Brno is renovating a historic tram for Prague, it served in Bratislava
In 1977, it was made in Prague at the ČKD Tatra plant. But she never took to the streets of Prague. Directly from there, she headed east to Bratislava, where she served as a training vehicle, ie for beginning tram drivers.
She served in the tram “driving school” until 2009, this year Prague bought it from Bratislava for approximately 25,000.
After many years of operation, the tram now needs a major reconstruction, which will be taken care of by the employees of the Brno transport company. Within nine months, they will literally disassemble the tram into individual components, prove their thorough inspection or replace the rusted parts.
Then the corrugated sheeting, which is popular for K2 trams, is fixed and painted in the original colors in red-cream shades. In the end, the car will have new cabling, floor laying or installation of interior trim.
“The tram will also be equipped with some elements or functions according to the requirements of the Prague transport company beyond the original state, such as anti-vandal foils on windows or a camera system,” said Miloš Havránek, CEO of the Brno transport company.
For the Tatra K2 tram, the complete premiere will be put into operation with passengers in Prague. Trams K1 and K2 in the capital ran only as part of the manufacturer’s tests in the years 1965 to 1966, ie without passengers. Due to the rugged terrain of the city, Prague preferred T3 trams with better dynamic properties.
“By putting the K2 tram into operation in retro vehicles in Prague, we want to continue presentations of the most important representatives of Tatra trams from the most successful historical period of the 1950s and 1960s, which are characterized for the public by the exceptional design of František Kardaus. These trams have a very close relationship with Prague. All of them were designed, constructed and fulfilled here, “added Jan Šurovský, the technical director of the Prague transport company.