Valmet Nr I
Encyclopedia
Nr I is a class of articulated six-axle (B'2'B' wheel arrangement
), chopper
-driven tram
operated by Helsinki City Transport
on the Helsinki tram
network. All trams of this type were built by the Finnish
metal industry corporation Valmet
between the years 1973 and 1975.
Between 1993 and 2004 all trams in the class were modernised by HKL and redesignated as Nr I+ class.
between 1973 and 1975, with the first seven trams delivered in 1973, further 18 delivered in 1974 and the final 15 in 1975. As the first mass-produced tram type in the world, the Nr I featured thyristor
chopper
control. The first tram of this class entered revenue-earning service on 1973-12-16 on line 10. Although the trams of this type are numbered 31 to 70, the first unit was not the 31st tram to be used by the HKL. The HKL tram numbering system had been reset in 1959, with the numbering of new trams delivered that year beginning from 1.
In the early 80s the city of Gothenburg
, the forerunner in creation of modern light rail
systems in Europe, wished to purchase Nr I -based trams from Valmet for its own tram network
. However, due to pressure from the Swedish government, Göteborgs spårvägar were forced to place an order with the Swedish ASEA
instead. In Helsinki a further developed version of the Nr I, the Nr II
class, was delivered by Valmet for HKL between 1983 and 1987. The Nr II class trams have an identical external appearance and very similar interior layout to the Nr I class.
From November 1993 onwards, starting with tram number 45, all Nr I units were modernised by HKL into Nr I+ class. The modernisation included updates to the technics of the trams, changes to the interior layout, addition of electronic displays displaying the name of the next stop, as well as replacement of the original seats with new ones. The last tram to be modernised was number 53, modernised in July 2004.
A second modernisation process, labelled "life extension programme" by the HKL, begun in 2005. Like the earlier process, this programme includes updating much of the technics and changes to the interiors. Additionally the chassis of the trams will be sand-blasted and given a new surface finish. For some trams the life extension programme will be carried out in Germany
.
Tram number 45, the first to be modernised into Nr I+ class, was painted in an experimental livery coinciding with the modernisation. The livery was identical with the standard green/yellow colours, but had an additional narrow yellow stripe running along the bottom of the carriage. This livery was not adapted to any other trams, and number 45 later reverted to the standard livery.
of 41, with approximately 100 standing places, with the exception of the last tram of the class, number 70, which only had 39 passenger seats. Subsequently the number of seats in all units was redecued by two, bringing the seating capacity
down to 39 for numbers 31-69 and 37 for number 70.
From 1982 onwards the conductor's seat was removed from all units (from thereon tickets were sold by the driver), and coinciding with this the seating arrangements of all Nr I trams was standardised to 39 passenger seats. Following the 1993-2004 modernisation process, HKL officially gives the seating capacity
of all units as 39, with 106 standing places.
Originally the seats of the Nr I class were covered beige-coloured artificial leather
upholstery. As a part of the first modernisation process the original seats were substituted with ones upholstered in green fabric and featuring headrests made from green plastic.
class trams have been fitted with a low-floor mid-section from 2006 onwards, and fitting the Nr I class units with similar midsections to increase their lifespan is also reported to be under consideration (as of June 2008).
Wheel arrangement
In rail transport, a wheel arrangement is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed beneath a locomotive.. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and connections, with the adopted notations varying by country...
), chopper
Chopper (electronics)
A chopper circuit is used to refer to numerous types of electronic switching devices and circuits. The term has become somewhat ill-defined, and as a result is much less used nowadays than it was perhaps 30 or more years ago....
-driven tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
operated by Helsinki City Transport
Helsinki City Transport
Helsinki City Transport or HKL is the official city-owned public transport company in Helsinki, Finland. It operates the Helsinki metro, Helsinki tram and ferry boat traffic...
on the Helsinki tram
Helsinki tram
The Helsinki tram network forms part of the Helsinki public transport system organised by Helsinki Regional Transport Authority and operated by Helsinki City Transport in the Finnish capital city of Helsinki. The trams are the main means of transport in the city centre. 56.6 million trips were made...
network. All trams of this type were built by the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
metal industry corporation Valmet
Valmet
' was a Finnish state-owned conglomerate. Valmet was formed in 1951, when the state of Finland decided to group their various factories working on war reparations to the Soviet Union under one company...
between the years 1973 and 1975.
Between 1993 and 2004 all trams in the class were modernised by HKL and redesignated as Nr I+ class.
