Transit in Slovakia

[T3G]

Recently, I went on a family vacation to Slovakia for 3 weeks. I visited their capital, Bratislava, several times, and took a large amount of photos of as much equipment as I could. I want to share these photos with you guys now.

Transit fanning in Bratislava is a very unique experience, unmatched by any other city I've been to. There's a lot of variety in the fleet, and even within one particular class of bus - some will have different paint jobs, some have driver's A/C units while others don't, and so on and so forth. I will be returning in September this year, when they will be doing their annual tour of the Jurajov dvor tram/bus depot. This year will also be the 120th anniversary of the transit company, so they may do something else as well, if what happened in 2005 (when I was still living there) was any indication. But we'll see. Enough of my rambling, here are my photos! Hope you enjoy. This will be a multiple part series, so stay tuned.

Part 1:

Our flight arrived in Vienna on the 4th and we made our way over into Bratislava. I was greeted almost immediately upon arrival by Skoda 14 TrM #6293, waiting outside the main bus station to begin a service on route 206. 6293 was one of the 12 older 14 Tr trolleys (pictured later) that was refurbished from 2005-2009; the refurbishment was a new body and electronics, while reusing some components from the former 6293. In some ways, it is a brand new bus. 6293 was the second one refurbished, in 2005, and from what I've heard these buses are not long for this world because they've had virtually no larger scale maintenance (overhauls/refurbishments) done on them since they hit the streets. 6293, being one of the oldest, will probably be one of the first to go.

DPB 6293 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I had heard that some older trolleybuses were parked in the Krasnany division after being pulled from service in December last year. The journey to the division only takes 15 minutes by bus/trolley + tram, so I figured I'd make a quick stopover before leaving (as I was staying with my grandparents, who most unfortunately do not reside in Bratislava).

So I made for the trolleybus, and while waiting to transfer to a tram car on routes 3 or 5, I took the following photos.

DPB 7933 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7934 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Unfortunately, I was a bit pressed for time, so I rushed to take the photos of the buses in Krasnany. Not all of them came out so great, so I returned to the location a few days later, on a dedicated transit fanning trip.

DPB 6273 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6606 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6601 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6601 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

These trolleys were all built in 1990, but by no means were such old buses the only ones I could find. Disproving the age old myth that newer is better, I found...

Bratislava's only Skoda 21 Tr. This bus was built in 2004 and was the first low floor trolleybus in the country. The vehicle was notoriously unreliable and spent more time out of service than in service. 6401 hadn't been in service since 2009... it was waiting on replacement parts that were never ordered. From what I heard, it's going to be sold to the Czech city of Brno, where they have more of this type of bus.

DPB 6401 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

And no less than 3/6 Skoda 25 Tr Irisbus trolleys. These were built in 2006, and were created by putting Skoda electronics into bodies built by French manufacturer Irisbus. They came with "off-wire" capability, to run on route 33 in the borough of Karlova Ves (route 33 being isolated from the rest of the network). Well, these buses were similar to 6401. They were prone to breakdowns, especially the differentials, and waiting for replacement parts from France meant that these buses would sit out of service for months at a time. Often, it was not possible for all the runs on route 33 to be filled with the 25 Trs, which meant that they'd have to be substituted by buses, or, since November 2008, older articulated trolleys that were towed from the garage to the 33 by a towtruck. Those older trolleys now operate out of a different division, but the new SOR trolleybuses continue that tradition.

As far as I know, at the very least buses 6704 and 6706 are permanently down for the count. Not sure what's going on with 6702. As I type this, only one of the Irisbuses is in regular service - 6703 operates on rush hour runs on route 33. The others (6701, 02, 04, 05, 06) are out for breakdowns, or, in the case of the ones in Krasnany, dead storage. Quality purchase!!!!

DPB 6704 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6706 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6702 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I also saw a historic streetcar. #8133 was a driver schooling vehicle for its entire life, and after being removed from schooling service in 2009 was added to the historical collection, albeit without the papers it needs to run in service. It always used to park in this spot when it was in service, and nothing seems to have changed. Mind you, standing out there for 6 years being exposed to the elements can't have been very good for it, I wish they would move it in doors before it ends up like the PCCs at the Halton County Railway Museum.

DPB 8133 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Then I caught a tram back into the city. It was T3P unit #7795+96, which had been out of service from 2009 - February 2014 for modernization. Well, financial troubles were encountered and they couldn't buy the electronics, so she was out of service for 5 years. She was also the only modernized vehicle I got a photo of, back in 2008.

In 2008:

DPB 7795 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

In 2015:

DPB 7795 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Then I transferred to the 21, took a photo of a trolleybus waiting to leave on the 210, and that would be it until March 9.

DPB 1853 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6269 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

[T3G]

Part 2:

To get to Bratislava from my grandparents' house is a 4 and a half hour bus ride, and because the last bus leaves Bratislava at 5 PM, I had to get up early to catch a bus leaving at 6:00, arriving in Bratislava around 10:15. I wouldn't be catching the 5 PM bus that day, it would be on my second trip on March 19th.

After I got off the bus, I saw another old Skoda 14 TrM, also from 2005. Whereas 6293 looked fairly decent, 6263's rear doors were rusty and the bus looked much older than it was. It's not really visible on these photos, and the rear shot I took was ruined by the sun, so ho-hum.

DPB 2847 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6263 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I was going to go to Most SNP (Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising) in order to get a photo of an artic bus leased from the city of Banska Bystrica in 2014, so I took the 70. I was not impressed by the buses on that route (SOR NB 18 City, same type of bus as 2847), as none of them had automated announcements, despite the fact that they were built in 2010. The Mercedes-Benz CapaCitys (CapaCities??) kicking around also don't have announcements to the best of my knowledge, which I'm also not impressed by, but the Mercedes, unlike the SOR, is visually appealing, so I'm not going to count that as a point against it as much as for the SOR. Nonetheless, the fact that a 5 year old bus doesn't have stop announcements and 40 year old streetcars do is truly disgraceful.

DPB 2856 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Bus 4248 is also an NB18 City, built earlier this year. I have no clue if they have announcements or not, I never rode them.

