MANCHESTER - EAST DIDSBURY OPENED TODAY 23 MAY 2013 - Keith Chadbourne

The Metrolink extension to East Didsbury opened today.  Thanks to Keith for these timely photos.

BELARUS TOUR APRIL 2013 - BABRUYSK

Tuesday 30 April we departed Gomel for Minsk via Babruysk.  This is a nice little town which has two trolleybus services along a common spine with splayed ends, which are the best parts. Services are frequent with a few old ZIUs still running.  It has one of only two articulated BKM333 trolleybuses built with auxiliary power (the other is in Cordoba).

Trolleybus arriving at the station stop - note lady with white cat on a lead.

Dot matrix stop announcements

Passing Ploshad Lenina

Ploshad Lenina

BELARUS TOUR APRIL 2013 - MOZYR WORKSHOPS AND SIMULATOR

Before we went on our ride, we were taken into the workshops and shown around. The workshop was very clean and tidy, well equipped and seemed to have no shortage of parts. From there we went into the office building expecting to be taken to a Museum room, but instead were taken to see a wonderful KTM5 simulator, which even had an electrically operated door from one room to another!

From the tour we rode along the route a little way to where there was a bridge and we spent some time there watching the shift change trams passing, full of passengers

Tram going to the refinery taken from the bridge

Truck being worked on in the workshop

Motors lined up

Wheel sets in the workshop

Pile of sleepers

Very ornate depot gates

Depot garden

Simulator room showing pantograph being raised

The driver adjusting her seat and showing the electronically operated door

Circuit diagram which lit up as the motors worked

Controller

Close up of wiring diagram

Some of the switch gear

BELARUS TOUR APRIL 2013 - MOZYR

Monday29 April saw an afternoon half day excursion to Mozyr, where the tramway opened in 1988 and links the housing to the oil refinery.  A fleet of original KTM5 cars, many of which are in excellent condition provide the service.  The service is sparse except at shift change times at the refinery.

On arrival we were taken for a look round the depot/workshops - note the overhead line switched on/off panels

Snowbroom  in the depot

KTM5 over a pit

Works car

Ballast car

Outside the depot - all very clean and tidy

Our tour tram

Showing priority on the line

Works car on the line

Pristine condition

BELARUS TOUR APRIL 2013 - GOMEL

On Sunday 28 April after a few hours in Mogilev, we carried on to Gomel for two nights. Gomel is another trolleybus only town. Gomel is the biggest provincial trolleybus system with about 250 vehicles - very modern, efficient and with frequent services.  Arguably the best of the five provincial trolleybus  systems.

Approaching the station

BELARUS TOUR APRIL 2013 - MOGILEV

On Sunday 28 Apriul we travelled from Vitebsk to Mogilev which has an extensive trolleybus system.  There was heavy rain on the journey to Mogilev which persisted for the first hour we were there.  When the rain stopped we noticed that people were carrying springs of pussy willow (palm) teamed with very gaudy artificiall flowers - it was the Orthodox Palm Sunday.

Standard type of trolleybus

Older type of trolleybus

Map of the trolleybus routes

One of the older type of trolleybuses used as a technical support vehicle at the end of the 2 route

The trolleybus I had just got off being put over the it at the end of the 2 route

B ELARUS TOUR APRIL 2013 - VITEBSK

Saturday 27 April we were in Vitebsk and let loose for the morning, but to be back at the hotel at lunchtime to go en masse to the tram depot. We were due at the depot at 2 pm and had to take the no 1 tram from outside the hotel. Vitebcsk has street running and reserved track routes operated by a very mixed fleet of RVZ6, KTM5, KTM8 and 28 AKSM cars, of which at least 12 have low floor sections.  there is also an exdtensive trolleybus network with routes operated by various AKSM/BKM types and a few remaining old ZIUs.


The cost of the tram tour was a bit fluid, first it might be €20, then €10, but it if you took a book for the manager it might be free.  Needless to say he had a lot of books given to him and he reciprocated by giving the book donors one about Vitebsk, which had been reprinted specially for us.

Stained glass window on the stairs leading to the museum and archive

this line up greeted us in the depot yard

We took RVZ 421 for our tour, which smelled of fresh paint on the inside!

Photo showing the low floor section

This sight greeted us just inside the depot gates

 

 

 

 

 

The No 1 tram approaching the stop outside out hotel