Author: Renata Karpińska
None of the Cieszyn tramcars have been preserved. The replica was made according to original documentation of the Cieszyn tramway line provided by the Austrian State Archives in Vienna, preserved photographs and postcards, information provided by the National Archives in Prague, and builders of tramway replicas from Krnov and Olomouc. The colours of the replica were determined on the basis of the original or reconstructed Ringhoffer tramcars at the Museum městské hromadné dopravy in Prague.
Film authors: Beata Bugajska, Oleksandr Lazoryk, Krzysztof Kłowaty
The replica of the tramcar was made by the company POLMAT Artur Matkowski from Wrocław.
Cieszyn trams were manufactured in 1910 at the F. Ringhoffer factory in the Smíchov district of Prague. The vehicles were numbered from 1 to 4. They were two-way, two-engine tramcars equipped with AEG electrical equipment featuring a current collector with an articulated, lyre-shaped frame on the roof. The chassis was biaxial with foldable protective grilles; the body, suspended on leaf springs, had semi-closed platforms (piers) on which there were a total of about 12 standing places. The entrances were protected by grate doors. The piers were lined with wood, and the driver’s equipment elements were made of brass. The tramcar body was wooden, covered with metal halfway up, and had a canvas roof. The tramcars were painted red and white (the lower part of the body in red, from the window line in white), the roof and undercarriage were light grey. In the middle of the straight part of the side walls, on a panel surrounded by a decorative line, there the coat of arms of Cieszyn was placed. The passenger com- partment was closed with wooden doors. The sides of the tram- cars had 4 unevenly sized windows on each side (2 outer narrower, 2 middle wider); above each window was one (for the narrower ones) or two ventilation windows. Inside the tramcar, above the windows, there was a cable connected to a bell to notify the driver. The seating arrangement in the compartment (wooden benches, without handrails, with posts) was transverse 2+1, with a total of 18 seats. Above the seats were luggage racks. On the front of the tramcar and in the windows there were placards indicating the direction of travel. The tramcar’s lighting consisted of a spotlight on the front, a spotlight on the roof, and lighting inside the passenger compartment – 6 electric ceiling lamps and 2 candle-lit emergency lamps. The Cieszyn tramcars were practically identical to those from Ústí nad Labem. Major differences were the presence of a pantograph instead of a lyre-shaped frame, the arrange- ment of seats along the walls, and a pressure brake.
After the division of Cieszyn Silesia and the town itself between Poland and Czechoslovakia in 1920, the tramcars were repainted green, whereas the grey colour on the roof and undercarriage took a darker shade.
The replica of the Cieszyn tramcar is as faithful to the original as possible, since all visible elements have been made using original materials or those that do not differ in appearance and other parameters from the originals. However, the replica is not equipped with engines, brakes, and other driving components. The decorations on the tramcar walls were painted by hand. The windows of the replica, unlike the originals, do not open. Due to current regulations, the window panes are made of toughened glass and, in addition to the non-functioning but faithfully reproduced original heaters, modern electric heaters have been installed under the seats to warm the passenger compartment. The wooden elements of the replica are made of mahogany and ash wood. The roof is additionally protected with an invisible sheet steel layer. There are also 2 surveillance cameras and 2 monitors in the passenger compartment. The tramcar replica is also secured with additional doors made of toughened glass, and the passenger cabin doors have additional locks. The tramcar is open for visitors.
Video of the installation of the replica
Author: Marek Konieczny