DPB 4248 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I knew exactly when to catch 4398, because there are a number of transit fan resources available on the internet. A site I've linked to many times in the past, imhd.sk, has a system where, when a driver signs his shift onto a vehicle's onboard computer, that data is shown on a list of routes and the vehicles that have been assigned to that route. I also found some dispatcher's schedules, which shows the times of the exact departures of each run from the terminus. Thus, I found when run 91/5, with 4398 on it, would leave the terminal under the bridge (10:40), and managed to photo it.

DPB 4398 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

For the rear shot, I saw a streetcar coming in the opposite direction and I tried to get both of them in the photo, but I failed spectacularly.

DPB 4398 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 2113 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Then I went to Krasnany, to get better photos. I had to catch the #1, and then transfer to the #5.

Nice reaction from the passenger!!

DPB 7752 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7120 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7941 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7803 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7775 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

When I arrived at Krasnany, I took photos of T3G #7842 on the 5, then I made my way over to the fence and took some better photos. I also saw some SOR B 9.5 buses (3526 and 3530), nicknamed "Kinder Eggs" by transitfans, laying over between rush hours on routes 52 and 56. This is not their regular division - they operate out of Jurajov dvor, and Krasnany has not been a bus division since September 2011, it's merely a vandal-free place to store the buses so that they don't have to deadhead as far.

DPB 7842 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 3526 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 3530 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6273 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6706 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6702 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 8135 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6607 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Bus 6607 is part of the historical collection.

Once done at Krasnany, I went downtown for some refreshments, before visiting a second division (Jurajov dvor). While leaving the shop, I saw Skoda 14 Tr #6297, which is the only old style trolleybus with a single piece windshield (compare it to 6607).

DPB 6297 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7814 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Soon, I found myself near Jurajov dvor. Among other things, I photographed a bus schedule with a drawing of a teddy bear on it

DPB Magnetova bus stop - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I had looked at Jurajov dvor on Google Streetview and saw that it had a stone fence on the edge of its property (Google Streetview link - yard is on the south side of the street, so I was worried about how I would get photos over it, but when I got there I found that that had been replaced with some simple bars, which made for much easier photo taking. First I saw some dead Karosas... 1625 I found noteworthy, as it hadn't been in service since December 2013, but was not officially retired yet... (it is now though)

DPB 1607 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 1611 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 1625 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

There were also some dead trolley buses, and some active Karosas... I saw #1628, which was one of the two particular units I wanted photos of (1628 because in the summer of 2013, its rear section was replaced with that from Karosa #2627).

DPB 6232 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 1628 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6281 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6619 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 1618 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I have no clue how many photos I can put in a post on this site, but to avoid reaching the limit (and to avoid killing slow computers), I'll stop here, and put up the rest of the photos from March 9 later.

[Detroit Diesel 6V92TA]

I like the old Skodas and what looks to be T6A5 Trams. Great photos.

[TheAverageJoe]

Thanks for sharing nice to see eastern Europe

[T3G]

Thanks, I'm glad you guys liked them!

@Detroit Diesel: Yes, those are T6A5 trams. The T6A5's numbering range is 7901-7958. Those are my second favorite trams, after the T3Gs. Sometimes, anyway. I go back and forth.

Here's the rest of March 9.

Outside the Jurajov dvor division, there is a bus loop where route 57 (a tiny route serving a tiny locale that is mostly made of gardens - kind of like community gardening, except each garden is owned by one person only.) The 57 is always assigned a SOR BN 9.5. As I walked by this loop heading towards the tram stop, I photoed bus #3542 waiting, as well as a Karosa leaving the division to begin service in the afternoon rush.

DPB 3542 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 1639 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

My ride back to the city was T3SUCS #7749, which wears an advertisement wrap for the food company Podravka. This is the second version of the wrap, that is has worn since May 2011. Before then, it wore the same colors, just with different images on it. The car has been wrapped since December 2004.

DPB 7749 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7750 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Then I saw a Tatra T3G operating on route 4. This was significant because, growing up, the Tatra T3Gs were based out of Krasnany division, and they operated on routes 5, 9 and 11 (all of these routes were classic Krasnany routes. I don't know if Jurajov dvor put any of its cars on the 9 back in the day, but I don't remember them doing so. Later on, for the longest time, Krasnany put no streetcars on the 9, and it only started again in January 2014, but it's shared. The 11 no longer exists and even the 5 now has one streetcar on it from Jurajov dvor (all of the runs on weekends)*, so none of these are truly classic Krasnany routes anymore.)

In September 2012, the T3Gs moved to Jurajov dvor division, and I wanted to get a photo of them on route 4, which was, and still is, a classic Jurajov dvor route. I ran into #7835-7836 twice back in 2013 on the 4 but both times failed to get a really good photo. Fortunately, third time was lucky, and just in time, because they're supposed to move back to Krasnany (which is where the T6A5s operate out of) when enough of the new streetcars come only.

* The photo of #7842, and, in a future post, 7843+7844 operating on route 5 is on the sole weekday Jurajov dvor run on that route.

DPB 7835 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7835 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7836 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I took a brief stroll through the city center and then went over to the SNP bridge again, as it was time for rush hours and rush hour is when all the interesting buses come out of the woodwork. I was interested in photographing an Ikarus 435 artic (which, I, again, knew when it would be departing from under the bridge - the time escapes me now, though.) While I waited, I photographed a TEDOM C12 G, a new Solaris midibus (2002) and a Karosa on route 88.

DPB 2113 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 2002 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 2642 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

The Ikarus I was looking for can be seen in the background of the photos of 2002 and 2642. It was 4824, which was the oldest Ikarus, and one of two with the old style windows (rounded instead of square). It was on rush hour route 191.

DPB 4824 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 4824 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 4824 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I trolled around a while longer, hoping to run into Ikarus 415 #4117, which has, since 2009, been used exclusively as the "spare" under the bridge - if a vehicle breaks down, one of the spares from around the city is called in to take over its run until the division can procure a replacement. Unfortunately I did not run into 4117 at all on this trip - it gets around too much. Something noteworthy I saw was SOR NB 18 #4255, which had just entered service earlier that day (in transit terms, the night before) on night route N91.

