Dennis Trident 3

Dennis Trident 3 (marketed as 3-axle Dennis Trident), is the first low floor tri-axle double-decker bus chassis built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, with a large number purchased by bus companies in Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States and Canada.
Design.
The Trident 3 chassis was developed from Dennis Lance. It had a longitudinally-mounted rear engine, with a radiator mounted on the right hand side of the engine. An auxiliary axle was mounted behind the second axle to cope with the weight at the rear and reduce the rear overhang.
Trident 3 was available in 4 different body lengths: 10.3m, 10.6m, 11.3m and 12m. It could be fitted with Alexander ALX500 or Duple Metsec DM5000 bodywork with either a closed top or an open top.
Engine.
The engines used for these double-decker buses were all manufactured by Cummins. Earlier models use the M11-305E, a 305 hp engine which complies with Euro II standards, or an ISM-330 330 hp engine for the buses delivered to North America.
The M11-305E engine was replaced by the Cummins ISMe Euro III-standard engine in 2001. A 330 hp version (the ISMe330) was used initially, but later models in Hong Kong adopted a 335 hp (ISMe335) version.
Gearbox.
For original Euro 2 Cummins M11 Units, the options of gearbox included Voith DIWA 863.3/864.3 and ZF Ecomat 5HP590.
For Later Euro 3 Cummins ISMe/ISM Units, the options of gearbox included Voith DIWA 864.3E and ZF Ecomat 2 5HP602C.
The prototypes.
Six prototype Dennis Trident 3 chassis were built in 1996.
The first Trident 3 chassis was delivered to Alexander in late 1996 and received a body with the front resembled to R-type design. It was retained by Dennis as a development vehicle. In 2005, it was converted to open top and sold for promotion of British newspaper "The Sun". The prototype was sold to a buyer in Hong Kong in October 2019.
The other 5 were all delivered to Hong Kong, two went to Kowloon Motor Bus and three to Citybus.
Hong Kong.
Kowloon Motor Bus and Long Win Bus.
Prototypes.
The assembly of the first Trident for Hong Kong was finished in February 1997. It has an Alexander ALX500 bodywork and had Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) air-conditioned bus livery. However, Dennis reserved this bus for tests initially.
The second prototype was finished and delivered to Hong Kong in May 1997, also having an ALX500 body and the KMB air-conditioned bus livery. When it arrived Hong Kong, it was repainted with a golden colour. A red line indicating the floor of bus compartment was added, with people-like figures (designed with computers) situated just above the red line. This decoration work was for the purpose of showing that this bus is a "Super-low-floor" bus, which has better accessibility for passengers. The bus was assigned for several open activities for promotion before getting licensed in September 1997. It entered service two months later and had been in service on route 1A before being reallocated in 2005.
KMB adopted the class code "ATR" for Trident 3, which would also be used to number the production models.
The first prototype was delivered to Hong Kong later and entered service in 1999, with fleet number ATR101, meaning it is the 101st Trident 3 registered under KMB.
First batch (1997 to 1999).
For the first batch, KMB purchased 186 Tridents for its local services, and another 150 for the new Hong Kong International Airport services under the name of Long Win Bus.
All 336 buses of this batch are 12 metres in length. The KMB batch is assorted with Alexander and Duple Metsec bodies, while the entire Long Win batch is Alexander-bodied. Furthermore, 25 of the Long Win Tridents were built with coach standard, and are used for express services into the airport.
The Long Win batch entered service first between 1997 and 1998, followed by the KMB batch from September 1998 to 1999.
KMB adopted the code "ATR" for its own Tridents, and assigned the code "LW" for the Long Win batch with ordinary standard (The numbering of "LW" class starts from 11, continuing from the 10 Volvo Olympians acquired by Long Win earlier in 1997). The coaches were assigned with the fleet code "LWA".
Later, Long Win has its fleet number system revised, with the ordinary Tridents getting 1xx or 2xx fleet numbers, while the "coaches" got 5xx fleet numbers.
Further purchase (1999 to 2001).
The next batch of Tridents for KMB consists of 160 Duple Metsec-bodied productions.
The first 50 of them have a length of 10.6 metres (the code "ATS" was being assigned for them), and entered service between late 1999 and 2000. These buses are the last batch of KMB buses fitted with plastic route number and destination displays.
The next 110 of them are again 12 metres in length, and fitted with electronic route displays (This became the standard of all future buses bought by KMB).
Another 50 Alexander-bodied 10.6m Tridents entered KMB fleet in 2001. These Tridents' Alexander bodies were of a modified model, and all of them have electronic route displays. Two of them were experimentally fitted with Cummins ISMe Euro III standard engines and have special livery.
Last batch (2002 to 2003).
The last batch for KMB consists of 150 Alexander-bodied Tridents. These buses are fitted with electronic displays and Cummins ISMe Euro III standard engines, and have their bodies similar to the last 10.6-metre batch.
