Valmet RM 2

RM 2
A RM 2 class tram on line 2 in Turku, September 1971
Manufacturer	Valmet
Built at	Valmet airplane factory, Tampere
Constructed	1956
Entered service	1956
Scrapped	1972 onwards
Number built	8
Number scrapped	8
Fleet numbers	48–55
Capacity	17 seated, 83 standing
Operator(s)	Turku City Transport (TuKL)
Line(s) served	All Turku tram lines
Specifications
Car length	11.60 m (38.1 ft)
Width	2.1 m (6.9 ft)
Height	3.75 m (12.3 ft) with pantograph
Maximum speed	50 km/h (31 mph) (official, 90 km/h (56 mph) reached during trials)
Weight	20 t
Traction system	Four (4) Strömberg GHAU-67 E of 50 kW (67 hp)
Power output	200 kW (268 hp)
Braking system(s)	hand/air/electric/track
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)

RM 2 was a class of two-bogie four-axle (Bo′Bo′ wheel arrangement) tram operated by Turku City Transport (Finnish: Turun kaupungin liikennelaitos (TuKL); Swedish: Åbo stads trafikverk), popularly known as "ghost cars". They were the last trams acquired for the Turku tram network prior to its closure in 1972, built by the Finnish metal industry corporation Valmet in 1956. Although never operated as such, these trams were designed for use on light rail lines.

All RM 2s were withdrawn in June 1972 on the closure tram line 2. Although attempts were made to sell the trams to new operators, they never returned to active service. Five were sold for scrap; three were given to private organisations for preservation, but were scrapped by the 1980s.

The trams were, like the older Karia HM IV and Valmet RM 1 types trams built for the Helsinki tram network, based on Swiss Standard Trams of the time but with numerous changes. The RM 2 was shorter and narrower than the Helsinki trams and had no middle doors. They were constructed in collaboration with Tampella and Strömberg, who provided the bogies and electronics respectively. As a result, the RM 2 class, along with the similar RM 1 and RM 3 classes, were also referred to as VTS trams. Due to the Tampella-built bogies and rubber dampened wheels the RM 2 trams ran extremely silently and smoothly, earning them the nickname "ghost cars" (Finnish: "Aavevaunut"). The RM 2 class had 1+1 seating arrangement (instead of Helsinki's 2+1) to maximise capacity.

During the early 1950s, when the RM 2 class were ordered, there was an ongoing struggle in the decision-making organs of Turku on whether the tram network should be expanded with light rail lines into the suburban areas or closed down. The design of the RM 2 class was optimised for usage on light rail lines, with a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph). However, by the time the trams were delivered in 1956, the expansion plans had been abandoned apart from a short expansion of line 2 completed the same year. As a result, the RM 2 trams were never used for the purpose for which they were optimised for.