Who destroyed the American tram. Tram Cars of such trams lm 33

The names that came to St. Petersburg from the United States cannot but be associated with the interest and some kind of eternal craving of the Russian people for American culture. And if in the late XIX - early XX centuries it was the curiosity of the Old World in relation to the New, then since the USSR was behind the "Iron Curtain", interest in the West has acquired a sharp and political taste, a taste of freedom.

So, at the first stage, everything brought from America or copied from there was simply a curiosity for people. One of the first consequences of this curiosity was the appearance of "American Bridges" in St. Petersburg. These are railway bridges over the Obvodny Canal, as many as 5 crossings that trains pass along the branch from the Moscow railway station. The first bridge was built in the middle of the 19th century along with the first line St. Petersburg - Moscow. It is interesting that all this time, up to the present day, it was officially called by the first name of both the station and the road - Nikolaevsky Railway.

But among the people, almost from the first day, the bridges were called "American". It seems that the American built the crossing using the latest technology at that time. Just like in America. The first bridge was wooden, and already in the 20th century, heavy metal structures appeared, reminiscent of the industrial architecture of the United States.

And today this name is quite official. And spelled out in all papers from December 31, 2008. Only all 5 structures are called in the singular "American Bridge", because the form "bridges" does not exist in toponymic registers.

At the same time, the first "American Mountains" appeared in St. Petersburg. Yes, the very ones that are called "Russians" in Europe. This attraction was built under the last Emperor in the Nicholas Garden. Having caught the revolutionary mood, at the beginning of the 20th century, a whole huge complex of the "People's House named after Emperor Nicholas II of the St. Petersburg City Guardianship of People's Sobriety" was built there.

American mountains in Leningrad, 1935.

A drama theater was organized for the workers, and a room "for folk festivals" with a stage, and an opera hall, and an amusement park. Occasional art exhibitions were also held. But they weren't popular. So, in the Nikolaevsky Park (after 1917 - Lenin Park) the American Mountains were installed. Residents of the city rode them until the Second World War, and during the war they burned down. In the 90s, in approximately the same place, the Lunapark, mysterious to my child's ear, was built, where this attraction was also, but somehow uninteresting.

Before the war, Leningrad trams were also called "American". For the resemblance to the huge "Pullman" railroad cars of American production. There was also an “American” in the 50s: that was the name of the first automatic cafe in the city on the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and Rubinshteina Street. It is fair to say that people quickly changed their opinion about this institution, the cafe began to be called "gastritis".

Tram "American".

Further more. In the 60-70s of the twentieth century, by the time new districts appeared in Leningrad, the United States and American culture had already firmly settled in the minds of both dissident youth and those simply walking around the district. This is how toponyms appeared among the people in an American way, for example, "New Kupchino", and with them "pure" borrowings. "Arizona" was nicknamed the microdistrict of the streets of Marshal Zhukov - Marshal Kazakov. "Texas" was the southwest of the Kirov region. The southern states of North America are so simply tied to the southern regions of our city.

America also showed itself in the center of Leningrad. Nevsky Prospekt for a long time, among other folk names, had this: "Broadway". As the eternal center of the entertainment life of the city. Two Sea Streets, Big and Small, were called "two Wall Streets". Probably due to the fact that there are enough financial institutions here and there. It is also interesting that it was on Bolshaya Morskaya Street at No. 1 that the first cafe in the country was opened in 1934, where the American Cola drink was sold.

House number 5 on Mytninskaya Embankment, not far from the same Lenin park with attractions, was called "New York". "Washington" (or "Pentagon") was popularly nicknamed the city's first 12-story large-block building, built in 1957, on Kuznetsovskaya Street in the Moscow District. And in Kronstadt, the unofficial "Amazon" flows. This is the name of the channel near the western fortress wall for the similarity of the zigzag shape of the channel.

Residential building on Kuznetsovskaya street, "Washington". Photo taken in 1962.