50 of the Tridents are 10.6 metres long, while the other 100 are 12 metres long. However, the order of 12 metres long Tridents was revised later and only 80 of them were ordered finally. The remaining 20 became the later TransBus Enviro500.
Transfers.
It was soon found that Long Win did not get expected ridership and was in an excess of buses, so from 1999, 20 Tridents of Long Win were leased to KMB. 14 of them were officially acquired by KMB in December 2002, and the rest were returned to Long Win by 2005.
From December 2009 to 2015, Long Win had mass transferred 103 of the first batch of buses to KMB (ATR393 - ATR495).
Withdrawals.
Both KMB and Long Win have some of their Tridents withdrawn prematurely due to fire. Long Win lost one [Fleet number 197 (HT7970)] in July 1999 and got a replacement a year later. This replacement was Duple Metsec-bodied and with electronic displays, and received the fleet number 301 (JV7629).
One KMB Alexander-bodied Trident [Fleet number ATR6 (HV6943)] was destroyed by fire accidentally on 27 November 2002. The accident was caused by the leakage of flammable liquid brought by a passenger into the engine compartment. The bus was officially written off in the following year.
In July 2008, two Duple Metsec-bodied KMB's 12-metre Tridents [Fleet number ATR54 (HX7649) and ATR195 (JM8323)], one of KMB's Alexander-bodied 12-metre Trident (ex-Long Win vehicle) [Fleet number ATR358 (HR8939)] and one Duple Metsec-bodied 10.6-metre Trident [Fleet number ATS36 (JK6249)] were written off after being burnt out in KMB's depot in Tin Shui Wai on 31 March 2008.
Starting from August 2015, KMB withdrew the first Dennis Trident 3s out of service. The last Trident 3 [Fleet number ATR392 (KZ2356)] was retired on 24 April 2021, which means that there is no more Dennis Trident 3 in Hong Kong.
Citybus.
Citybus's Trident fleet was not the largest, but often considered with greatest variety.
Prototypes.
After KMB's first Trident was introduced, Citybus also had its prototype Tridents. The first prototype for Citybus was fleet-numbered as 2100. Having a Duple Metsec DM5000 body with coach specifications, it was introduced in November 1997.
The second and third prototypes were with ordinary bus specifications, and got their licenses one month after the first. The second prototype was fitted with Alexander ALX500 bodywork while the third was fitted with a Duple Metsec body. They got fleet numbers 2200 and 2201 respectively, in order to distinguish from the "coach" standard model.
Production batch.
The production batches of Citybus Tridents entered service between 1997 and 1999.
For the coach standard branch, 11 Alexander-bodied Tridents entered service in late 1997, followed by 50 Duple Metsec-bodied examples. Numbered after the first prototype, their fleet numbers were 21-prefixed. All these buses were used for "Cityflyer" express services into Airport, although the Alexander-bodied frames are often substituted for semi-coaches described below. Fleet numbers 2101 and 2102 were later repainted in a special livery and reserved for route E22A.
The first batch of 22-prefixed production Tridents are often considered as "semi-coaches", as they have higher seat standards. A total of 60 semi-coaches entered service in 1998 to 1999 (although one of them stayed in Britain until its final delivery in 2000), while the following 40 (The last two were essentially 23-prefixed) were considered as ordinary standard buses.
Citybus also purchased the first 10.6m Trident 3 built by Dennis, which has Duple Metsec semi-coach body. It was introduced in 1999 with fleet number 2700. This bus retired at 27 April 2017.
Later purchases.
In 2003, Citybus acquired 9 buses from NWFB and numbered them as 2302 to 2310, following its own production batch. They were fitted with luggage racks in the lower deck in 2007 to facilitate the introduction of new cross-border routes B3 and B3X from Tuen Mun via the Hong Kong–Shenzhen Western Corridor.
Withdrawal.
Eleven Citybus Dennis Trident 3 buses were withdrawn due to fire and traffic accidents between the years 2010 and 2015, and was replaced by Alexander Dennis Enviro500s. The coach standard buses began withdrawal when the Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC was introduced in June 2013 and 10 were sold to New Lantao Bus and Kwoon Chong Motors for usage on Lantau Island due to the requests of double deckers.
The remaining semi-coach and ordinary standard buses started retirement in 2014, and the last were retired in 2018. The transferred batch (2302-2310) were the last to be withdrawn. The last two (2309, 2310) were retired in April 2019.
New World First Bus.
It was rumoured that China Motor Bus (CMB) had thought about purchasing ten Tridents in late 1996, but due to unpredictable delivery time Condors were bought instead. When New World First Bus won China Motor Bus's franchise in early 1998, plan was put forward of buying Tridents. Between 1999 and 2015, Tridents had accounted for over 50% of buses in NWFB's fleet. All of them have been fully withdrawn by 2020.
First batch (1998 - 1999).
Three batches of NWFB Tridents are 12 metres in length, including the first batch of 160 Alexander-bodied Tridents and 42 Duple Metsec-bodied Tridents, both entering service starting from late 1998. NWFB assigned two different number schemes for these Tridents according to their bodywork (1001 onwards for Alexander bodied ones, and 3001 onwards for Duple bodied ones).
Second batch: Shorter variations (1999 - 2000).
The second NWFB batch entered service throughout 1999 as well as early 2000.