DPB 1221 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 3305 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 2845 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 4255 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I then took a walk through the former Jewish quarter, which was elevated above the roadway that leads onto the SNP bridge. Many routes that cross the Danube into Petrzalka use this roadway, so I had a pretty good vantage point... albeit the sun angle caused the fleet numbers on an Ikarus 435 I saw to not be visible (gold text on white... sigh).

DPB 1832 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Behind 1832, you can see a bridge. That bridge carries streetcars from the tunnel underneath the Bratislava Castle into the city center (an alternate path takes some routes underneath the SNP bridge). I stood here for a bit, photoing a few streetcars.

DPB 7134 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7134 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Then I caught a #5 streetcar to Kollarovo namestie (Kollarovo Square), where more streetcar routes pass, and some trolleys as well.

DPB 7943 interior by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 1051 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6625 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7935 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7765 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7904 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7129 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6634 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6011 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6278 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Kollarovo namestie is interesting - the northbound lanes and the southbound lanes are separated by a small park, which means that when streetcars are crossing it, they could have a green going over the northbound lanes, but have to stop for a red before the southbound ones. As this was occuring, I noted the run board in one of the streetcars that said a number, I believe it was 12 or 13. I remembered a streetcar I was in search of (a T3M, 7729+7726) was on run 15, so I went to a nearby streetcar stop to wait, and then took a short ride on them.

DPB 7925 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7950 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7729 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7729 - interior by t6a5iii, on Flickr

After I got off past the tunnel I saw a broken down Ikarus 435, with the square windows. I took some photos and then crossed over to the platform to catch a streetcar back into the city (which I didn't get any good photos of, because of the damned sun angle again, but it was a T6A5).

DPB 4855 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 4855 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 2002 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7831 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7793 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7111 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I took one more shot of a streetcar crossing Kollarovo namestie before going over to the trolley stop.

DPB 7913 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Once there, I caught Skoda 14 Tr #6315 on the 206, which, along with 6310 and 6311, is one of the last 3 high floor trolleybuses at Hrobonova division (for usage on night routes... the SOR trolleys don't get used, heaven only knows why. The 14 Trs can also be spares.) Most fortunately for me, however, the SOR on the 206 had broken down and they had to get 6315 to fill in for it. I took some shots after I got off at the terminal of the 206, the bus station, which was only 5 minutes away, but due to heavy traffic the journey took around 10 minutes if I'm not wrong.

DPB 6315 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I also got a side by side shot between a 14 Tr and a 14 TrM, not the last I would get during this vacation.

DPB 6283 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6315 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

And I also photographed Karosa #2642 from under the SNP bridge again.

DPB 2642 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

And that was it. I didn't go to Bratislava again until March 19th.

[T3G]

Here's part 1 of March 19th.

Upon arriving in the city, I saw another 14 TrM. This time, it was 6301, which was the last of the new builds produced, in 2009. This one will probably be around for a while, still.

DPB 6301 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Seconds later, I got another side-by-side photo with a 14 Tr. This time it was 6300, which is the only "classic" 14 Tr that has driver's cab air-conditioning (the white box on the roof).

DPB 6300 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I went to catch a trolleybus, to the same refreshments place from an above post. While I waited, I photographed Skoda 15 TrM #6621.

DPB 6621 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6621 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I caught 14 TrM #6222 on route 205, this being the second time I've run into (and riden) 6222 on this vacation. First time was on March 4, but I was in a rush so I didn't get a chance to photo.

DPB 6222 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Afterwards, I went to Kollarovo namestie, to look for more trolleybuses and streetcars.

DPB 7114 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6638 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6640 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6624 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7727 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7927 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6622 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7797 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6284 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6618 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7779 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 4001 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

There was a specific unit I was in search of. T3M #7733-7734, along with unfortunately long retired 7725 and 7730 is the only T3M unit I haven't photographed yet. I saw what run it was on and when that run would pass by Kollarovo, so I went there and waited, photographing other vehicles as I waited, including, on the run before 7733-7734, 7729-7726. 7729-7726 unit was created in 2008 after 7725 and 7730 retired; their mates were joined together.

DPB 7729 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6263 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7733 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7734 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I stuck around a while longer, and in the process photographed, among other things, Skoda 15 TrM #6632. 6632, along with 6629 and 6639, was one of 3 15 TrM buses that suffered frame breaks in the summer of 2013. It was presumed they'd be retired, but they ended up welding the frames and putting them back into service, and, as I write this post, all 3 are in service. 2013 was also a bad year for the previously pictured 6607... it was originally pulled in March 2013 due to heavy frame damage, and repairs were not originally approved due to its high age, so it was put out to pasture, but in August it came back. Then it sat out of service from August 18 - September 1 due to a damaged axle, then again from September 10 to September 22, and then AGAIN from September 23 to November 13, and then (this could make a good drinking game), from November 15 to January 1. Frankly, the fact that it survives as a historical vehicle amazes me, you'd think after all these failures they'd have thrown in the towel.

DPB 6632 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6632 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6263 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6263 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7841 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Next, I went to catch the trolleybus. I needed to get to near the Apollo bridge (Most Apollo, named after a pre-WWII refinery in the area). I boarded the previously shown 6618, and did a bit of walking, photographing some awesome Mercedes-Benz CapaCity buses.

DPB 4931 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 4908 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I waited for the bus I needed, photographing an Irisbus Citelis 12M (2343) and a Karosa B 741 (1601). 1601 was the first of the CNG rebuilds, which lasted from 2001-2008, that was given to Trnavka. It is not the oldest rebuild, buses 2601-2630 all predated it and were given to Jurajov dvor. They all operate from Jurajov dvor since September 2011, though.

DPB 2343 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 1601 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

The bus I was looking for was 2607. The earliest of the CNG rebuilds (2601-2620) used to be painted in this livery, and were repainted at... some point, dunno when, into the yellow and green. At least, I thought they were repainted... maybe it was some kind of wrap, which 2607 has shed quite nicely.

DPB 2607 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 2607 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Part 2 later.

[Detroit Diesel 6V92TA]

Thanks, I'm glad you guys liked them!

