Budapest, Hungary — With the toot of the horn, the ring of the bell and the hiss of the air brakes, the unusual train departs from the depot in Budapest to serve the Hungarian capital’s public transport system, a job it has done for a century.
Freight trams, known as mukis, run on electricity supplied by overhead wires and run on Budapest’s vast tram rail network, one of the busiest in the world. But unlike the hundreds of traditional yellow trams in the commuter fleet, they don’t carry passengers.
Acquired by the city in 1926, the wooden-sided trams were initially a necessary product: they brought goods and raw materials to Budapest’s factories after the local freight infrastructure was destroyed during the First World War.
“At that time engineers mainly designed electric drive systems using parts from war-damaged vehicles and parts from vehicles already designated for scrapping,” said Adam Zadravecz, head of tram vehicle development and technology at public transport company BKV in Budapest.
“Their primary purpose was cargo transportation, but after World War II, these vehicles were also used to remove war debris,” he said.
Over time, the function of the Mukis changed as Hungary recovered. In the 1960s, some of the original 40 trams were equipped with a snowplow, making it possible to clear the city’s tram tracks in winter, as they do today.
They also perform night maintenance runs and transport broken down trams to depots for repair.
Various parts in trams were gradually replaced, resulting in a mishmash of components. As of 2018, Mukis are due for a more comprehensive update.
“When they were made in the 1920s, they were very simple, very clean devices,” said Nander Mexner, head of vehicle maintenance at the Ferencvaros depot in Budapest. “During the renovation, we worked hard to make the work of our colleagues easier. That’s why, for example, a seat was added to the vehicle so that the driver could at least sit down.”
Another addition: the trams had heating in the cabin.
Despite changes over the past 100 years, the overall nature of the trams has remained the same, Zadravecz said.
“Their maintenance cost is almost nil because these trams are very easy to maintain. Compared to the complex electronics of today’s vehicles, the chances of them breaking down are very low,” he said. “People say it can be fixed with a hammer and file, and that’s absolutely true.”
Driving them requires special training, however, and the vehicle has what Meixner calls a certain “feel.”
“Just driving is not enough, to know the signs and instructions, you also need to know the vehicle. We used to say that the driver has to drive this vehicle through his butt,” he said.
Of the original fleet of 40 mukis, only six have survived the past 100 years in Budapest, with three in active use.
“The value of these vehicles lies precisely in their simplicity, that they exist and are available to us,” Zadravecz said.
(Tags to translate)Transport(T)General News(T)Business(T)World News(T)Article(T)131139118
