File:RailCarCoupler.CKDx~VidC

Description
These are all the trams operated by Podnik in Prague, except for those only running on heritage tram route 41.

There are 3 categories of tram in normal service Prague: Tatra T3s, Tatra K-models & modern trams made by Škoda. Let's start with the awesome Tatra T3. The bodywork is pretty much the same on all T3s, except for the buggy-friendly ones, & they are all controlled using pedals & use Thyristors & nice double-arm pantographs. Prague has used 5 types of Tatra T3: the first is the original T3, of which none are left. The second is the T3SUCS, which still runs on nostalgic route 23, but of which most have been modernised or sold to the Ukraine. I will expand on these in a separate video. The other three are different types of modernisations.

The first type of modernisation is the T3M. These had their thyristors replaced with TV1 thyristors, which sound really weird. The pitch of the sound they make corresponds to the amount of power being used at any one time, so they go ..... .

The second type of modernisation is the T3P. These trams had their thyristors replaced with Progress thyristors, & the sound they make is ..... .

The third type of modernisation is the T3R, not to be confused with the T3R for Romania. These are trams that were particularly corroded, so they had substantial changes to the bodywork, including the insertion of a low-floor section in the middle. These trams are known as Kočárek Spojenecký Tramvaje, meaning buggy-friendly trams.

Here is the coupler used by the T3

The next category is the Tatra K-Model, made in the 80s & 90s. These come in 2 types: articulated & non-articulated. These trams have single-arm pantographs. The articulated version has 3 carbodies, & the one in the middle is low-floor. Unusually for Prague, they are bidirectional & have doors on both sides, which is strange as the Prague tram network has no island platforms & all termini have loops. Both the articulated & non-articulated versions have DC pulsing, although the articulated ones have a much higher pulsing frequency. The articulated ones go ..... . The non-articulated ones go ..... .

There are 2 types of modern trams made by Škoda. The first is the Škoda 14T Elektra, known as the Porsche tram because the bodywork was designed by designers from fellow Volkswagen group company Porsche. This tram was a complete flop. Firstly, the front passenger door is located very far away from the front, unlike most Prague trams which have a door right at the front. Secondly, the interior decoration was very dark, a bit like the Boris bus, & it felt a bit dingy. Thirdly, it suffered many failures with the gearing. The reason for this was because they placed the front wheel here, leaving a substantial overhang. & guess where they put the traction equipment. Here, under the high-floor driver's cab in the overhang. This meant that unless the tram was full, the axle load would be extremely uneven due to concentration of weight in the overhang, & this damaged the gearing. These trams lasted for just 7 years before being withdrawn for modernisation. This is pathetic compared to the Tatra T3s, which were modernised when they were on-average 30 years older than that. They are now slowly reintroducing the modernised Porsche trams, but I didn't get to ride on any or even get any decent photos of them, which is why I got this photo from Wikipedia.

The most recent trams are the Škoda 15T ForCity. These trams have been reverse-engineered from the Porsche trams. The aesthetics place a lot of emphasis on the extremely large windows, & there is a bogie right at the front. Sadly, they have an incredibly boring-sounding lightweight VF drive.