@Detroit Diesel: Yes, those are T6A5 trams. The T6A5's numbering range is 7901-7958. Those are my second favorite trams, after the T3Gs. Sometimes, anyway. I go back and forth.

The Ikarus I was looking for can be seen in the background of the photos of 2002 and 2642. It was 4824, which was the oldest Ikarus, and one of two with the old style windows (rounded instead of square). It was on rush hour route 191.

DPB 4824 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 4824 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 4824 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I trolled around a while longer, hoping to run into Ikarus 415 #4117, which has, since 2009, been used exclusively as the "spare" under the bridge - if a vehicle breaks down, one of the spares from around the city is called in to take over its run until the division can procure a replacement. Unfortunately I did not run into 4117 at all on this trip - it gets around too much. Something noteworthy I saw was SOR NB 18 #4255, which had just entered service earlier that day (in transit terms, the night before) on night route N91.

I then took a walk through the former Jewish quarter, which was elevated above the roadway that leads onto the SNP bridge. Many routes that cross the Danube into Petrzalka use this roadway, so I had a pretty good vantage point... albeit the sun angle caused the fleet numbers on an Ikarus 435 I saw to not be visible (gold text on white... sigh).

After I got off past the tunnel I saw a broken down Ikarus 435, with the square windows. I took some photos and then crossed over to the platform to catch a streetcar back into the city (which I didn't get any good photos of, because of the damned sun angle again, but it was a T6A5).

DPB 4855 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 4855 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

And that was it. I didn't go to Bratislava again until March 19th.

Holy crap! I've wanted to see an Ikarus 435 for a while now (since SamTrans has the last NABI 436.10's built). Did you get any 415 shots though? Also, what engines do these have? Could you make pages for them on the wiki? (Sorry for so many questions).

Edited April 4, 2015 by Detroit Diesel 6V92TA

[T3G]

I will get around to making Wiki pages for them eventually, but given that they're a dying breed that may not be at the top of my priority list. I only photoed one 415 and it was right towards the end. As for the engines, the earliest series from 1995 has a MAN D 0826 LUH 10, Euro 1 according to imhd.sk (I don't know if that name can be shortened in any way, I don't know jack about European engines, haha) and the rest of the buses, including all the ones I photoed, have a MAN D 0826 LUH 13, Euro 2. Here's a sound clip of 4824.

[T3G]

Next...

After photographing #2607, I decided to get lunch. I walked to the bus station, a journey of a little more than 10 minutes.

DPB 6838 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6285 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6637 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6802 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

When I arrived, I found I had just missed my 210, leaving me with a 12 minute wait. I photographed more vehicles while I waited.

DPB 1206 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6284 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6284 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

My vehicle on the 210 was a Skoda 14 Tr, 6262. I was very impressed with both 6262 and 6315, for being 24 year old buses they were very clean and comfortable. They underwent an overhaul in the last few years, so that's why.

I photographed 6262 after I got off and made for a restaurant in the area.

DPB 6262 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 2211 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6268 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

After I had my lunch, I came out and was treated to a sight of 14 TrM #6304. This one was the oldest of the 14 TrM new builds and is presumably in the worst shape. As I type this, she hasn't been out since March 23... perhaps she's parked for good.

DPB 6304 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6304 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6269 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Afterwards, I decided to stand on the bridge visible in the background of the first photo of 6304. This is a pedestrian bridge and you can see vehicles on all sides of the intersection, though you have to get creative with the trolley wires in the way.

DPB 6634 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 3426 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 1851 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6283 - 05 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6272 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 1826 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Afterwards I caught a 204 trolleybus going to Bajkalska. Said street is notable because two routes that operate Karosas exclusively (74 and 75). Before I even saw any vehicles, I knew I had wasted my time, as the street was very busy. Either I could have photographed one side of the street and not the other, or stood in the middle and photograph neither. So I decided to head back, having a full day ticket on me meant that I didn't have to pay extra anyway. But before I left I did see Karosa #1630, which is the oldest active bus in the fleet and the second Karosa delivered. So I hadn't completely wasted my time after all.

DPB 1630 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 1630 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I caught Skoda 14 TrM #6293 on route 205, but got off one stop later, as there was a drunk dude on the bus and I wasn't going to deal with that. After I got off, I decided to catch a route 39 into the city.

DPB 6635 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 6626 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

On the 39, I caught a SOR NB 18 City... such a boring bus. If every NB 18 was a CapaCity instead, that would be perfectly alright.

DPB 1855 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Rush hour would be beginning soon, and there would be some more interesting vehicles that would be coming out of the woodwork then. Before that happened, I stood on a bridge near the tunnel, where I photographed some streetcars, including 7729+7726 and 7843+7844... both for the second time that day.

DPB 7120 - 05 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7843 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7844 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7955 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 4933 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7106 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7729 - 05 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7726 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 1859 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Afterwards, I went down to Hurbanovo namestie (Hurbanovo square). Here, I could see streetcars in service on routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 (almost all of the network), so there would be ample photo opportunities.

DPB 7756 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7957 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Here's the first low floor and air-conditioned streetcar in the city... she arrived in November and is currently undergoing testing. Revenue service is expected late April/early May. I am... less than thrilled about the fact that the old cars will retire.

DPB 7501 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

More photos...

DPB 7115 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7841 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7842 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7110 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7951 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7952 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7836 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

And I've reached my photo limit...

[T3G]

A bit more. I should've posted this a while ago, but I was getting an error message... God only knows why.

7719 is an interesting vehicle. It's the last (mostly) unmodified T3CS in the fleet. It was originally retired in 2007, when it carried the number 7706. It was used as a pusher in the Jurajov dvor division (pushing dead cars and the like around), numbered 707. From 2012-early 2013 she underwent a rebuild and got the number 7719, replacing a T3SU (see the above photo of 7727) of that same number, retired in 2008. 7720 was widowed and it was originally planned to join her with 7719, which did the same thing 7720 did - operated as a single unit standby vehicle. 7720 was retired due to frame corrosion, though, and 7719 was joined with 7721, which was widowed after her leader 7722 rear ended a K2S last February 2014 and retired.

