GT4 (Stuttgart)
| SSB GT4 | |
|---|---|
GT4 in Stuttgart
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| Manufacturer | Maschinenfabrik Esslingen |
| Constructed | 1959–1965 |
| Capacity | 47 (Seated) 124 (Standing) |
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 18,800 mm (61.7 ft) |
| Width | 2,200 mm (7.2 ft) |
| Height | 3,160 mm (10.37 ft) |
| Doors | 3 |
| Articulated sections | 1 |
| Maximum speed | 65 km/h (40 mph) |
| Weight | 19,500 kg (43,000 lb) |
| Power output | 2 x 100 kW Motors |
| Bogies | 2 |
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in), 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
The GT4 (from German: Gelenktriebwagen 4-achsig, which translates as 4-axle articulated tramcar) is a GT4 type tramway vehicle built by Maschinenfabrik Esslingen.
Only 380 were produced of which 350 were delivered to the Stuttgarter Strassenbahnen, the public transport operator of Stuttgart. The remaining 30 vehicles were delivered to Freiburg (19), Neunkirchen (Saar) (8) and Reutlingen (3). The 350 Stuttgart-vehicles were uni-directional, had three double-doors, and were built to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge. The remaining cars were bi-directional and built with 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge, with the exception of the Neunkirchen cars, which were built to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge. They also had four powered axles whereas two powered axles was the standard variant. Tram service in Neunkirchen was abandoned in 1978.
With 107 trams in service, as of 2012, the largest operator of GT4 is RATP, the public transport company in Iaşi, Romania.
The GT4 was developed because the longer 6-axle articulated trams with Jacob's bogies, such as the GT6, were not suitable for the Stuttgart network, which had a large number of sharp curves and steep gradients due to that city's hilly topography.
The design of articulation is unique: Both bogies are connected by an underframe, upon which the two halves of the tram body rest. When the tram drives around a curve, the underframe prevents the body from overhanging the inside of the curve, allowing tighter clearances and more flexibility than a non-articulated tram.
On standard gauge vehicles only the inner axles on each bogie were powered, therefore the wheel notation was (1A)(A1). 2/3 of the vehicle weight were rested on both powered axles.
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