Our second visit to the museum, following the renovation, was like visiting the museum for the first time. This time around one finds an engaging chronology of the city's transportation system. Well done, WienerLinien!
I admired the fancy canvas of this early tram.
An early Erdapfel (Potato) Car. Of course.
One of the early trains between Vienna and Pressburg (now Bratislava). No information was given on how long the trip took, though.
A smattering of references to the role women played during the wars, and how they were "unceremoniously" dumped from the workforce once the men returned.
A vintage photo of an intersection not far from our house. Even today the scene doesn't look all that different, just a bit more contemporary.
Vienna, Hitler's "Pearl of the Reich." This was to be the showpiece city at the Eastern Front. A corresponding exhibit at the Architecture Museum here in Vienna showcases Nazi plans for public transportation, ones that were ultimately used in designing Vienna's current network.
A few photos showed the devastation to the city, and its public transportation system, at the end of WWII.
The public bus to AIS in the 1960's, and today.
Air-conditioning, cushioned seats, and televisions. All that's missing is Business Class seating and on-board snacks. Hard to believe some students choose the private AIS bus service!
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| Photo courtesy of WienerLinien |
The second half of the 1960's saw exponential growth in Vienna's underground system. This station at Karlsplatz, where three separate underground lines converge, was the largest construction project in Europe at the time.
The U-Bahn station nearest the Tram Museum, seen during construction. Imagine living in that high-rise.
The Silver Arrow, Vienna's underground train since 1971.
Little has changed on the interior in 40 years, believe me.
This really wasn't the "Wiener Diplomat" tram. Or, was it? The information provided only helps to maintain the mystery.
To wrap up our visit, the U-Bahn simulator. Fun for all ages!
Dear Victoria,
ReplyDeleteWD just means Wiental-Donaukanal, and the trains were the standard ones for
the "Stadtbahn" after being electrified (1925), today U4. I doubt any diplomat ever used it, but one never can be sure. The other line was G (Gürtel), today U6. These lines ended both in Hütteldorf and they split in Meidling ( not separated like today ), so passengers had to be aware of which one to take. Quite clear to elderly natives, but I'm surprised to read that the museum doesn't explain this to visitors.
Living near the construction of U3, I saw the big hole in Schlachthausgasse with my
own eyes and had the same impresion as you - eerie!
Kind regards reo
Hi reo! Thank you as always for the clarification; I appreciate the "insider" stories and anecdotes about the city's history a great deal. We were surprised at the lack of information about the WD tram (unless we missed it somewhere along the way.), as well, considering how informative the rest of the museum had been. Best, Victoria
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