DPB 7719 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7721 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I then walked south along Namestie SNP (Slovak National Uprising Square) and photoed some more units.

DPB 7908 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7134 - 04 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7944 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

Some significant units. First off is 7809, which has been wearing an ad wrap for the travel agency Azur Reizen since May 2, 2007. One long lasting ad wrap, heh.

DPB 7809 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

And here's 7839-7840, T3Gs. These cars had some ridiculously bad fortune in the year 2014.

After December 27, 2013, the next day they went out in service was January 17. At the start of February, they were involved in a rear-ender accident that put them out of commission until the end of May. They operated for only a short while before the trolley wire was damaged on June 10 - 7839-7840 hit this and it actually caused 7840's pantograph to fly clean off. They were back in action on July 6... until their pantographs were damaged AGAIN on August 1, and they didn't come back until December 18. I just had to photo them before they went away again, haha.

DPB 7839 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7840 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

I went into a nearby TESCO store to buy some food for the trip back, and after I came out I photoed a few more vehicles.

DPB 7769 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7770 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7501 - 02 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7501 - 03 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7780 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7951 - 05 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

DPB 7952 - 05 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

[Detroit Diesel 6V92TA]

Definitely liking those Skodas and T6A5's. Some of the newer buses look weird in my opinion though.

[T3G]

Well, crap, I've all but completely forgotten this thread, haha.

Definitely liking those Skodas and T6A5's. Some of the newer buses look weird in my opinion though.

Which ones in particular? Myself I think the SOR NB 18 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/100607361@N06/sets/72157635185246841) is quite odd looking, what with the 5 doors and all. I much prefer the Mercedes-Benzes, although in their defense, if it weren't for the horrible quality of the NB 18s, a bunch of older kinder eggs would never have been revived to make up for a bus shortage, and they'd have been sent for scrap. Back in April, I think the highest amount of NB 18s I've seen sidelined is around 18. Today, there are 10. At least 1 of them may be out of service for good... it's being harvested for parts after sitting out of service since September.

So a fun thing happened between when I last posted and now. And by "fun thing", I mean, "not a fun thing". I used to be able to click on the date of a photo and it would take me to a list of all photos from that date, which was how I posted my photos here. And then Flickr updated itself, and usually a site updating its interface causes nothing good. This is no exception. I have left a comment voicing my dislike for the new interface, and as naive as it sounds, I really hope they'll listen to us and let us choose which display to use, if not revert it outright.

In the meantime, does anyone know how to view your photos by date? I haven't found anything of the sort.

[T3G]

Well, I find out how to view your photos by date taken, there is an option in your photostream to sort your photos by that criteria. May be the only good thing to come out of this update.

So here's the last batch of photos, from March 23.

Some SOR BN 10.5s outside the Eurovea shopping centre.

DPB 3405 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Bus 3409 was on route 801, which is a regional route running to the Hungarian city of Rajka. They have a special bus fleet for regional routes, that only board by the front doors (everywhere else is all door boarding), and I believe 3409 was a standby that day.

DPB 3409 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Not far from Eurovea, I photographed 1056, an Iveco Urbanway 12M, on route 50.

DPB 1056 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

I decided to walk to Kollárovo námestie, where I needed a photo of one more trolleybus (which eluded me during the past two trips.) On the way, I saw T3SUCS 7779+7780... again. Not that I don't like this unit, but it would have been nice if I had seen a bunch of vehicles I didn't have photos of yet, instead of being stalked by 7779+7780, and, to a lesser extent, 7765+7766 (which I already had numerous photos of from my trip in 2013).

DPB 7779 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Upon arriving, I waited. While waiting, I photographed a bunch of other vehicles.

6260, one of the last 14 TrMs, that entered service in November 2008.

DPB 6260 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 6260 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

6636, a Skoda 15 TrM.

DPB 6636 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

4110, an Ikarus 415.

DPB 4110 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 4110 -03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

6308, a Skoda 14 Tr.

DPB 6308 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

1035, an Irisbus Citelis 12M. It is one of several that was originally delivered for exclusive use on school runs, and later allowed into regular service. The school Citelises are the last left at Trnávka, after the regular ones were moved to Petržalka (following the arrival of the Urbanways).

DPB 1035 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 1035 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

A SOR trolley. As I type this, there are 5 sidelined... vehicles that have been in service since September. I don't know if it's structural (apparently this is a thing the SOR buses suffered from) or electrical (the electrics are Skodas installed into a SOR body). I don't know what the cause is, but whatever it is, it does not make the manufacturer look good.

DPB 6818 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Here is what I was looking for. 6620, a Skoda 15 TrM. After the retirement of buses 6617 and 6619, 6620 remained as the last 15 TrM in those colors. It was originally pulled from service in January, but they reconsidered their decision and it returned to service early in February. On the first trip, I saw it several times but was never able to get a photo. On the second trip, it didn't go out at all.

DPB 6620 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 6620 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Afterwards, I stuck around for a short while longer, and saw 15 TrM #6626, and the Ikarus 415 again.

DPB 6626 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 4110 - 04 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Afterwards, I walked through the city center, and photographed some trams - T6A5/II #7937 and K2S #7107.

DPB 7937 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7107 - 04 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Back at Eurovea. I caught a SOR BN 10.5 on route 28 from underneath Most SNP.

DPB 3422 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

I had a meal before making my way back to the bus station.

I photographed a few more vehicles, including Skoda 14 Tr #6296...

DPB 6296 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Skoda 14 TrM 6283... again.

DPB 6283 - 06 by Andrew P., on Flickr

SOR NB 18 City #1842

DPB 1842 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

and 1857...

DPB 1857 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And finally, Karosa B 741 #2638. This was interesting... I took the photo and as the bus turned the corner, the driver leered angrily out of the window at me.

DPB 2638 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 2638 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 2638 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And that's it from me. Thanks for checking out my photos!

[Detroit Diesel 6V92TA]

Well, I find out how to view your photos by date taken, there is an option in your photostream to sort your photos by that criteria. May be the only good thing to come out of this update.

So here's the last batch of photos, from March 23.

