By Wolfgang Auer
Two months ago (sigh...), Dr. Richard C. DeArmond wrote: "If anyone is interested in the sad story of Weimar's trolleybuses [...]" I am. Why not post it for the group? And Ken Wuschke added: "Please post this to the group."
Whew, I should like to take advantage of this incredibly sweltering weekend here in Wien to write that story at last.
The Weimar trolleybus system is a typical product of the German post-war era and its shortages. The first line (Route 1, Schöndorf--Hauptbahnhof-- Ehringsdorf was opened in 1948. However, the system seemed to have always been under an unlucky star. Route 2 to Oberweimar was opened in 1953, but soon replaced with diesel operation, while the wires continued to hang. A very strange thing to happen in the former German Democratic Republic. On the other hand, the line to garage Damaschkestraße, far away from route 1, didn't see regular revenue service for a long time, only in 1985, a trolleybus route 8 from there to Hauptbahnhof was introduced.
Apart from shortcomings in regard to its route system, Weimar suffered from some ignorance by the almighty Central Authorities in (East) Berlin. The operation could be maintained only by incredible efforts of the Weimar trolleybus people, as a fleet replacement or even expansion was not possible for a long time. Only in 1982, new articulated trolleybuses were delivered, but on the other hand, "inarticulated" trolleybuses had to be passed on to Potsdam. Such fleet aspects andordered transitions were very typical for the East German situation of the pre-1989 years.
After the incredible weeks of the peaceful abandonment of Communist politics in 1989, the new government was confrontated with a rather decrepit trolleybus system. However, times were already quite pro-transit then, and at first, serious efforts were begun to refurbish the system that started to work quite fine. Several studies about the system's future were ordered from different companies, and all but one of them strongly encouraged the government to keep the trolleybuses, and maybe even extend their system. Actually, an extension to Weimar West was opened in 1990!
Then, something catastrophic must have happened. Something similar to the 1983 developments in Edmonton, as David Anthony Wyatt and others recently described in the electric trolleybus discussion group. All the studies were ignored but the one that encouraged the abandonment of trolleybus operation. A Solingen trolleybus was tested in Weimar during a few days (it must have been ordered before the drastic change happened), but so lousily advertised that virtually nobody at all could have taken notice of it. The Solingen transit authorities even had to pay for the accomodation of the respective staff... Later, a Essen duobus, shown in the neighbor city Erfurt, must not have been run in Weimar. Prohibited by the authorities.
And when Ikarus wanted to test new trolleybuses in Weimar, this was not permitted, too.
The maintainance of the system was reduced to an absolute minimum. The carbon inserts were reported to not be replaced any longer, resulting in dewirings and heavy damage to the wires.
The last year was somehow typical for the Weimar situation: At first,
a truck destroyed the overhead wire under a bridge. This led to the
immediate suspending of trolleybus service on the northern leg of the
remaining trolleybus route 7 (Schöndorf--Hauptbahnhof--Weimar West),
ten days before this leg should have been abandoned in 1992. At this
time, the Ehringsdorf leg already had been withdrawn in regard to
trolleybus service, if I remember correctly.
So only route 71, a peak hour supplemental route to dieselized route 7,
still saw trolleybuses. This service was due to be cancelled, too, on 23
May 1993, but already on Fri, 2 April 1993, the last trolleybus ran on
Weimar's streets. On monday after this weekend, diesel buses simply
were put into service on the former trolleybus route. Remember: The last
abandoned section was only three years in use. To close such a section
so early again is quite an act of vandalism, in my humble opinion.
While all but one[2] of almost 30 tram systems in the former German
Democratic Republic did not only survive, but even look into a more or
less promising future, Eberswalde is the only trolleybus system that survived. Strange...
[2] And even this tiny Naumburg loop line still is not totally closed!
Best regards from Wien, Österreich,
Wolfgang
Wolfgang Auer -------------------------------------- ohne AUTO doppelt MOBIL
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