Tram Museum Par Excellence

John Woodman

One of Europe's finest collection of urban transport and especially trams is to be found in the Czech Capital City - Prague. Over many decades management and staff of the Prague transport system have ensured that representative examples of evolving tram designs and styling have been retained. Stored within a cavernous depot the ever enlarging collection is maintained by transport staff together with generations of dedicated volunteers. The trams (not all of them) emerge on special tours and events adding to the many attractions of this marvellous city which I visited several times on business. This included meetings with the Skoda Transportation company at a time when it was hoping to secure the contract to supply Blackpool's low floor trams.

A formidable? expert on the Prague transport system is of course Mike Morton, well known locally and among transport professional circles. A recent visit to the Czech Republic allowed him to update his considerable catalogue of material on the Prague tram fleet and museum collection. This included images of the newest tourist tram and a creative store front in the city centre which uses the front section of a typical Tatra tram once common in Prague as Routemaster buses were in London in former times. Number 7273 (or part thereof) makes an eyecatching sight within the frontage of the Smichoff Centre in Prague - All Photos by Mike Morton April 2022

Below : an absolutely immaculate tourist sightseeing tram with respectable load and roof level glazing.

Below : not quite what it seems, This car is actually turning off one of the tram routes.

A museum heritage set with two axle centre entrance trailer 1419. This design originated in the late 1930s with wartime examples and early postwar versions being built. Note the immaculate livery and pristine exterior of the trams. The design preceded the introduction of PCC type four axle cars (T1) which followed immediately after. Prototype 7001 is preserved in operational condition in the Prague transport museum. Thank you MIke for these recent images.