6260, one of the last 14 TrMs, that entered service in November 2008.

DPB 6260 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 6260 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

6636, a Skoda 15 TrM.

DPB 6636 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

4110, an Ikarus 415.

DPB 4110 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 4110 -03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

6308, a Skoda 14 Tr.

DPB 6308 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Here is what I was looking for. 6620, a Skoda 15 TrM. After the retirement of buses 6617 and 6619, 6620 remained as the last 15 TrM in those colors. It was originally pulled from service in January, but they reconsidered their decision and it returned to service early in February. On the first trip, I saw it several times but was never able to get a photo. On the second trip, it didn't go out at all.

DPB 6620 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 6620 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Afterwards, I stuck around for a short while longer, and saw 15 TrM #6626, and the Ikarus 415 again.

DPB 6626 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 4110 - 04 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Afterwards, I walked through the city center, and photographed some trams - T6A5/II #7937 and K2S #7107.

DPB 7937 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7107 - 04 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Back at Eurovea. I caught a SOR BN 10.5 on route 28 from underneath Most SNP.

DPB 3422 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

I had a meal before making my way back to the bus station.

I photographed a few more vehicles, including Skoda 14 Tr #6296...

DPB 6296 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Skoda 14 TrM 6283... again.

DPB 6283 - 06 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And that's it from me. Thanks for checking out my photos!

Sweet! Those Skodas are cool and I finally got to see a 415!! It's like an old Slovakian version of Muni's 14TrSF's and NABI 416's.

[Millennium2002]

Don't quote the photos... =(

[webfil]

In 2008:

DPB 7795 - 01 by t6a5iii, on Flickr

A Manner tram! How sweet!

[Tomi]

Sweet! Those Skodas are cool and I finally got to see a 415!! It's like an old Slovakian version of Muni's 14TrSF's and NABI 416's.

Ikarus 415 is a precedesor of NABI 416 and 415 is for european market.

Here is comparision with other NABI model.

http://phototrans.net/14,621574,0,Ikarus_415_11_MEZ_272.html

Skoda/ETI 14Tr and Skoda 14Tr is the same type of trolleybus.

[Detroit Diesel 6V92TA]

Ikarus 415 is a precedesor of NABI 416 and 415 is for european market.

Here is comparision with other NABI model.

http://phototrans.net/14,621574,0,Ikarus_415_11_MEZ_272.html

Skoda/ETI 14Tr and Skoda 14Tr is the same type of trolleybus.

Do you know when the Ikarus 415 was first released? The 416 came here in 1989. Also, that NABI model is actually a 40-LFW instead of a 416, but it is a nice comparison.

[T3G]

A Manner tram! How sweet!

Isn't it? That was one of my favorite units when I was a kid. I'm glad I photoed it when I did, a lot of other iconic advertising liveries have come and gone without me getting photos.

Skoda/ETI 14Tr and Skoda 14Tr is the same type of trolleybus.

Well... the designs are similar. The ETI buses have a number of differences, including wheelchair lifts, North American driver cabs (on the Bratislava units, the driver has no interaction with passengers), and if I'm not mistaken different motors.

Do you know when the Ikarus 415 was first released? The 416 came here in 1989. Also, that NABI model is actually a 40-LFW instead of a 416, but it is a nice comparison.

1981 is when the first prototypes were manufactured. Bratislava didn't start getting theirs until 1997, which meant that at the time it was a proven, if dated, vehicle.

[Detroit Diesel 6V92TA]

Well... the designs are similar. The ETI buses have a number of differences, including wheelchair lifts, North American driver cabs (on the Bratislava units, the driver has no interaction with passengers), and if I'm not mistaken different motors.

1981 is when the first prototypes were manufactured. Bratislava didn't start getting theirs until 1997, which meant that at the time it was a proven, if dated, vehicle.

Yeah they look fairly different in my opinion. My 14TrSF's have Kiepe/Skoda motors, but I remember that video you sent me of your Skodas on the favorite powertrains thread and they sounded like weaker versions of mine in some ways.

Oh okay. Thanks.

[Tomi]

Isn't it? That was one of my favorite units when I was a kid. I'm glad I photoed it when I did, a lot of other iconic advertising liveries have come and gone without me getting photos.

Well... the designs are similar. The ETI buses have a number of differences, including wheelchair lifts, North American driver cabs (on the Bratislava units, the driver has no interaction with passengers), and if I'm not mistaken different motors.

1981 is when the first prototypes were manufactured. Bratislava didn't start getting theirs until 1997, which meant that at the time it was a proven, if dated, vehicle.

Ikarus 415 first prototype was on 1985:

http://phototrans.eu/14,389458,0,Ikarus_415_00_BZ_28_04.html

although prototype of 440 and 410 were built earlier:

http://phototrans.eu/14,721520,0,Ikarus_440_BCB_262.html

List of 415 versions are here:

http://phototrans.eu/09,24,0.html

There is plenty of them - even it is hard to find difference between them.

About Skoda 14Tr and 15Tr - Bodies of these trolleybus are the same - equipment differs cause demands are different for Bratislava and San Francisco.

[T3G]

In the latter half of September, I visited Slovakia again, as I knew that they would be hosting their annual doors open event at their Jurajov dvor carhouse + garage. This trip has been in the plans since August 2013.

This trip had a bit of a bittersweet element to it, as it would be a trip of lasts - it would be the last time I'd see the Ikarus 415/435 buses out in service, the last time I'd see the high floor Skoda trolleys out in service, and the last time I'd see any large amounts of the legendary Tatra T3 car in service, as most or all of the T3SU/SUCS/M cars (7719-7834) are scheduled to be phased out by the time I'll be there next (summer 2017). With a bit of luck the T3Gs will still be around, but even that is not certain as of yet. They should be, but you never know with these guys...

My first call of action was to visit the Krasnany division again, to see if anything else interesting could be photographed. My first sighting was Skoda 15 Tr #6602 out back, which was retired in November last year. Evidently, scrappage is not a priority...