Finally, the residential area near Pulkovo Airport received the loudest name - "USA". Such a nickname appeared along with other abbreviations dedicated to bad life in new areas remote from the center. They began to be ironically called the same abbreviations as the countries of people's democracy. "PRC" (People's Republic of China) - "Kupchinsky New District". "GDR" (German Democratic Republic) - "Much Further Stream", "Citizen Further Stream". "DRV" (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) - "Further Stream to the Left." These are the districts of Grazhdanki and Devyatkino. But there was also a "Fashionable Citizen's District" in the area of Courage Square and Torez Avenue. Abbreviation for the capitalist Federal Republic of Germany - "FRG".

The decoding of the abbreviation and the "USA" had its own, local: "I hear the Noise of the Airfield." You can actually hear the planes there. But in this name one can also hear the bitterness from the fact that the airport is always a gate. One of the rare points where, because of the Iron Curtain, no, no, and yes, the bright world of the free West flickers.

New buildings of the 1960s.

Over the weekend, in the center of St. Petersburg (near the Circus), an exhibition of retro trams was held, which lasted only 2 hours. Trams were presented from the era of Nicholas II to the present day.
The first Petersburg tram began its journey in September 1907.

1. Accurate reconstruction of the tram of the English company "Brush" ("Brush"), which went through pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg.
This copy is used in the filming of films, you can admire the original in the Museum of Urban Electric Transport.
("Brush" stands for "Brush Electrical Engineering Company").

2. Car "Brush".

3. Trams "Brush" in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 20th century against the backdrop of the Mikhailovsky Castle.

4. After the exhibition, retro trams set off on their way around the city.

5. Tram LM-33 (LM means - Leningrad motor, 33 - year of manufacture 1933).
Created on the basis of American designs.

6. Tram LM-33 was nicknamed "American", mentioned in urban folklore:
"Oh, my chaise, American, where are you taking me, foreigner."

7. Tram LM-33, the doors are still wooden.

8. Tram LM-33 in Leningrad. Photo taken in 1934.

9. Tram MS. Created in the late 20s of the 20th century.
(MS stands for Motor Steel).

10. MS tram in besieged Leningrad. The only mode of transport in the besieged city.

11. Photo of the Leningrad MS in my hometown of Novorossiysk. Photo from the 1950s.
Now there are no trams in Novorossiysk. Tram routes were removed in 1969, replaced by trolleybuses.

12. MS and LM-33 trams that survived the war.

13. After the war, in 1947, the LM-47 Tram was produced.

14. Tram LM-47 in Leningrad. Photo 1948

15. Tram LM-57 (1957) was nicknamed "dude".

16. "Dandy" in Leningrad. Photo taken in 1957.

dedicated to...

At the numerous requests of friends, especially for tu2_167 , vkboy , chedim , moonlight_s , periskop.su , canoe_ride , the_debaucher and the_chevalier from the creator of "Tram in Vyborg" (http://site/7986.html#cutid1) made this digression into the history of trams in St. Petersburg.

I will try to tell you about all types of tram cars that have been and are still running in St. Petersburg. Cars in the core from the collection of the "museum" of electric transport.
Bresh tram car
In total, St. Petersburg received 190 such cars. It was they who opened the movement on September 29 (16), 1907. Subsequently, Bresh trams were used as trailers for a very long time. These were wooden carriages, the doors to the street were in the form of beautiful openwork lattices. Capacity - seats - 24.
But the photo of the car of the Bresh company No. 1028, restored in 1982 in the tram park named after. Leonova.

Bresh tram

He, photo periskop.su

The first steel cars of the MS and PS type (motor and trailer steel).
They were produced by the Krasny Putilovets plant (now the Kirov Plant) from 1927 to 1933. These are the first steel trams in Leningrad, subsequently all Leningrad cars were built taking into account this experience. Several modifications of the MS and PS trams were developed with minor differences.
During the war years, trains from MS-PS cars changed their profession somewhat. They also had to transport troops to the front. And when, after a four-month break, tram traffic resumed in the besieged city, cars of this type were the first to enter the line. They were lighter than others, and exhausted people, if necessary, could push the train beyond the de-energized section.
These trams were destined for a long life, they served passengers until the end of the sixties, and then they were re-equipped and are still used by various services. In the photo, MS trams of 4 modifications. All cars have 24 seats, except for MCO-4, which has 27.

