Erfurt tram lover saves Tatra front piece for eternity!

Erfurt tram lover saves Tatra front piece for eternity!

The tram and its fascinating history still captivate people in Erfurt. This also applies to Markus Christophel, who as a train driver not only dedicated his professional life to rail, but also developed a very special passion for Tatra trams. These vehicles, which traveled in Erfurt from 1976 to 2014, have an important place in the city's transport history. Loud Thuringia24 Markus is the proud owner of two original Tatra trams, which he keeps privately in his collection.

But it's not just the collection that sets Markus apart. An event in July 2021 brought a special turn in his life. He received a call informing him that an old Tatra tram in Gotha was to be scrapped. This train, which was sold from Erfurt to Gotha in 2016, never went into operation and was only intended to serve as a spare parts donor. The vehicle should finally be retired during a fire drill in 2021. Markus decided to save a piece of this history and brought a piece of the front of the train home with him.

A piece of history in the living room

He was able to receive the massive front piece, which weighs between 250 and 300 kilograms, for a donation. With the help of friends, this heavy piece of railway history was carried to his apartment and handed over to a metalworking shop for processing. Now the front piece is proudly displayed in Markus’ living room and is his greatest treasure. “It is a piece of Erfurt’s transport history that I was able to preserve with passion,” says Markus. His Facebook post about this achievement was well received by his friends.

But what makes the Tatra trams so special? These trams were originally developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s and also enjoy an excellent international reputation. As one of the largest producers of tram cars in the world, the Tatra Prague company quickly made a name for itself. The Tatra railcars, which were introduced in Erfurt in 1978, were characterized by their robustness and longevity. Trams Online describes that over 18,000 cars of the classic PCC system were manufactured for various tram companies.

Erfurt tram through the ages

A look at the history of the Erfurt tram reveals that the first lines were opened on May 13, 1883. Back then, horses had to pull the first tracks over a distance of 7.4 kilometers. Electric operation only began in 1894. The Tatra railcars and the modern low-floor railcars, which have been in use since 1994, are the result of a long tradition that has continually developed. The Tatra-KT4D car 530 was built in the 1980s and was converted into a city tour car in 2014 Lars Bruemann reported.

So the fascination for the Tatra trams lives on, both among passionate collectors like Markus and among the passengers of the Erfurt tram. The history of these railways is not just a story of vehicles, but also of memories and community that runs through the decades.