DPB 6602 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

* Yes, I know scrappage isn't a word, but it totally should be

Inside the carhouse I caught a glimpse of Tatra T3G #7837+7838. This is my personal favorite streetcar in existence, anywhere, and I had hoped to photograph it in service, but it wasn't to be. This car was fresh off a large inspection, so it was out of service from March 3 to September 10. Apparently it was supposed to go out on route 9 that morning, but didn't even get sent out

DPB 7838 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

There was also an older SOR B 9.5, #3510, which has been out of service since June.

DPB 3510 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

The most significant sighting was SOR B 9.5 #3504, which had been retired earlier that month having been sitting out of service since May 19. This bus is unique because it had an all white front mask (see standard mask here). I was lucky that they hadn't begun taking apart the front mask yet. I wish the sign with the "H" wasn't blocking the shot, but what can you do? I'm lucky to have this photo at all.

DPB 3504 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Back in the world of the living, Tatra T3G #7841-7842 was enjoying route 5 back in Krasnany division. All T3Gs had been moved back from Jurajov dvor earlier that month.

DPB 7841 - 05 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7842 - 05 by Andrew P., on Flickr

When I was back in the city center, I saw Tatra T6A5/III #7951+52 on route 9.

DPB 7951 - 06 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7952 - 06 by Andrew P., on Flickr

My next port of call was across the Danube in the borough of Petržalka, where I was in search of a Mercedes-Benz CapaCity with an ad wrap...

DPB 4926 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 4926 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

These are great buses, so much better than anything else purchased for the bus fleet in the last 10 years.

After I photoed 4926, I went to go and take some truck photos. I'm not going to link them here, but here is the gallery where I have uploaded the fruits of that labour, if anyone's interested.

After the truck fanning and a lunch stop, I went back into the center for some general photography.

DPB 4925 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

A SOR NB 18 City in service on the route 84. God I hate these buses...

DPB 1851 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Route 31+39 is usually dominated by the SOR artics, but fortunately, due to an ongoing bus shortage at the division from where it's dispatched, I was treated to a rare sight, a Karosa operating on that route.

DPB 1618 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Some general photos...

DPB 7115 - 05 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7134 - 05 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7845 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7846 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 4910 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And now we come up to the new Skoda ForCity tram cars. If anyone wants to know what my opinion on that is, watch

It's far from being the ugliest tram car in the streets, but it is so bland and generic and forgettable, and everyone (that is not an exaggeration) seems to think that it is a revelation from God. Blah.

DPB 7406 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Much better!

DPB 4936 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7735 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Some T6A5s, K2Ses and T3Ms.

DPB 7921 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7110 - 05 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7917 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7729 - 06 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7933 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

More of these...

DPB 7509 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7402 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

4815, one of two surviving (to this day) Ikarus 435s in the streets of Bratislava.

DPB 4815 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

This is an interesting ad, LOL! (For anyone wondering they are advertising jewellery.)

DPB 4941 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And here is what came out on route 9 in place of 7837+7838!!!!! I have nothing against the K2S but this quite annoyed me.

DPB 7132 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7404 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Some more interesting vehicles... 7901 and 7904, the early T6A5 prototypes from 1991.

DPB 7901 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

7904 received an experimental pantograph at some point last year. 7903, its companion, retains the original one, although you can't really see it here.

DPB 7904 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

7777, the first car of the 1987 T3SUCS batch, and the car with the most interesting fleet number in Bratislava.

DPB 7777 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

7911, with a paint scheme as worn by the series 3 T6A5s. The last time an early generation T6A5 wore a livery like this was 7946-7945 back in the early 2000s, but that was painted over in 2003 in favor of an ad wrap.

DPB 7911 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

The ultimate battle, T3G vs ForCity...

DPB 7839 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

The only T3S unit in Bratislava, 7301+7302.

DPB 7301 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And the final T6A5 to join the Bratislava fleet (in 2006), 7957+7958.

DPB 7958 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

[brzyski]

Cool pictures!

I really want to go to Slovakia some day...

[T3G]

Thanks!

Go for it, Bratislava is a really cool place for transit fanning, and the country has many beautiful landmarks and countryside. Here are some more photos.

You know, the more I think about it, I wish that Bratislava got some variation of the Toronto Flexities instead of these Skoda things. I don't know if there are any that look like that that weren't heavily customized, but IMO they look so much better.

Here are some of the Skodas in service on a special route 10, serving the Jurajov dvor division, where they were hosting the much anticipated doors open event. Other cars were on the 4, which they dominate on weekends, along with the route 5...

DPB 7509 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7507 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

A K2S in service on route 9. Routes 2, 3, 8 and 9 were the only routes to see high floor cars on at the time. Now you can add the recently reinstated 1 to that.

DPB 7133 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

I rode car 7504 to the division.

DPB 7504 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

The terminus of route 10 was just outside the entrance gates to the division. Right across from the loading platform, you could see some SOR buses inside the northern (Jurajov dvor) part of the division. The complex that was being opened is really two bus divisions in one - in the south of the complex is Trnávka. This division maintains completely separate management and personnel, routes and bus fleets. Talk about gravy.

DPB 2227 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Not far from the streetcar layup areas were some Karosa B 732 work buses. These were removed from revenue service in September 2011 and were added to the work fleet - they carried around workers in the winter to clean up bus stops, usually. I later found out that by this point they were all retired from service. A pity. Hopefully at least one gets saved (ideally 1705, with the orange interior grabs), but I don't have high hopes.

DPB 2711 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 1708 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Another view from the tram division looking towards the bus division, a retired SOR B 9.5, #3507.

DPB 3507 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

A Karosa B 732, converted in 2005 to become a cabriolet, was giving rides in the complex. I would ride this later.

DPB 2999 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

There was a long line of streetcars out for display. Initially, I didn't take a lot of photos of the outside of these cars, I took them on the way back. But I went inside the cabs and tried them out. Here is K2G #7085, a one of a kind in the fleet.

DPB 7085 cab - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7085 cab - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

The large lever is power, and as far as I know the small lever is the reverser... "0" should be neutral, upwards of that is forward and downwards is backwards.

DPB 7085 cab - 06 by Andrew P., on Flickr

The next car in line was a K2S.

