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Budapest: Into the night with Eva
A tramcar arrived again at Hungary, but this time not Miskolc but the capitol Budapest, namely
car no. 6117, nicknamed Eva, type EM which is a track measuring car of the Vienna transport
company Wiener Linien. They have been working for three nights throughout the local network,
to do track diagnostic measuring according to a research and development plan. So, I can say,
I have had some adventures in the night with Eva. :-)))) This car was rebuilt from an
E1 car built in 1968 by SGP, the same type which has appeared in
Miskolc, Hungary a few years ago.
Of course, the car was brought here by trailer, on the road. It's simplier and faster as the
railway, sadly. It had a rest on the base of the BKV line service every day, this can be found
between Ferencváros depot and the main railway.
To have a total clearance on the whole network, and not to hinder any other vehicles, it
departed after close-down, just after midnight early on 7th September 2004.
It takes a delta reversing inside Ferencváros depot due to the car is a one-directional
one, it's just not the same which end is where (it's faster and more comfortable to drive when
the front of the car looks forward).
Reverses out to the tracks of the line 1...
...then it takes a longer stop at Népliget. Could it be that not all of the other trams
had arrived at home from the network yet?
EM from right.
EM from left.
EM from the side.
EM in an attitudinizing pose, with the new bus station in the background.
Further on the line 1 at stop Salgótarjáni utca where they turn on line 37 towards the
"Grand Boulevard", from now on with the nose looking forward.
No, it's not a UFO sighting, only the lights of the measuring car and the escorting truck in
the desolated Salgótarjáni utca, looking from the Fiumei út. From here they
continue the route to Blaha Lujza tér where they turn on the "Grand Boulevard"
tracks towards Buda following the line 6.
Thank God at the terminus Móricz Zsigmond körtér a BKV bus had stopped on the tramway
tracks, barring the way of Eva. So we managed to take a photo again, accompanied by a night
bus on line 6É. At the first look it's not even sure where the photo was taken, maybe in
Vienna? Or perhaps in Miskolc? :-))
We take a little detour as a short-cut: at Astoria they have just adjusting the
meandering of the overhead wire. Although this was separated from the route of Eva but we
just couldn't miss to take a photo of these nice big Merci's! :-)
We have arrived at Nyugati tér just in time. 2.42 a.m., the tramcar arrived in front of
Nyugati pályaudvar (Western Railway Station). It's a pity that the picture was a bit
over-exposed because the former places were darker than here. :-( But at least the guys were
kind to stop on a few places.
But sometimes they made photos of themselves. For example here, at Margit híd (Margaret
Bridge), where a track welding crew was blocking their way.
Running back: taking a picture...
...and taking another, with the Parliament in the background. Sad that it's not floodlighted
late at night from the Duna (Danube) side.
The place what we can't miss on the Buda side of town: Moszkva tér.
Changing direction on the tracks of line 18...
...on the wrong way...
...but reversing, so it looks as it was coming, not going.
At last a picture when turning under the Várfok utca tunnel, still at Moszkva
tér, this is where lines 18, 59, 61, 118 normally approach this square. We were still
chasing the car until Blaha Lujza tér but it seemed that it's turning back again towards
Ferencváros, so we also decided to go home.
The next night they travelled the line 62 until Mézeskalács tér (Honey-cake square :-)
), then at the third night we travel along line 1, with the help of Hamster, on board, of course, more pictures are coming
soon!
To Be Continued >>>
Text and photos by András Báti, except
where otherwise mentioned (C) 2004
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