NWFB adopted a policy of purchasing shorter variations of Tridents in its second batch. 50 buses of this batch were still 12 metres in length (30 with Alexander ALX500 bodywork, and 20 with Duple Metsec bodies), but all others have a shorter length.
Thirty 11.3-metre Tridents (Fleet Numbers 1401–1430) entered service in 1999, along with sixty-two 10.6-metre ones (Fleet numbers 1601–1662). All these 92 buses were with Alexander ALX500 bodywork, and quickly replaced the old buses inherited from CMB.
A slightly later batch of 40 Tridents (Fleet numbers 3301–3340) were fitted with specially-designed Duple Metsec bodywork. They were 10.3 m (34 ft) in length and 4.17 m (13.7 ft) in height, about a feet lower than standard models. These buses were designed for both height and length restrictive road conditions in the hills of Hong Kong Island, including the ones leading to The Peak. These buses' fleet numbers originally included an "L" (for Low height) at the end, but removed some years later.
Last batch (2000 - 2002).
A 10.6m Trident prototype (Fleet number 3601) was acquired by NWFB in 2000, but the next Trident batch came only two years later. 41 Tridents with Euro III standard engines entered NWFB in 2002. 21 of them were of Alexander-bodied 12m version, while the other 20 were 10.3m special editions. Essentially, the last special edition buses are also the last of Duple Metsec-bodied Tridents.
Withdrawals.
NWFB's expansion in its early years proved to be too fast, and redundancy grew up fairly quickly. Many of its buses were sold elsewhere in order to achieve better utilisation. Nine 12-metre Tridents in the last batch (fleet number 1201-1209) were transferred to Citybus in 2003, only one year after their entry of service.
53 Tridents were transferred to the bus division of KCRC starting in 2004. All of them were shorter Alexander-bodied versions, with forty-seven 10.6m ones and six 11.3m ones.
NWFB has withdrawn most of its Tridents in the 2010s. As of 2020, all franchised NWFB Tridents have been retired, with the last batch (1215-1219) retired in February 2020.
In the meantime, some NWFB Tridents have been transferred to Citybus' non-franchised department, including 14 10.3 m Tridents (3341-3354) and 6 Euro III 12 m Tridents (1210, 1212–1214, 1220 and 1221). 1220 was converted to an open-top bus for tourist and hiring services and the fleet number was changed to 25. 4 of the 10.3 m Tridents (3357-3360) were repurposed as Training Buses for Citybus and NWFB.
KCRC.
KCRC introduced twenty-two 11.3m Tridents (601-622) in 2000, as an expansion of the company's bus services. They were the first Tridents to be fitted with modified Alexander ALX500 bodywork.
Between 2004 and 2005, KCRC acquired forty-seven 10.6m Tridents from NWFB and numbered them 701–747. In August 2005, the company also acquired six 11.3m Tridents from NWFB and numbered them 748–753. This was the largest bus acquisition of KCRC since its first purchase of buses back in 1987, and was partly because of the retirement of that particular batch of buses.
All Tridents from KCRC has been retired by 2017.
Other overseas orders.
Canada.
In 1999, BC Transit of British Columbia, Canada, became the first North American transit agency to use double-decker transit buses, ordering 11 Dennis Tridents with Duple Metsec DM5000 bodywork assembled by Alexander. As one of them was damaged in transit, only ten of them reached BC, where they were allocated to the Victoria Regional Transit System in Victoria (being assigned fleet numbers 9001–9010) and entered service in 2000.
In 2002, BC Transit ordered a further 19 Dennis Tridents, also with Duple Metsec DM5000 bodywork, one of which was meant to replace the Trident from the previous batch damaged in transit. The first 16 (vehicles 9021–9036) were allocated to Victoria from the outset, while the last three were originally allocated to Kelowna Regional Transit System based in Kelowna (as vehicles 0251–0253) and later transferred to Victoria in 2009 (and renumbered as 9037–9039). 9036 was briefly loaned to GO Transit in Ontario as a demonstration vehicle in May 2002.
BC Transit was the only North American operator to order transit-type Trident 3s, before the model was discontinued and replaced with the Enviro500.
Singapore.
In 1998, Singapore Bus Services ordered 20 Dennis Trident 3s with Duple Metsec DM5000 bodywork, as of which were Singapore's first low floor double deck buses. However, due to the large number of Trident orders from Hong Kong, these buses only entered revenue service in July 2001 and were deployed to Hougang Bus Depot throughout their lifespan. When delivered, all buses featured advanced specifications such as Transit Media electronic display signages, and a fully low floor configuration, which was a rarity for SBS buses at the time of introduction. In 2013, some buses have their display signages replaced with Cool-Air or Hanover EDS units. All units were fully retired by August 2018.
United States.
Coach USA of the United States introduced 30 Trident 3s for its Gray Line sightseeing services. These were equipped with open-top Duple Metsec bodywork assembled by Alexander. These were followed by a further 10 buses with the same specifications. They entered service in 2001 and were allocated to cities such as New York City and San Diego.
Further development.
In 2002, the Trident 3 chassis was modified and then introduced as a complete bus, which was known as TransBus Enviro500.
No more Trident 3 chassis was known to be built after 2002.
See also.
Competitors:


