Konstal N

Konstal N was a tram model based on the German Kriegsstraßenbahnwagen concept, manufactured between 1948 and 1956 by the companies Konstal in Chorzów, Gdańsk Shipyard no. 3 and Sanok Railcar Factory "Sanowag". The narrow-gauge version (Konstal 2N) was built from 1950 to 1956. Trailers (tram units with no engine) were marked ND or 2ND. The N was the first tram manufactured in Poland after the Second World War.[1]

Konstal N
Restored historic Konstal N tram in Gdańsk
Interior
ManufacturerKonstal
Stocznia Gdańska
Sanowag
AssemblyPoland Gdańsk
Poland Chorzów
Poland Sanok
Family nameKonstal
Constructed1948 – 1956 (N)
1950 – 1956 (2N)
SuccessorKonstal 4N
Capacity99
Specifications
Car length10,400 mm (34 ft 1 in)
Width2,160 mm (7 ft 1 in)
Height3,300 mm (10 ft 10 in)
Doors4
Engine typeLT-31
Traction motors2
Power output2×60 kW
Electric system(s)600 V DC
Current collector(s)pantograph
Wheels driven1
Coupling systemAlbert
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)

Specifications

The N was a bidirectional motor tramcar, equipped with four sliding doors.

In post-war Poland, many cities struggled with significant shortages of rolling stock, and therefore it was necessary to develop a tram with simple construction and easy assembly. It was decided to copy the construction of the German tram Kriegsstraßenbahnwagen (KSW),[2] developed during the Second World War to satisfy the demand of local tram transport companies. Due to the lack of motors, initially the ND trailers for Upper Silesia were built.[1]

The successor of Konstal N was Konstal 4N.[3]

Usage

The N standard-gauge trams were supplied to: Gdańsk, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Sopot, the Upper silesian conurbation, Kraków, Poznań, Szczecin, Warsaw, and Wrocław, while narrow-gauge versions were used, among others, in Bielsko-Biała, Bydgoszcz, Grudziądz, Elbląg, Inowrocław, Jelenia Góra, Legnica, Łódź, Olsztyn, Słupsk, Toruń and Wałbrzych.

To this day, two units are operated in Bytom, where they are used on a single-track tram line no. 38. These are trams no. 954 from 1949, and no. 1118 from 1951.[4]

  • Konstal N in Bytom, still in service in 2006
    Konstal N in Bytom, still in service in 2006
  • A historic N car with the 4ND1 trailer in tow in Katowice, 2008
    A historic N car with the 4ND1 trailer in tow in Katowice, 2008
  • A historic N in Kraków, 2011
    A historic N in Kraków, 2011
  • A type N car converted into a snowplow in Toruń
    A type N car converted into a snowplow in Toruń
  • Dashboard
    Dashboard

References
  1. Lubka, Arkadiusz; Stiasny, Marcin (2004). Atlas tramwajów. Poznań: Poznański Klub Modelarzy Kolejowych. p. 157. ISBN 83-920757-0-6.
  2. "Wagony typu N/ND i 4N/4ND". Tramwar. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  3. Lubka, Arkadiusz; Stiasny, Marcin (2004). Atlas tramwajów. Poznań: Poznański Klub Modelarzy Kolejowych. p. 159. ISBN 83-920757-0-6.
  4. Paweł Korcz: 38 Bytom kościół św. Trójcy - Bytom Powstańców Śl., "Świat Kolei" no. 2/2011, pp. 48-51

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