In Memory of Kiev Trams + Photo Gallery of Trams and Trolleybuses:: Photo Galleries:: Trams:: Pullman — the first four-axle car in Kiev

PULLMAN — THE FIRST FOUR-AXLE CAR IN KIEV

Part 1 (1001–1030)

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The beginning of the second decade of Kiev tram was marked with the advent of new four-axle cars, so-called "Pullmans". In 1902, first two cars from the Nuremberg plant arrived and were numbered 1001 and 1002. That was the beginning of a numbering tradition which would be broken only in our times with the coming of the T6's: Two-axle cars were given no more than three-digit numbers, four-axle ones — four-digit. The two newcomers turned out to all but unusable in Kiev: in particular, they could not negotiate the curves of small radius. A new batch came only five years later and turned out to be much better in every respect. From the on, systematic deliveries began. Kiev received twenty cars in each of the years 1907, 1909, and 1911; all of those were produced at the same Nuremberg plant. Seven more, plus another seven from a Belgian factory, came in 1913; thus, at the beginning of World War I there were 76 four-axle cars in the city. Nine more, 1077–1085, were manufactued at the Dabal factory in 1932–1933.

The Pullmans ran quite successfully even after World War II. When at the end of '50s it was decided to radically modernize the rolling stock, it turned out that the metallic frames of many cars are in quite a good shape. About twenty were rebuilt at KZET into KTV-55-2 cars ("push-pulls"). Some of those, in turn, were converted into wreck cars after being withdrawn from passenger service. Two such cars are still alive: AV-2 (ex-2014, ex-1085, built in 1933) and AV-6 (ex-2011, ex-1032, built in 1909). Thus, with some stretching, it can be claimed that an almost century-old Pullman is still alive today! Which should be a surprise to no one: A good tramcar, handled properly, is all but an eternal thing...

10031003, the first serial Pullman in Kiev, at the Nuremberg plant, waiting to be delivered.
[Kiev Electric Transportation Museum, 1907]
1008A car on route 4, which ran from the downtown area to the Cable Factory back then. The photo spot is the corner of today's Melnikova and Yakira; the photographer stands near the house which is now Melnikova, 22, and looks south; in the background is the present-day Melnikova, 75.
[USSR Photo Archive, Krasnogorsk, 1930]
1021At the corner of Vladimirskaya and Yaroslavov Val. The Pullman proceeds towards Sofievskaya Ploschad along route 1, which at the time ran from Ploschad Tolstogo, and meets an MTV-82 on route 2, which is about to turn right into Yaroslavov Val and go to the railway station via Lvovskaya Ploschad.
[Aare Olander collection, 1950's]
1023A unique shot by a German war correspondent captured a powerless car on Bulvar Shevchenko, in the block between Ploschad Pobedy and Vozduhoflotsky Most (nowadays this is a part of Prospekt Pobedy). The photo was first published in a book Babi Yar: People, Power, History, vol. 1, Kiev, 2004 (in Russian).
[Johannes Hähle, 01.10.1941]
1023The same car eighteen years later. The "push-pulls", rebuilt from the Pullmans, will look very similarly. This car, however, has not been renamed or renumbered. The spot, the northern Kontraktovaya Pl. terminus, looks almost the same today.
[Raymond De Groote, Jr., 12.07.1959]
1024At the Paton Bridge, with a lonely Pobeda car. No long comments are necessary. Those who care remember well why the tram line was destroyed here and what was the result...
[State Photo Archive of Ukraine, 12.1954]
1026At the Vokzal (railway station) loop, between a Kh+M train and an MTV-82 car. Trolleybuses do run here today, but trams don't since 1996.
[J. Slezak, 14.08.1958]
1028On route 28, two years after it first crossed the Paton bridge. The street is all but empty, the new houses of the late-Stalin era are awaiting their inhabitants... Quite recently they got rid of the tram line here as well.
[State Photo Archive of Ukraine, 08.1956]
1029The terminus of route 1, which ran along Kreschatik at the time. In the background one sees the European Hotel building, the square's present-day namesake, the Vladimir Hill, the building of the philharmonic society — and more Pullmans. Our car carries an ideologically sound inscription, right where the route table is supposed to be: "Workers' socialist competition workers is a guarantee of the practical fulfillment of the decisions of the 16th [Communist] party conference".
[USSR Photo Archive, Krasnogorsk, 1929]

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© Stefan Mashkevich, Aare Olander, and authors of photos, 2006–2007
Any usage of materials found herein requires explicit permission from copyright holders.
Last updated 30 August 2006