MS-1, carriage No. 1877, this tram has the same doors as the Bresh carriage

He, photo periskop.su

MS-2, carriage No. 2135, here the doors were wooden, opened manually. A photo periskop.su

Also MS-2

MS-3+MSP, wagons No. 2424+2384.

He, photo periskop.su

Same, photo canoe_ride

MSO-4, car No. 2575.

He, photo periskop.su

"American" - cars LM-LP-33.
Produced by VARZ (Carriage Repair Plant) from 1933 to 1940. The townspeople called such trams "American".
Many residents of our city still remember trams of this type with undisguised warmth. They served the people of Leningrad for 45 years. The last train of the LM-LP-33 series made a farewell trip around the city on March 18, 1979.
These trams were the first domestic large-capacity four-axle cars. When designing them (in the early 1930s), the experience of American firms was used. That is why the cars were originally called MA-PA (motor and trailer American type). The name has migrated to the people.
Together with the Leningraders, they experienced the hardships of the 900-day blockade and the difficult post-war period. In the absence of the subway, these roomy cars played a huge role in the transportation of passengers.
We can say that "American women" have become a symbol of an entire era.
2 cars from the collection of the "museum" were restored in 1997 by specialists of JSC "Petersburg Tram Mechanical Plant" with the participation of employees of the State Unitary Enterprise "Gorelectrotrans".

LM-LP-33, cars No. 4275+4454. There are 49 seats in the motor car and 52 in the trailer car.

He, photo periskop.su

Same, photo canoe_ride

"Elephants" - cars LM-LP-47.
During the war, several dozen MSok and "American women" were so badly damaged by bombing and shelling that their restoration was almost impossible. It was then that a decision was made to create new all-metal wagons on the basis of the destroyed LM-LP-33.
The new series was assigned the index LM-LP-47. True, only 43 motor cars and 42 trailers were produced: they turned out to be too heavy. It is for this considerable weight and rounded shape that the trams called the trains of the 1947 model "elephants".
Produced by VARZ from 1948 to 1949. Due to design flaws and heavy weight, they were operated for a short time - until 1973.
The tram from the “museum” collection was used for a long time as a track gauge - special equipment was installed on it, restored in 1997 by the specialists of the St.

LM-LP-47, No. 3521 + 3584, seats in the motor - 34, in the trailer - 35. Photo periskop.su

He, photo canoe_ride

The same "Elephants" - LM-LP-49.
Following the LM-LP-47, more modern LM-LP-49 cars were produced, outwardly resembling their predecessors. And they were also painted with "ivory" paint. So the exotic nickname was inherited by these trams. Produced by VARZ since 1949 in several series. Operated until 1982-1983. Moreover, for some time the LP-49 was attached to the more modern LM-68M (more on them below). Such trains were nicknamed "dinosaurs". The doors in these trams are like in the subway. They also had soft seats. The capacity is the same as the previous ones.
In the photo, the wagon of the "museum" of electric transport, previously used as a tractor for special track repair vehicles, was restored in 1997.

LM-LP-49, car No. 3691+3990, photo canoe_ride

He is

He, photo periskop.su

"Dandies" - LM-57 cars.
Produced by VARZ from 1957 to 1969. Operated until 1986.
These trams never ran as part of trains. Only singles. Their refined outlines, downright canary colors and conspicuous independence have earned the wagons the fame of "dudes". In strict technical language, they were called LM-57.
Thanks to the newly designed carts, they moved through the city almost silently. Leningrad residents fell in love with these cars for their stylish interiors and soft sofas.
It was planned that trains would be coupled from LM-57, and therefore, at first, only odd numbers were assigned to the built cars (as well as all motor cars, that is, the lead ones). So 500 wagons were produced. And only a few years later appeared "dudes" with even numbers.

LM-57, car No. 5148.

