16. Krasnaya Ploschad - Ploschad Leninskogo Komsomola
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There exist quite a few photos from route 16's last years
(it was shut down in 1977): Indeed, the first Kiev tram line
was destined to attract attention of fans and professionals alike.
Our journey begins at the stub terminus at its upper end,
Ploschad Leninskogo Komsomola (Evropeyskaya).
Note the abundance of 9Tr trolleybuses in various liveries
on Kreschatik, in the background!
Not a single trolleybus route runs there anymore
- and the catenary is gone, too.
[Alexander Shanin collection]
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At the same stub, against the background of Vladimirskaya Gorka
(Vladimir Hill).
[G.A. Schacher, 1976]
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A general view, in the same direction.
The building to the left is the former Europe Hotel,
later to be demolished to make room for the Lenin Museum. Visible above the
jeep-like car is the inscription (which, too, no longer exists)
Volodymyrska Girka at the entrance to the park by same name.
[Hans Oerlemans/Alexander Shanin collection, 05.1970]
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The same car, 2018, in the new livery,
at the same spot: a view from a different direction,
with the modern Dnepr hotel in the background.
[Sergey Pirkovsky; Alexander Shanin collection]
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Against the Kiev Philharmonic Society building,
which neighbored the stub terminus.
Car 2023 is about to begin its descent into Podol.
[Anatoliy Vilkovich, 1977?]
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The upper part of the line, not a hundred metres away
from the terminus: 2024 is at the end its run from Podol.
Visible above the right track is a tram traffic light,
whose purpose was to keep the proper distance between cars
during descent. If the previous car was too close,
red light would be on.
[Aare Olander collection, 1977]
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At the beginning of the descent, the line turns right
(looking from above). The already-encountered 2023
is going up; the Dnepr hotel is in the background.
[Anatoliy Vilkovich, 1977?]
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Further down, there is a slight left turn,
being passed by car 2019 in this picture.
[Kiev Electric Transportation Museum]
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At the same approximate location, viewed from a different direction.
[Anatoliy Vilkovich, 1977?]
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At the time, it was not too hard to capture
two cars in the same picture, for service was quite frequent.
"Colleagues" 2018 and 2019 meet somewhat below the middle
of the descent.
[Hans Oerlemans collection, 1970]
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A little bit further down; in the background on the left,
one sees Pochtovaya Ploschad (Postal Square) and an inbound
car, about to turn left for the upward run.
[Anatoliy Vilkovich, 1977?]
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An upward view, not far from Pochtovaya Ploschad
(behind us and to the right is the lower station
of the funiculaire).
Car 2010 and the lone representative of personal
transportation on the street, a Zhiguli (known
as Lada to the Western consumer) of one of the first makes.
[Anatoliy Vilkovich, 1977?]
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Same car, going down twenty metres or so lower;
this time, a Moskvich 412 instead of the Zhiguli.
All the mud in the foreground must have remained
from the recently completed subway construction.
[Anatoliy Vilkovich, 1977?]
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Here at Pochtovaya Ploschad the line used to continue
straight ahead along Aleksandrovskaya (Sagajdachnogo) Street,
up to Krasnaya (Kontraktovaya) Ploschad.
However, when open-cut subway construction began here
in the 1970's, the line was relocated to Bratskaya.
That is how a righ turn, across the square, came into existence.
[Kiev Electric Transportation Museum]
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The same cars, 2025 and 2023, a few seconds later.
Behind them is the Brodsky mill building,
to the left - the subsequently demolished houses
at the corner of the square and Aleksandrovskaya St.
[Kiev Electric Transportation Museum]
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The stretch along Aleksandrovskaya,
from Pochtovaya Ploschad to Kontraktovaya Ploschad,
which does not exist any longer.
Meeting with car 2022 is a two-car Tatra set
headed by 5181, from one of the trans-Dnieper routes.
[Hans Oerlemans collection, 1970]
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The ride concludes here at the Krasnaya Ploschad loop.
If the plans of the current city bosses come true,
the future will see the demise of route 31,
whose company is enjoyed by our character here,
as well of this whole loop.
Don't let that happen!..
[Wolfgang Schreiner, 08.1973]
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