LM-57
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The LM-57 (Russian ЛМ-57) is the Soviet motor four-axle tramcar. First prototype of this vehicle was built in 1957 (hence the 57 in the name) at the Leningrad Wagon Repair Plant (VARZ, ВАРЗ, Ленинградский Вагоноремонтный Завод - Russian abbreviature and full name). "LM" means Leningrad Motor tramcar. The VARZ produced near 800 LM-57s in 1957-1968.
The LM-57 has streamlined forms, which were common for vehicles in many countries in the end of 1950-ies. First LM-57 also had a big number of chromized parts and a big front emblem. Mass production LM-57 had not so many decorations, but many people estimates them as most beautiful Soviet tram forever. The LM-57 had a nickname Stilyaga (Russian Стиляга), meaning The Dendy for its external appearance.
LM-57 tramcars worked in Leningrad, Kiev, Tashkent, Gorky, Magnitogorsk, Kazan, Saratov, Arkhangelsk and Nizhny Tagil. The last LM-57s were withdrawn from city service in 1983-85. Unlike LM-49 withdrawal, many LM-57s were on the edge of complete exhaustion at this time. This was a consequence of metal economy policy, started in the beginning of 1960-ies. Main goal of such policy was maximal increase of tramcar mass production. As a result, the frame of LM-57 was not strong and durable in comparison with less complicated pre-war and first post-war tramcars.
Technical Details
The LM-57 is a broad gauge (1524 mm or 60 inch) high-floor, four-axle, one-sided tramcar. It's full-metal aluminium hull is mounted on a steel carriage with two double-axle bridge-type boggies with single suspension stage. The hull has three doors (one narrow in front end and two wide in the middle and rear end). The doors have pneumatic gears for opening and closing. The main brake system is also pneumatic. The LM-57 is equipped with four 45 kW electric motors and is able to reach a top speed of 65 km/h. It utilizes a direct, mechanical control of electric current to motors. The main control device is the hand-operated multipositional controller for resistor groups commutation in motors power cirquit. Initially LM-57s did not have a low-voltage subsystem, but this was added later for external brakes and turn light signals. The vehicle has 37 seats and is able to transport 207 passengers at full capacity (8 passengers per square meter). The three main dimensions of LM-49 is 15000 mm length, 2550 mm width and 3080 mm height, overall weight without passengers is 18.5 metric tons.The LM-57 is a dedicated single tramcar. It had neither unmotored trailer modification nor ability for work in a train from some motor tramcars (due to direct current regulation system). But in Gorky local inventors managed to built a train from two LM-57s. They constructed a pneumatic gear for transmission controller handle movements from first vagon to second one. This train successfully worked until it's old age withdrawal. The photo of this train is available [here]. However this work had not any continuation, the train from two LM-57s remained in single number.
Survivors
Two LM-57 survived to this day. One LM-57 is an operational piece of St Petersburg tram collection. This LM-57 tramcar can be hired by foreign tourists for city excursion. The Nizhny Novgorod tram & trolley Museum has another non-operable LM-57 as memorial tramcar.See also
External links
- [LM-57 on Nizhny Novgorod TramSite] (in Russian)
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