MTV-82

MTV-82 (МТВ-82 in Russian) is a Soviet four-axle tramcar. MTV stands for Moscow Tram Vehicle. The first prototype of MTV-82 tramcar was built on the military Factory No. 82 (it corresponds to 82 number in the vehicle index) in 1946. The mass production started in 1947 on the Factory No. 82 and it was transferred to Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca (RVR - Latvian acronym; Рижский Вагонный Завод, РВЗ - Russian full name and acronym) in 1949. In 1961 mass production of MTV-82 in Riga ceased, it was replaced in production by its direct successor, RVZ-6 tramcar. In total, Factory No. 82 and RVR produced 453 and 1707 MTV-82s respectively. These tramcars worked until 1983 in Moscow, Kiev, Gorky, Sverdlovsk, Vladivostok and many other Soviet cities and towns. The Soviet tram drivers and repairmen liked MTV-82 very much for its simplicity, reliability and durability. Most of MTV-82s were in operable state before scrapping, but renovation of Soviet trams was fatal for many types of "old-fashioned" Soviet tramcars (see also LM-49).

MTV-82 is a 1,524 mm (5 ft) gauge high-floor four-axle tram. It has a full metal body which is mounted on a massive steel carriage with two double-axle bogies. The car has two double doors at each end, which have pneumatic gear for opening and closing. The main brake system is also pneumatic. MTV-82 is equipped with four 55 kW electric motors and is capable of a maximum speed of 55 km/h. The controller for motors uses direct current. Initially the MTV-82 did not have a low-voltage system, but this was added later for external braking and turn light signalization. The vehicle has 40 seats and is able to transport nearly 120 passengers with a full load. The MTV-82 is 13611 mm in length, 2550 mm in width, and nearly 3000 mm in height. The overall weight without passengers is 17.5 metric tons.

Shortly after the end of World War II a strong need in new trolleybuses became apparent. This was due to a massive conversion from trams to trolley buses in many cities in the USSR. Due to this issue, the Motor and Automobile Research Institute developed a unified vehicle bodies for buses and trolleybuses, which was a copy of the ones produced by General Motors.

The legendary endurance and reliability of MTV-82 trams makes them ideal for use in non-revenue service. After being retired or removed from passenger service, many MTV-82 trams were converted into service trams. They could be used for towing other trams, as hoppers, freight trams, etc. In the cities of Odessa, and Zaparozh'je a couple of MTV-82 trams were rebuilt into unique double ended (2 cab) version. In Odessa, such 2-cab trams were in use on the picturesque single track route # 19. In Zaparozh'e they were used on route #5.

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