Tatra K5

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Tatra K5AR
A Tatra K5 in Cairo in 1977
Stock typeElectric multiple unit
ManufacturerČKD Tatra
Constructed1970–1973
Number built200
Capacity56 (Seated)[1]
92 (Standing)[1]
Specifications
Train length21.6 m (71 ft)[1]
Car length20.4 m (67 ft)[1]
Width2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)[1]
Height3.05 m (10.0 ft)[1]
Doors6
Articulated sections1
Wheelbase1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) (chassis)[1]
Power output4 * 44.5 kW (178 kW)[1]

The Tatra K5 (officially the K5AR), nicknamed "Cairos"[2], were bidirectional two-section trams manufactured by ČKD Tatra in the early 1970s. This type was derived from the unidirectional Tatra K2 variant. The K5s were supplied exclusively to the Cairo tram network operator in a quantity of 200 trams. Due to persistent overloading and their deficient state, the trams remained in service for approximately one decade.

Background

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The deliveries of Tatra K5 trams, which were being developed since the mid-1960s, to Egypt at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s were probably due to losing the Six-Day War in 1967 and the rapprochement of the Egyptian Republic with the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc states.[3] The epithet AR (designation of the export version), which is often used in the name of the K5 (as Tatra K5AR), is probably derived from the then official name of Egypt, the United Arab Republic.[1]

Construction

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The Tatra K5 was a bidirectional two-section tram.[1] The design was based on the Tatra K2.[1] The K5 was, in contrast to the K2, a bidirectional vehicle with driver's cabins at both ends of the tram.[1] The K5's body consisted of two sections.[1] There were three doors on each section: two in the middle of the section and one on the other side of the driver in the section.[1] A feature of the K5 was the division of the interior into passenger classes; the first class was separated from the second class by a chain with leather upholstery.[2] Unlike the K2, the K5 cars could be coupled in pairs; this was tested in Prague and shortly after its commissioning in Cairo, but the local operator did not use this feature.[2]

The interior mostly used parts from the Tatra T3 and K2.[2] The K5s did not have heaters, conductor's stations, or sandblasters installed in the interior.[2] The windows were adapted for the subtropical climate by having sliding upper and lower parts.[2] The electrical equipment of the K5 was adapted for the climatic conditions of the subtropical belt.[2] The electrical equipment was based on the electrical equipment of the K2.[2] The electric current was taken from the overhead line by two pantographs; each of them were placed on the roof of one section.[1] The trams were equipped for slow travel (up to 30 km/h (19 mph)).[2]

Deliveries and operation

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The prototype of the K5 was manufactured in 1968.[3] Production of the trams took place between 1970 and 1973, when all 200 K5 trams produced were delivered to Cairo at the same time.[1] The first 150 K5s were painted green and cream, the last 50 were painted in red and cream.[4] The trams were disassembled into two sections, loaded onto railway wagons, and sent to the Yugoslav port of Rijeka, from where they were taken to Egypt by ship.[4] Cairo tram drivers were trained on K2 trams in Brno in 1969.[4]

A large number of K5s burned down during operation in Egypt.[4] According to preserved photographs from 1976, the rest of the K5s were also in poor condition, as maintenance and care was not at the required level of maintenance.[4] Czechoslovak technicians came to Cairo in 1975–1978 and began repairs on about 100 K5s.[2] To the operator's wishes, the technicians removed all unnecessary functions (dismantling door controls and windscreen wipers; mounting other pantographs on metal superstructures, etc.).[2] The last K5s were retired in 1981 due to persistent overloading and their deficient state.[1][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Jähne, Christoph (2010). "K5AR". Tatrawagen.de (in German). Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Borek 2004.
  3. ^ a b c Vobecký 2001, p. 13.
  4. ^ a b c d e Městská doprava 2002, p. 21.

Sources

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  • Vobecký, Jiří (2001). "Poslední jízdy tramvají K5 v Káhiře" [The last rides of the K5 tram in Cairo]. Městská doprava (in Czech) (5).
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tatra K5.
  • Borek, Vladislav (2004). "Technický popis tramvaje K5 AR" [Technical description of the K5 AR tram]. Svět železnic (in Czech) (10).
  • "Tramvaje K5 v Brně a Káhiře" [K5 trams in Brno and Cairo]. Městská doprava (in Czech) (1). 2002.