TT Class 8
| TT Class 8 | |
|---|---|
Class 8 tram at St. Olavs Gate
|
|
| Manufacturer | Linke-Hofmann-Busch |
| Family name | Braunschweig |
| Replaced | TS Class 7 |
| Constructed | 1984–85 |
| Entered service | 1984 |
| Scrapped | 2000– |
| Number built | 11 |
| Number in service | 9 |
| Number scrapped | 2 |
| Operator(s) |
Trondheim Trafikkselskap (1984–88) Gråkallbanen (1990–2008) Veolia Transport Bane (2008–11) Boreal Transport Bane (2011–12) Boreal Transport Midt-Norge (2012–16) Boreal Bane (2016–) |
| Depot(s) |
Munkvoll (1984–88) Voldsminde (1988–90) Munkvoll (1990–) |
| Line(s) served | Gråkallen Line |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 19.9 m (65 ft) |
| Width | 2.6 m (8.5 ft) |
| Floor height | 0.91 m (3.0 ft) |
| Doors | 4 |
| Maximum speed | 60 km/h (37 mph) |
| Weight | 27.1 t (26.7 long tons; 29.9 short tons) |
| Prime mover(s) | Siemens IKB2021-OMK02 |
| Power output | 300 kW (400 hp) |
| Acceleration | 1.2 m/s2 (3.9 ft/s2) |
| Deceleration | 1.3 m/s2 (4.3 ft/s2) |
| Electric system(s) | 600 V DC |
| Current collection method | Pantograph |
| Bogies | B'2'B' |
| Multiple working | Car 93 + 96 |
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) |
TT Class 8 are the only remaining trams used on the Trondheim Tramway. Built by Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) in 1984–85, they replaced the aging Class 7 trams used by Trondheim Trafikkselskap (TT). Of the eleven built, nine remain in service on the Gråkallen Line operated by Boreal Bane.
Class 8 is built for the unique combination of meter gauge and 2.6 m (8.5 ft) wagon width of the tramways in Trondheim. 19.9 m (65 ft) long, they have a capacity of 53 seated and 85 standing passengers in a 2+2 configuration. With a single driver's cab, all but 4 seats are forward facing. Two 150 kW (200 hp) motors from Siemens power each of the end bogies, while the center bogie is unpowered.
Four trams are needed to serve the Gråkallen Line on a 15-minute headway. With one in spare, five trams are in regular service. On 8 April 1997, trams no. 91 and 98 collided front-to-front. Both were put aside, and were scrapped in 2000. Ten of the trams have been taken into use by Gråkallbanen, and only no. 7 is still put aside at Munkvoll.
In 1979, TT started working on the process of ordering new trams. The whole fleet of Class 7 trams was from 1958, and these would soon need replacement. Invitations to tenders were sent in July 1980. A study trip was taken by seven people to the factories of ČKD Tatra in Czechoslovakia and Düwag in Germany. They also looked at the tramways in Brno and Essen. By 1 December, eight bids had come in:
Only LHB and Valmet could deliver the special 260 cm (100 in) wide trams used in Trondheim. The bid from Tatra was the cheapest (at NOK 2.2 million per tram), but 33 units would be needed, since they would have to run as double units. An alternative with using ten of the newest trailers. The committee instead chose to the articulated, six-axle, tram from LHB as the Class 8. For both lines, trams would be needed, costing NOK 80 million. Various suggestions were made to avoid a full load financing. This included using NOK 20 million from the parking fund, but despite the matter being considered by the government, the money was never used.
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