He, photo periskop.su

He, photo canoe_ride

"Aquarium" - car LM-68.
Tram cars LM-68 were produced by VARZ in 1968-1975. Operated until 1988.
LM-68, better known as "aquaria", also had a memorable appearance. Compared to cars of previous generations, these were distinguished by large windows and roof glazing. Route signs were also unusually located - in the "birdhouse", shifted to the right. Despite the aesthetics, not so many LM-68s were produced. It was too difficult to build them and inconvenient to maintain in the parks. The glass on the roof, for example, could only be washed with a mop while standing on a ladder.
On the LM-68 series, for the first time, they abandoned the direct control system. Simply put, the high voltage was removed from the control panel. "Aquariums", like all subsequent series, could work on a system of many units, when each car in the train was motorized. Thanks to this, the speed of trams has increased markedly.
In the photo car No. 6249, it was on it that for the first time in the USSR a thyristor-pulse control system was tested on the line, so it worked until 1993. The electronics were then removed and the car was re-equipped with a standard contactor control system. It was restored in 1997 by Symbiosis LLP together with employees of the State Unitary Enterprise Goreletrotrans.

LM-68, car No. 6249.

He, photo periskop.su

"Mashki" - LM-68M cars.
LM-68M cars were produced by ZRGET (Plant for the repair of urban electric transport, former VARZ) from 1973 to 1989.
Modernized cars LM-68. For the index "M" and were nicknamed "Mashki". The most massive series after the MS cars. Over 2,000 wagons were built.
Are still in operation. In the 1970s - 1980s, trains from three LM-68s linked together became widespread. Not a tram, but a whole electric train. LP-49 cars were also attached to them, as already mentioned above, such a train was called a “dinosaur”.

LM-68, car No. 5428, by the way, my favorite route, No. 40. Photo from Wikipedia
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/c/c5/Tram_LM-68M_5428.JPG

Six-axle and eight-axle cars - LVS-86 and LVS-89 cars.
LVS-86 cars (Leningrad Articulated Car-1986) were produced by LTTZ (Leningrad Tram and Trolleybus Plant) from 1986 to 1997.
The first Leningrad six-axle tram was built in 1966. This was followed by four experimental articulated cars of the 1980 model. Serial production began in 1986.
Part of the cars of this series was produced with a thyristor-pulse control system, which saves about 30 percent of electricity and makes the car fast. For the first time, a separate entrance to the driver's cabin was used, which improved their working conditions.
In areas of mass housing development, trains of two such cars are operated according to the system of many units. They can transport up to 700 people at once.
The LVS-89 car is the only eight-axle, experimental car No. 3076, operated in 1989-2006, in December 2006 it was decommissioned and transferred to the "museum".

LVS-86, car No. 3086. Photo from Wikipedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/5/5a/Tram_LAN-86K_3086.JPG

LVS-89, car No. 3076, photo

Last Sunday we had a very successful trip to Vaska to the Museum of Electric Transport. Three hours flew by like five minutes =) If you haven't been there yet, I encourage you to find time in every possible way and still get to this museum someday, it's really worth it! All trams and trolleybuses in the museum, by the way, are on the move :)

De facto, the museum begins right at the metro station "Vasileostrovskaya" from the monument to the horse-drawn carriage (2004-07). Model of a double-decker horse-drawn carriage, model 1872-78. installed on the pedestrian to the right of the subway exit.

Another monument - to the "Bresh" car (2007) - was opened at the checkpoint of the tram park for the 100th anniversary of the St. Petersburg tram. The first tram entered the route just from here, from the Vasileostrovsky tram depot.

The museum is located in the former depot of the Vasileostrovsky tram park on Sredny pr. V.O. (1906-08, an architectural monument of regional importance). Unfortunately, for many years they have been trying to demolish the tram park, together with the depot, and build something more profitable in its place...

Since 1863, a horse-drawn carriage has been operating in St. Petersburg. The museum has a replica built in 1993, based on a loading platform: harness it and let's go!

The horse-drawn carriage is cozy. All St. Petersburg pre-war trams had a similar design.

The first St. Petersburg tram - "Bresh" (Brush Electrical Engineering Company). Replicar 1982 on the basis of the MS car manufactured in 1927. It was these cars that opened the tram traffic in St. Petersburg (here, on Vaska) in 1907.

