962 became identical to the very first tram route in Kiev's history, employed the KTV-55-2 during fifteen years. Its Podol end was the south side of the Krasnaya (Kontraktovaya) Ploschad terminal. [Wolfgang Schreiner, 1963?]
	A stub terminus was constructed at Ploschad Leninskogo Komsomola (Evropeyskaya), where the double-ended cars changed direction. In this picture one sees cars 2011 at the stub and 2018 waiting for its turn. [Hans Oerlemans collection, 21.06.1963?]
	Same place, 2003 at the stub and 2013 on approach. [Wolfgang Schreiner, 1963?]
	The same stub again; in the background is the former Evropeyskaya hotel building, which later gave way to the V.I. Lenin museum. [Wolfgang Schreiner, 1963?]
	The frequency of service can be appreciated by looking at this picture, with as many as three cars in place! In the foreground is 2006, followed by 2016 and 2011. [Wolfgang Schreiner, 1963?]
	The same place, cars 2019 and 2011, viewed from the opposite direction (to the right, stretching away from the viewer is the upper part of Aleksandrovskaya St., nowadays Grushevskogo). [P.H. Kiers, 28.07.1964]
	At the same spot again, with the Philharmonic Society building in the background. The car is about to begin its descent towards Podol. [Kiev Electric Transportation Museum]