Tatra T4

T4 is the name of a tram produced by ČKD Tatra. It is the narrower variant of the Tatra T3 model. A large number of cars was supplied to the DDR, the USSR, Romania and the former Yugoslavia using names T4D, T4SU, T4R and T4YU, respectively. The T4 was originally developed in 1958 and has been continuously modernized or copied since.

Types

T4D

T4D in Dresden

In Germany this type came into four former provincial cities: Dresden, Halle (Saale), Leipzig and Magdeburg. It has space for 26 seats and 88 standees (this number is more than optimistic). Between 1968 to 1986 a total of 1,766 vehicles were delivered. The trailers of the T4D-series were called B4D. The trailers have two more seats instead of the driver's cab. 789 trailers were delivered to the above-mentioned cities.

Thus combinations of several cars became possible. This was called "Großzug" ("big train") and most-commonly consisted of two motor cars and a trailer. After the German reunification, Germany began a modernization of the T4D-cars. The modernized cars are designated as T4D-C (Halle), T4D-M (Leipzig), T4D-MS or T4D-MT (Dresden). Unmodernized T4Ds were mostly taken out of service. Today (2010), unmodernized T4Ds are only used as works cars. Magdeburg gave away some cars to the Romanian cities of Oradea and Cluj-Napoca. Cars from Halle are used today in Kaliningrad, Iaşi, Belgrade (one car, garage number 1004), Sofia; Leipzig and Dresden vehicles are used in Pyongyang (North Korea) and Rostov-on-Don (Russia).

In some cities, like Dresden, a majority of the modernized T4Ds have been replaced by new low-floor trams. At night, only the new low-floor trams are in use, for safety reasons. In Leipzig, the number of low-floor cars is increased by using low-floor trailer cars. The T4 is remarkable particularly for its distinctive design, which differs strongly from later "box" or modern trams.

T4SU

T4SU in Lviv

In the USSR, just like in the DDR there were networks, which permitted a maximum width of vehicle of 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in). Since those were too narrow for T3 and the factory in Gotha stopped its production, the T4s was sold as T4SU to the Soviet Union. Like the other CSU types, a closed operator's cab was included. No trailer cars were used.

T4R

The Romanian vehicles do not differ technically and structurally from the Soviet. Since the vehicles were suitable, due to the smaller car body width, for most Romanian networks, they were used more frequently and differently from the T3. In all cities but Bucharest, these vehicles are in a state of disrepair, and they are mostly withdrawn from service.

In 1998, RATB began a project of modernisation of the T4R cars by making an articulated 6-axled car from two T4R cars. The new vehicle type is named "Bucur". The project progresses very slowly due to financial problems, and the number of trams to be produced is also uncertain, although they originally intended to convert all existing 130 T4 cars into 65 modernised vehicles.

The T4R trams in Bucharest are numbered 3301 to 3431, but there have been only 130 cars delivered. The tram with number 3339 has never been delivered. An urban legend tells that CKD had wrongly printed the number and RATB sign on a car that was delivered elsewhere, then they sent the last car for Bucharest with the number 3431. However, RATB's documents always mention 130 T4R trams for Bucharest, and not 131.

T4YU

T4YU in Zagreb

The Yugoslav T4s was delivered starting from 1967. The two motor coaches delivered for the capital Belgrade used electrical equipment of the T4D. One car came back to Prague a short time later, and was used for excursion trips. The other was rebuilt as a trailer car and shipped to Halle (Saale). In 1972(?) twenty T4s were delivered to Belgrade with Soviet equipment, and those vehicles were used in Belgrade from 1972 to 1989. Today, only one Halle (Dresden donation) car is in use. Croatian city of Zagreb bought 95 vehicles between years 1976 and 1982, 60 of them are still in use in January 2012. Zagreb cars are similar in their electrical equipment to the German variant.

Production

3509 trams were produced from 1967 to 1987 and delivered to:^[1]

	City	Year	T4D	B4D	T4SU	T4R	T4YU	B4YU	Total
	Arad	1974–1981	0	0	0	100	0	0	100
	Belgrade	1967/1972	0	0	0	0	22	0	22
	Brăila	1978	0	0	0	10	0	0	10
	Bucharest	1973–1975	0	0	0	131	0	0	131
	Dresden	1967–1984	572	250	0	0	0	0	822
	Galați	1978	0	0	0	10	0	0	10
	Halle	1968–1986	323	124	0	0	0	0	447
	Iaşi	1978–1981	0	0	0	70	0	0	70
	Kaliningrad	1971–1979	0	0	223	0	0	0	223
	Leipzig	1968–1987	597	273	0	0	0	0	870
	Liepāja	1976–1979	0	0	15	0	0	0	15
	Lviv	1972–1979	0	0	73	0	0	0	73
	Magdeburg	1967–1986	274	142	0	0	0	0	416
	Tallinn	1973–1979	0	0	60	0	0	0	60
	Vinnytsia	1971–1979	0	0	42	0	0	0	42
	Zagreb	1976–1983	0	0	0	0	95	85	180
	Zhytomyr	1977–1979	0	0	18	0	0	0	18
		Total	1766	789	431	321	117	85	3509

Photo gallery

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tatra T4.

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  T4D in Leipzig

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  Control panel of T4D

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  T4YU in Zagreb

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  T4SU in Kaliningrad

References