MTV-82 (, with standing for ) is a Soviet four-axle tramcar. The first prototype of the MTV-82 tramcar was built at Military Factory No. 82 (from which the 82 in the model name is derived) in 1946. Mass production started in 1947 in Factory No. 82, and it was transferred to Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca (RVR; ) in 1949. In 1961 mass production of MTV-82 in Riga ceased, with production switching to its direct successor, the RVZ-6 tramcar. In total, Factory No. 82 and RVR produced 453 and 1707 MTV-82s respectively. These tramcars worked until 1983 in Moscow, Kiev, Gorky, Sverdlovsk, Vladivostok and many other Soviet cities and towns. The Soviet tram drivers and repairmen liked the MTV-82 very much for its simplicity, reliability and durability. Most MTV-82s were in operable state before scrapping, but renovation of Soviet trams was fatal for many types of "old-fashioned" Soviet tramcars (see also LM-49). Technical details MTV-82 is a gauge high-floor four-axle tram. It has a full metal body which is mounted on a massive steel carriage with two double-axle bogies. The car has two double doors at each end, which have pneumatic gear for opening and closing. The main brake system is also pneumatic. MTV-82 is equipped with four 55 kW electric motors and is capable of a maximum speed of 55 km/h. The controller for motors uses direct current. Initially the MTV-82 did not have a low-voltage system, but this was added later for external braking and turn light signalization. The vehicle has 40 seats and is able to transport nearly 120 passengers with a full load. The MTV-82 is 13611 mm in length, 2550 mm in width, and nearly 3000 mm in height. The overall weight without passengers is 17.5 metric tons. History Shortly after the end of World War II a strong need in new trolleybuses became apparent. This was due to a massive conversion from trams to trolley buses in many cities in the USSR. Due to this issue, the Motor and Automobile Research Institute developed a unified vehicle bodies for buses and trolleybuses, which was a copy of the ones produced by General Motors. The production of such trolleybuses started in 1946. While the plant produced only 70 complete trolleybuses, the number of produced bodies was much higher. The plant did not have a sufficient number of motor and traction parts to use these bodies for trolleybuses. These