Inside.

Tram MS-1 - on the right, post-war "elephant" - on the left.

MS-1 (copy built in 1929). All modifications of the MSok were made in Leningrad at Krasny Putilovets.

Valka on the footboard.

MS-1 interiors. Salon.

Driver's seat.

Announcement for uncultured come in large numbers. Up to date :)

Is everyone aware of the meter and the origin of the phrase "meter-with-cap"? According to the risk on the door jamb, the conductor measured the height of the child, and either allowed him to ride for free, or demanded money for the journey. "Meter-with-cap" - this is from here, from the tram! Mama Katya would already have to pay for Slavik;)

But Valka, most likely, could have been transported for free;)

"American" (1936). Wooden trams of the LM-33 model ran around Leningrad from 1933 right up to 1979. The last of them, converted into service ones, were decommissioned only at the end of the 1990s.

They were developed on the basis of American cars, and our engineers were specially sent to the States in the early 1930s to study the experience of modern tram building.

Alyonka.

American interior.

Homeless trams.

Some tricky electrical device was found in a drawer on the rear storage area;)

"Elephant" LM-47 (1948). After the blockade, many carts from the burned-out "American women" remained, and 43 pairs of LM-47 trams were made on their basis. The cases, unlike the "Americans", were made of metal. Trams turned out to be heavy, slow and uncomfortable, and by the mid-1970s. they were written off and almost all cut. Only 2 cars survived - motor and trailer, both are in the museum.

Elephant interiors. Please note that there is no longer a longitudinal bench in the cabin.

Trailer car "elephant", a conductor's place with a brake wheel. The height of the "desk" is still the same 1 meter, the purpose is the same;)

LM-49 (1950). Such trams, like the "elephants", were produced in Leningrad at the "Carriage Repair Plant". In general, almost all St. Petersburg trams for all 105 years of the existence of the movement are our relatives, made in Petrograd-Leningrad-Petersburg.

"Dandy" LM-57 (1968). It has fashionable slick aerodynamic shapes, which is why it is a "dude". He worked in Leningrad until the mid-1980s, in the photo - one of the last produced cars of this modification.

Salon "styles".

Ticket service. Do you remember these checkouts? I do remember ;)

Punch.

"Aquarium" (1974). One of the last produced trams of the LM-68 modification.

"Aquarium" he was nicknamed for the glazing of the roof. By the way, water often flowed from these windows;)

LM-68m (1978) - a modification of the "aquarium", on which these windows were removed;) Several of these trailers are still running around St. Petersburg.

LVS-89 (1989) - an experimental three-section tram. For almost 20 years, this copy (the only one produced) was the longest tram car in the world, it was even listed in the Guinness Book of Records - 30 meters, 450 passengers! The longest car (LAN-2009, 31.5 m) is not in the museum, several LVS-2009 are now running around Volgograd and Kyiv.

Interiors LVS-89.

KTM-5 (1983) - the only non-local tram in St. Petersburg, produced at the Ust-Katav Carriage Works. Now they run around many cities in Russia, but in St. Petersburg they were eventually forced out by locals, which is good news: as a child, I was very afraid of their doors...;)

The same "dude" LM-57 (1964), but in service performance.

Crane car K-1 (1927) manufactured by the Krasny Putilovets plant.

Trolleybus YATB-1 (1936). Precisely such trolleybuses opened traffic in Leningrad. It was believed that they were all cut into scrap metal, but fortunately this copy was found in someone's dacha, restored, and is now the oldest trolleybus in the world that can move on its own.

Trolleybus MTB-82D (1947) Produced in Moscow (at the Tushinsky plant), worked in Leningrad until the end of the 1960s. In Kutaisi (Georgia), such trolleybuses ran right up to 1983.

Interior MTB-82D.

Pointer at the rear door MTB-82D.

Fragment of the MTB-82D bumper.

ZiU-5 (1967) - trolleybus "Plant named after Uritsky", Engels (now - "Trolza"). They worked in Leningrad until the mid-1980s, the latter was decommissioned in 1994.

