Quite by chance, I was interested in the topic - where did the trolleybus come from? Are you interested too? Let's figure it out together. Such a vehicle, apparently the "great-great-grandfather" of the trolleybus, was first presented to the public on April 29, 1882. Invented. Designed and designed by Dr. Ernst Werner von Siemens, the Elektromote, a new form of transport, was presented in a remarkable presentation on the outskirts of Berlin.
Ernst Werner von Siemens.
Needless to say, at that time, the appearance of a self-propelled "without horse assistance" carriage was absolutely incredible and amazing. And here's something worth mentioning: using electricity to move the wagon was certainly not a new idea. This has already been tried on the Gross-Lichterfelde tram line, but the power to the motors was organized through the rails. It was deadly for anyone who stepped on them. And it was also necessary to insulate the wheelsets in order to avoid a short circuit along the axle.
They also tried to use the third "contact" rail, but this system turned out to be inoperative - the use of the third rail led to short circuits during rains, constant voltage killed animals (dogs and cats) and was dangerous for pedestrians.
And so, in 1881, Wernher von Siemens presented the first tram with overhead power lines at the International Exhibition in Paris. A demonstration air line was built between Place de la Concorde and Palais del'Industrie. A year later, from April to June 1882, von Siemens once again showed his Electromote system in Berlin.
The Electromote was a converted four-wheeled Landau sidecar equipped with two 2.2 kW electric motors and a chain drive to the rear wheels. The voltage used was 550 VDC. The transmission of electricity to the wheelchair was carried out via a flexible cable that pulled a small eight-wheeled "contact vehicle" (Kontaktwagen), which "ran" along overhead power lines. Electromote already met all the technical criteria for a typical trolleybus.
Promotional video:
The world's first trolleybus operated from April 29 to June 13, 1882 on a 540 m (591 yd) track starting at the Halensee train station and then on “Straße no. 5”, today's Joachim-Friedrich-Straße, and “Straße no. 13”, today's Johann-Georg-Straße, crossing the upper Kurfürstendamm on the former Kurfürstenplatz.
On August 25, 1883, an experimental tram line with a length of 350 meters was put into operation in Vienna's Prater park. The working voltage in it was reduced to 150 V. And in October 1883, the first permanent tram with overhead lines was launched in Austria. Bipolar overhead lines were U-shaped tubes, and pantographs moved along these grooves.
And then everything has just begun …