ZiU-5

The ZiU-5 (in Russian ЗиУ-5) is a Soviet trolleybus model that was built by the Uritsky factory. The ZiU acronym stands for Zavod imeni Uritskogo (Russian Завод имени Урицкого, ЗиУ), which translates as Plant named after Uritskiy (Moisei Uritsky, a Russian revolutionary). This model of city trolleybus was in mass production from 1959 to 1972. The total number of ZiU-5s produced exceeded 14,500 vehicles. This allowed the ZiU-5 to become dominant model of trolleybus in Soviet towns and cities of that time. The last vehicles were withdrawn from active service in the mid-1980s (the exact date varies from city to city). The small number of surviving vehicles are kept now for museum purposes.

The first decade after the Second World War was a period of huge expansion of trolleybus systems in the Soviet Union. They were considered as an innovative decision in comparison with "semi-obsolete" and expensive trams. The mainstay for trolley fleet for that time was extremely simple, reliable and durable MTB-82 vehicle. But it was medium-sized and uncomfortable for both driver and passengers. After small series and experimental TBU-1 vehicles ZiU developed completely new model for mass production with all disadvantages of MTB-82 eliminated. This was first variant of ZiU-5. More than 200 vehicles were produced for wide testing on Moscow streets in 1959. This huge testing work discovered the weaknesses of new design. Trolley depots in collaboration with ZiU and "Dynamo" electric motors factory fixed the problems in their repair facilities. Using this experience ZiU engineers corrected the ZiU-5 design, in 1960 new updated mass production series was launched. During mass production some technological adjustments were made, see Variants section. In 1971 ZiU introduced completely new trolleybus design, the ZiU-9. It was more cheap due to technology improvements and refusal from aluminium hull and was able to carry more passengers than ZiU-5. So mass production of ZiU-5 ceased in 1972.

Budapest transport operator FVV (roughly: Electric Tramways Company of the Capital), later BKV (Budapest Transport Company) ordered altogether 100 ZiU-5 vehicles between 1966-69. These cars, equipped with power steering and automatic controllers, were relatively modern compared to the trolleybuses running on the streets of Budapest that time. On the other hand, in some ways they proved seriously impractical. The cars were rather long but had only two passenger doors. Moreover, having no cab window on the right side impaired the driver's vision to the right, which was worked around by further narrowing the front door. These problems ended the career of the Budapest ZiU-5 fleet very soon, and all (except for one preserved car) got scrapped by 1982. However, this is not the end of the ZiU5- story. Between 1975 and 1978, BKV obtained 79 articulated Ikarus 280 bus bodies together with an Ikarus 260 solo bus body, and installed the electric system of the ZiU-5s in parallel with the scrapping. (The solo program was discontinued due to the cheaper obtainment of ZiU-9 solo trolleybuses. The only Ikarus 260 trolleybus was scrapped in the late '90s, but a pastiche of it is preserved as a heritage car and is restored in its original livery.) These articulated Ikarus-ZiU trolleys were in service by the 1990s, when they got replaced by more modern, although similar looking, Ikarus trolleys equipped with Ganz chopper-based electronics.

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