ZiU-9 (1972). Upgraded versions of this trolleybus run all over the country until now, it is the most massive trolleybus in the world (42,000 pieces were produced).

And this is not quite a trolleybus ... This is a service trolley car KTG-1 LKS (1976) made in Kyiv, running on gasoline.

Inside there is a contact network laboratory, which is why the trolleybus horns on the roof.

KTG-1 VKS is also a trolleycar, a contact network tower. After all, it is logical for repair trolleybus services to run on gasoline: otherwise how, for example, will you get to the place where the wire breaks? ;)

Trolleycar KTG-2.

Old tram ticket offices. Travel 3 kopecks - 1 ticket, luggage 10 kopecks - 3 tickets ...

I really understand this sad tram! ..

We also took a ride on the MSO-4 tram built in 1933! 120 rubles for 2 laps around the depot. An adult entrance ticket to the museum, by the way, costs 230 rubles.

Children and adults in the museum - about half, Katya and Slavik - this is a very typical example;) It is interesting in the museum for absolutely everyone - after all, you can not only ride, but also go into any car, sit on the seats, pull any handles, turn the brake wheels, punch a ticket with a composter and even ring the bell! ;)

From the anct-petersburg tram- land tram system in St. Petersburg. It was opened on September 29, 1907.
For a whole generation of St. Petersburg residents has been using the tram, not suspecting at all that such a saying existed.

The tram crawls like a turtle
The driver sleeps like a hippopotamus
The conductor barks like a dog:
"Go ahead, citizens."

The history of tram traffic began dramatically. For a decade and a half in many large cities of Russia, electric carriages have been successfully running, and in the capital of the state, St. Petersburg, the City Duma could not come to an agreement with horse-drawn railways regarding the transportation of passengers within the city.

One day, the city fathers decided to cheat and allowed the firm of engineer Polobedov to transport passengers in "trams", but only on ice. The popularity of tram transportation turned out to be so great that the shareholders of the horse-drawn railways sued in order not to lose income, but they lost the case, since it happened on ice and in winter. Only in 1907, after the expiration of the contract, did the tram procession begin in St. Petersburg.

With the launch of the tram, the first instructions and rules were developed. The movement started at 7:30 and ended at 23:00. In order to prevent the overflow of the car, the conductor could put no more than 34 people into it at the final stop. The number of people standing on the platforms of the car was limited. The car was divided into seats of the second and first classes, in the last of them, due to the limited number of passengers, there was no crowd or crush. Persons in a state of intoxication and in dirty clothes were not allowed to pass. Drivers were instructed to "drive park runs at a moderate speed and be sure to stop the cars at all stopping points." "When the guards raised the white cane," they were obliged to "immediately stop the cars and continue moving only when the cane was lowered."

Tramcar Brush No. 1028 ("Bresh")
The very first electric tram in St. Petersburg, which opened tram traffic on September 29, 1907. Shipped from England.

In 1912, the length of tram lines reached almost 119 km. The route network included 14 lines.

Tram car MS-1 No. 1877
The first Soviet steel tram car, produced from 1927 to 1933 at the Putilov (Kirov) plant.
Number of seats - 24.

When finishing, natural oak was used.

The peculiarity of the St. Petersburg tram is that for almost the entire history of its tram economy, there has been a practice to assign to the route not only a number, but also its own combination of route lights (soffits), which were lit on the sides of the route number plates, so that passengers waiting at the stop saw him from afar even in bad weather.
In St. Petersburg, only 5 colors are used: white, blue, red, green and orange (yellow), so the color designations of the routes can be repeated. This practice has been almost discontinued, but as of 2006, route lights are gradually being restored.

Tram train MS-4 No. 2642 + MSP-3 No. 2384
The original two-car train of the early 1930s.
Number of seats - 24+24.

In 1934, trams began to leave the newly built VARZ (now PTMZ), where they are still being assembled.
By 1936, the tram network covered the entire city, with 42 tram routes running on more than 400 kilometers of tracks. In addition to passenger tracks, the city had freight and service tram lines; each large enterprise had its own branch from the main tram network. However, starting from 1936, the Leningrad tram practically ceased to develop due to the appearance of a trolley bus.