Overview
Nr I were the first type of articulated tram operated by the HKL. The design of the Nr I type trams was based on the GT6 type trams built by Düwag for various cities in western Europe since 1956, but the Nr I incorporated several technological innovations that had not been available when the GT6 was designed. The Nr I trams were delivered by ValmetValmet
' was a Finnish state-owned conglomerate. Valmet was formed in 1951, when the state of Finland decided to group their various factories working on war reparations to the Soviet Union under one company...
between 1973 and 1975, with the first seven trams delivered in 1973, further 18 delivered in 1974 and the final 15 in 1975. As the first mass-produced tram type in the world, the Nr I featured thyristor
Thyristor
A thyristor is a solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating N and P-type material. They act as bistable switches, conducting when their gate receives a current trigger, and continue to conduct while they are forward biased .Some sources define silicon controlled rectifiers and...
chopper
Chopper (electronics)
A chopper circuit is used to refer to numerous types of electronic switching devices and circuits. The term has become somewhat ill-defined, and as a result is much less used nowadays than it was perhaps 30 or more years ago....
control. The first tram of this class entered revenue-earning service on 1973-12-16 on line 10. Although the trams of this type are numbered 31 to 70, the first unit was not the 31st tram to be used by the HKL. The HKL tram numbering system had been reset in 1959, with the numbering of new trams delivered that year beginning from 1.
In the early 80s the city of Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, the forerunner in creation of modern light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
systems in Europe, wished to purchase Nr I -based trams from Valmet for its own tram network
Gothenburg tram
The Gothenburg tram network is part of the public transport system organised by Göteborgs Spårvägar AB, controlled by Västtrafik in the Swedish city of Gothenburg...
. However, due to pressure from the Swedish government, Göteborgs spårvägar were forced to place an order with the Swedish ASEA
ASEA
Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget was a Swedish industry company. It merged with the Swiss Brown, Boveri & Cie in 1988 to form Asea Brown Boveri...
instead. In Helsinki a further developed version of the Nr I, the Nr II
Valmet Nr II
Nr II is a class of articulated six-axle , chopper-driven tram operated by Helsinki City Transport on the Helsinki tram network. All trams of this type were built by the Finnish metal industry corporation Valmet between the years 1983 and 1987.Between 1996 and 2005 all trams in the class were...
class, was delivered by Valmet for HKL between 1983 and 1987. The Nr II class trams have an identical external appearance and very similar interior layout to the Nr I class.
From November 1993 onwards, starting with tram number 45, all Nr I units were modernised by HKL into Nr I+ class. The modernisation included updates to the technics of the trams, changes to the interior layout, addition of electronic displays displaying the name of the next stop, as well as replacement of the original seats with new ones. The last tram to be modernised was number 53, modernised in July 2004.
A second modernisation process, labelled "life extension programme" by the HKL, begun in 2005. Like the earlier process, this programme includes updating much of the technics and changes to the interiors. Additionally the chassis of the trams will be sand-blasted and given a new surface finish. For some trams the life extension programme will be carried out in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Liveries
For the Nr I type trams, HKL decided to adopt a new livery. Instead of the traditional green/yellow colours, the new trams were painted light grey, with an orange stripes running along the top and bottom of the carriage. In 1986 HKL decided to abandon the unpopular orange/grey livery, and by 1995 all trams of this type were painted in the green/yellow colours, with the top half of the tram painted yellow and the bottom half green.Tram number 45, the first to be modernised into Nr I+ class, was painted in an experimental livery coinciding with the modernisation. The livery was identical with the standard green/yellow colours, but had an additional narrow yellow stripe running along the bottom of the carriage. This livery was not adapted to any other trams, and number 45 later reverted to the standard livery.
Interior layout and design
As built the Nr I class trams had a seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 41, with approximately 100 standing places, with the exception of the last tram of the class, number 70, which only had 39 passenger seats. Subsequently the number of seats in all units was redecued by two, bringing the seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
down to 39 for numbers 31-69 and 37 for number 70.
From 1982 onwards the conductor's seat was removed from all units (from thereon tickets were sold by the driver), and coinciding with this the seating arrangements of all Nr I trams was standardised to 39 passenger seats. Following the 1993-2004 modernisation process, HKL officially gives the seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of all units as 39, with 106 standing places.
Originally the seats of the Nr I class were covered beige-coloured artificial leather
Artificial leather
Artificial leather is a fabric or finish intended to substitute for leather in fields such as upholstery, clothing and fabrics, and other uses where a leather-like finish is required but the actual material is cost-prohibitive or unsuitable....
upholstery. As a part of the first modernisation process the original seats were substituted with ones upholstered in green fabric and featuring headrests made from green plastic.
Future
HKL are planning to order 40 new low-floor trams to enter service between 2009 and 2016. Coinciding with this, some of the Nr I class units are planned to be withdrawn from service. The Nr IIValmet Nr II
Nr II is a class of articulated six-axle , chopper-driven tram operated by Helsinki City Transport on the Helsinki tram network. All trams of this type were built by the Finnish metal industry corporation Valmet between the years 1983 and 1987.Between 1996 and 2005 all trams in the class were...
class trams have been fitted with a low-floor mid-section from 2006 onwards, and fitting the Nr I class units with similar midsections to increase their lifespan is also reported to be under consideration (as of June 2008).