DPB 7119 cab - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Same features as above, but now there is a switch to turn the car on and off. I'm assuming something like this exists on the K2G as well but is elsewhere...

DPB 7119 cab - 04 by Andrew P., on Flickr

I have no idea what this is.

DPB 7119 cab - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Up next was a T3CS, one of the oldest cars in service.

DPB 7719 interior - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

The driver's workplace. I quite like it.

DPB 7719 cab - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

The onboard control unit used on many vehicles in the city. This controls many features - destination signs, announcements, the automatic changing of destination signs, and records info such as how long a vehicle dwelled at a particular stop and any other details of the ride. This is a newer style, with pictographs in place of text.

DPB 7719 - onboard computer by Andrew P., on Flickr

Unlike the modernized cars, this T3 had good old fashioned foot controls!

DPB 7719 cab - 05 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Next was a T3P. First, here is the interior of tail car #7782.

DPB 7782 interior - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7782 interior - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

The cab of lead car #7781.

DPB 7781 cab - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Interestingly, the side window had a curtain over it.

DPB 7781 cab - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And on the front bulkhead was a list of codes for the destination signs. I thought it was pretty interesting to see what codes they had, and all the pictographic logos you can load on the sign as well...

DPB 7781 cab - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And the onboard computer, an older version with text instead of logos. Roughly translated, each key says the following:

Blank, top left = accident

Blank, middle left = code message (i.e. code 01 can mean accident, and you send that to dispatching)

Blank, bottom left = fare inspector

1 = Route, run

2 = Destination

3 = Shift/driver (ID, sets all your destination times and departures for you based on a schedule that is uploaded into the computer)

4 = N/A

5 = Fare Zone

6 = Departure/Direction (choose individual departures, or, if a shift is not uploaded to the computer, choose a terminal and a direction and it will load up stops and announcements for you according to the chosen route).

7 = Diversion

8 = Manually

9 = Stop

Yellow, left = service

Yellow, right = confirm

DPB 7781 - onboard computer by Andrew P., on Flickr

More photos later.

[T3G]

Continued photos from the open house...

Next in the long line of streetcars was a Tatra T3S. This pair of cars, 7301+02, consists of all of the T3S cars in Bratislava. There is one more in the city with the modernized front/end caps (which also apparently do nothing positive for visibility, but I didn't think to try that out for myself), but it is designated as a T3AS, has the older folding doors instead of the plug doors, and it has been out of service since the start of 2012, so ho hum.

DPB 7301 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

The driver's cubicle.

DPB 7301 cab - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

The interior. The paired units that had the rear car open (which was almost all of them) were really nice because the cab wasn't open, and so there were no children milling around, you could get a photo of the empty car interior.

DPB 7302 interior - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7302 interior - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

T6A5/II #7939. This car had only the front doors open on the first car, and none on the second car, and you can see the group of people congregated by the cab. I think a driver was explaining something about the technicals of the car, but I'm not sure what.

DPB 7939 interior - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB 7939 interior - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Inside the cab.

DPB 7939 cab - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Behind the driver's seat was a cumbersome piece of equipment. I have no idea what this is for, but it may have something to do with the "ESW" couplers, which are unique to the T6A5 fleet in Bratislava, and allow for power to be supplied to both vehicles, while only one of them has its pantograph up.

DPB 7939 cab - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

I walked on. In an area barricaded off by safety tape, I got right up to the tape and found two Karosas, an artic and its recently retired little cousin...

DPB 2632 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

* 1710 is actually a year older than 2632

And behind them, was a SOR B 9.5, #3523, in the presence of a recent victim of the summer vehicle redundancies, #2611.

DPB 3523 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Nearby was also one of the historic K2 cars, #7086. Seems that we will have to wait some time for the car to be restored.

DPB 7086 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And not far from there, there was a display of historic streetcar vehicles. Here is #317, a restored (older) K2 car, with an open driver's cab.

DPB 317 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

An in house streetcar built in 1958. It's quite dated because it's a replacement for an older vehicle that was destroyed in a collision with a train in 1958. It's not the same, but it conceptually derives from those cars, and was built largely because of uncertainties about the reliability of the then-new T2 cars, shown below. It thus became the last two-axled streetcar in Czechoslovakia.

DPB 38 - 03 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And here is the T2. You can really see the influence of the North American PCC design in this car.

DPB 215 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

This year's doors open event was advertised with the proclamation that a special surprise awaited buffs who came to visit. This was later revealed as three freshly restored historical units, and unfortunately the details of that were spoiled, literally, the evening before.

The first one was car #104, which had been repainted into a more historically appropriate livery. Here she is doing fantrips in 2005, for comparison.

DPB 104 - 02 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Next is a 1970s era Schörling work vehicle. Again, it had been repainted into a more appropriate livery. I'm a bit lukewarm to this, as I thought the old one looked nicer, but meh.

DPB 8431 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And finally, the crown jewel of the collection, Tatra T3 #275. This car is from the original series of cars that entered service in February 1965. It has been out of service since 1995 but only recently restored to its former guise - previously, she carried the number 7509, which she was issued as part of a streetcar system-wide renumbering in 1983. She's also had her top route number indicator redone - in this 2006 photo, you can see that the square for the number is just glass, and you put a paper rollsign inside, which is what the post-1982 T3 cars came with. Pre-1982 cars had actual plastic route indicators that had to be mounted on the outside of the car.

DPB 275 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

And here's a vehicle from 1937, built in an old works in Bratislava.

DPB 18 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

Right by the workshop seen in the background of these photos is the layup area for all streetcars in Jurajov dvor division. There wasn't anyone preventing people from milling among the streetcars and I briefly thought about going closer myself, but I thought the better of it.

And yes, they store all the streetcars in this division outside. A driver told me that this has done quite the number on these cars, they leak a lot.

DPB 7820 - 01 by Andrew P., on Flickr

DPB Tatra T3SUCS cars by Andrew P., on Flickr

There were also some old rhombus pantographs.

DPB pantographs by Andrew P., on Flickr

Past the area where all the historical cars were congregated, they also had the Skoda cars on display. I didn't bother with those, though, as there were, predictably, a million people lined up to sit in the cab...

More photos soon.