Riga Multiple-unit trams & multiple-unit trolleybuses.

These images come from a short trip I made to Riga, which is the capital city of Latvia, in a bitterly cold and cloudy April 1998.

Although the operation of multiple unit trains and trams (aka: light rail) where the trailing units are powered is a well-known aspect of steel wheel transports, it is much rarer with rubber-tyred transports.

However before the advent of articulated buses the use of coupled or multiple-unit trolleybuses was practised in many cities in what used to be known as the Soviet Union.

For multiple-unit operation the front vehicle does not use its trolleypoles and is both physically and electrically connected to the rear vehicle. The coupling between them works by means of a drawbar which is connected to the steering arm of the rear bus - so that it just follows the driving one. Effectively therefore the principle is very similar to a road vehicle pulling a trailer - except that here both vehicles are powered.

Once coupled the twin-set combinations would normally remain coupled (unless the workshops disconnected them). So the rear vehicle would not normally drive 'solo'. As is clearly seen in this film, for reasons of safety pedestrians are prevented from walking between the two vehicles by means of flexible gates.

Riga no longer uses multiple-unit trolleybuses as they now prefer articulated trolleybuses. As far as the former Soviet Union is concerned, it is believed that maybe just one or two cities in The Ukraine still use multiple-unit trolleybuses.

This film shows trams first and then trolleybuses. It comprises of both still images and video. Everything was hand held and is of the 'snapshot' variety, as I was not sure whether I should have been filming at all. At one time I had been stopped from filming the trams, so I had to be very careful. Nowadays I regret not having filmed more, but that is the way of life, I suppose. Im just thankful I went and saw / filmed anything at all.

More information and photographs of the trolleybuses can be found at this link...

http://citytransport.info/Mubus.htm

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Riga
• tram
• trolleybus
• multiple-unit
• streetcar
• trakless
• trolley
• rail
• railway
• railroad
• train
• mu
• trolebus
• filobus
• obus
• electric
• bus

[MultiIgor96]

а у шкоды 4:00 двери от трамвая РВЗ

[SuperRubenis]

@lkrnpk it 7 years after Latvia regain independence from USSR

[Liftmeh]

В это время не было ни одного модернизированного лифта. Никакой охраны шахты. А спк. Ой что там говорить. Даже дверь в машинное помещение в некоторых домах была на один ключ. А сейчас запутаться можно какой куда.

[KLblk88]

Эти колхозные рижские двери..

[rothkind]

we love riga!!

[lkrnpk]

and Riga really looks like bum city in this video- everything is just so Soviet-looking, streets, people, these trolleys etc. So much has changed here in 12 years and so much continues to change!

[lkrnpk]

It's 1998... the description says it.

[valentin0z]

Yes i see mercedes too. Probably it's one from firsts mercedes busses in Riga.

[wla7777]

@valentin0z I saw one Bus - Mercedes on this video! so I thing this is 1998-2000!

[wla7777]

1:11 what year is it?