Tram train LM-33 No. 4275 + LP-33 No. 4454 ("American")
"American" - the legendary tram, which has become a symbol of Leningrad for 40 years.
On December 8, 1941, due to a lack of electrical power caused by the blockade, the Leningrad tram stopped its operation. On March 7-8, 1942, the movement of freight trams was resumed. On April 15, voltage was given to the central substations and passenger trams were launched. Initially, the functioning of 6 routes was restored. By the end of 1943 (after the blockade was broken), 20 routes operated in the city.

She opened the "American" tram service on April 15, 1942 in the besieged city.
Number of seats - 49+52.

Tram train LM-47 No. 3521 + LP-47 No. 3584 ("Elephant")
The cars LM-47 and LP-47 were built after the war on the basis of the chassis of the "Americans", destroyed as a result of artillery shelling and bombing of Leningrad during the blockade.

Tram train LM-49 No. 3691 + LP-49 No. 3990 ("Elephant")
The first tram cars with double doors, as in subway cars. Trailed "elephants" went until 1983.
Number of seats - 34+35.

Starting in 1965, due to the growth of the city, the construction of lines to new areas began. The first new lines appeared on Piskarevka, the lines along Piskarevsky (from the Mechnikov hospital to the new ring in Ruchiy) and Tikhoretsky avenues were extended, and a new line was laid between these avenues along Nauki Avenue; a little later, a line was built to Sosnovaya Polyana. Then the lines appeared in the districts of Kupchino, Grazhdanka, Shuvalovo-Ozerki, Rzhevka-Porohovye, Vesely Poselok, South-West, Primorsky District, Decembrist Island. The old lines were not closed at this time. Almost the only exception was the line on Dekabristov Street from Lantern Lane to Theater Square. By the end of the 1980s, the length of the tracks was about 600 km, 67 routes went to the line - an absolute record not only for the Soviet Union, but for the whole world, for which it was included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Tram LM-57 No. 5148 ("Stilyaga")
"Stilyaga" is the most comfortable tram in Leningrad, whose rounded body shape is reminiscent of the style of the 1960s.

A tram ticket worth 3 kopecks. 1985

Tram LM-68 No. 6249 ("Aquarium")
"Aquarium" - this is how Leningraders called these cars for the characteristic roof glazing.
Number of seats - 35.

The reduction in funding in the early 1990s had a negative impact on the route network of St. Petersburg trams: due to a decrease in the number of drivers in the parks and the aging of the rolling stock, output on the line decreased and intervals increased; the repair of tracks practically stopped, which led to a decrease in speed and a further deterioration in the condition of the rolling stock. This, together with other factors (motorization, the appearance of minibuses, etc.), led to an outflow of passengers and an increase in losses for public transport in general and trams in particular. Under the pretext of minimizing losses, mass closure of tram lines began: hundreds of kilometers of passenger tracks and all freight and service lines were dismantled. Prior to this, the last time the lines were dismantled was in the mid-1970s.

By 2007, tram traffic in the central part of the city was reduced to a minimum, and the passenger network was divided into 3 separate fragments, which predetermined the future fate of the St. Petersburg tram: from that moment on, this type of transport could not be used to travel long distances, the tram began to perform only functions transportation of passengers to railway and metro stations ...

An integral part of the interior of late Soviet urban transport is the ticket machine. Such (or similar in fact) cash desks have changed conductors. The people, of course, were conscious, but usually they were placed between two chairs facing them. Just in case.

Trams of St. Petersburg today...
On November 17, 2007, for the first time in Russia, a combined bus and tram dedicated lane was put into operation on Ligovsky Prospekt.
As of September 2012, there are 40 tram routes, 826 cars are operated, they are serviced in 6 tram depots. After the reduction of tram tracks, with 500 km of tracks, the tram network of St. Petersburg today ranks 4th in the world. The record for the length of tram lines passed to the Melbourne tram.