Tatra T2

T2 is the name of a tramcar, produced by Tatra. The tramcar was produced between 1955 and 1962, and a total of 771 cars were produced.

The very first T2 prototypes were tested as number 6001 and 6002 in Prague in 1955. In 1958, the first series of produced cars were delivered to almost all Czechoslovak networks. They were not put into service in Jablonec, because of an ongoing discussion on whether to keep or not to keep the track width of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in), nor in Prague, where the cars were considered too wide.

The T2s were more durable than their predecessor, the T1, and so also more long-lived. The last T2s were superseded in the 1980s, although some vehicles remain in museums. Some T1 vehicles were converted into T3 during the 1960s.

T2SU

The T2SUs were T2 cars that were delivered to the Soviet Union, hence the suffix -SU. The cars differed from the Czechoslovak version, particularly by the removal of the middle door, making room for more seats. The fare-collection system in most of the Soviet Union maintained that all people pay for their ride, thus the requirement for passengers to board from the rear door and depart from the front door. Removal of the middle door was hence required by contractors in order to avoid free-riders.^[1]

The last T2SUs were withdrawn from service in the 1980s. In total, 380 T2SU cars were delivered to the Soviet Union.

T2R

In the 1970s and 1980s, 112 T2 trams were modernized into T2R. Modernization included overhauling of electrical equipment and some changes in the car body. That modernization helped the trams to survive into the 1990s. Two T2Rs were remodernized in early 2000s in Liberec and these two remain in everyday use. In Brno, Liberec and Ostrava four other T2Rs are used as service trams.

Production

771 trams were produced from 1955 to 1962 and delivered to:^[2]

	City	Year	T2	T2SU	Total
	Bratislava	1959–62	66	-	66
	Brno	1958–62	94	-	94
	Košice	1958–62	31	-	31
	Liberec	1960–61	14	-	14
	Most	1961–62	36	-	36
	Olomouc	1960–61	4	-	4
	Ostrava	1958–62	100	-	100
	Pilsen	1960–62	26	-	26
	Prague	1955	2	-	2
	Ústí nad Labem	1960–62	18	-	18
	Samara	1958–62	-	43	43
	Kiev	1960–62	-	50	50
	St. Petersburg	1959	-	2	2
	Moscow	1959–62	-	180	180
	Rostov-on-Don	1958–59	-	40	40
	Yekaterinburg	1958–62	-	65	65
		Total	391	380	771

Note: This is a production list. Public transport companies may sell used trams to other companies, thus the number of cities with a history of these trams may be higher.

Photo gallery

• Tatra T2
• 
  Historical T2 tram in Prague
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  Historical T2 tram in Prague
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  Historical T2 tram in Prague
• 
  Tatra T2R service tram in Brno

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tatra T2.