Crew car

A crew car (also known as a relay van) is a passenger carriage specially fitted out for the use of train drivers. Interior fittings include a sleeping compartment for each crew member, a lounge area, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry. They are usually provided with an onboard generator system and air conditioning.
They are primarily used on long distance freight trains in Australia, where train crew sign on at one depot, and alternate crewing the train during the journey. The car is usually marshalled a few carriages behind the locomotives. Most crew cars have been converted from older passenger carriages, or depowered railcars.
Major Australian users of crew cars include Australian Railroad Group, FreightLink, Pacific National, and SCT Logistics.
The term crew car can also apply to an Outfit Car, a Camp Car, a bunk car or modular home mounted on a flatcar to house railroad employees.,


Dallas Zoo station

Dallas Zoo is a DART Light Rail station located in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas (USA) at Ewing Avenue and Clarendon Drive. It opened on June 14, 1996 and is a station on the , serving the Dallas Zoo and Methodist Dallas Medical Center.


Samuel Ledgard

Samuel Ledgard (1874–1952) was a Leeds entrepreneur who became a major West Yorkshire Independent bus operator. Following his death in 1952, his executors continued to operate the Samuel Ledgard bus company until 1967, when it was acquired by the West Yorkshire Road Car Company.
History.
1874–1952.
Samuel Ledgard was born in Leeds in 1874. His business empire started in 1897 when he became the licensee of the Nelson Hotel in Armley, Leeds. He also owned a brewery and bottling plant, located behind The Nelson and bottled bulk Guinness and Bass. In expanding this business he provided outside catering at race meetings and local shows, and initially used a horse-and-cart to support this enterprise. This led him to further expand into the haulage business - initially with his horses, then, in 1906, with a steam lorry. In 1912, he bought a Karrier petrol-engined lorry, registered U1949. He then bought an interchangeable charabanc body, manufactured by William Nicholson of Otley, to be fitted to his lorry for carrying passengers at weekends, when there was little haulage work. In 1913, he took over Bridge Garage, in Leeds, to service and repair his own, and others, vehicles. His other businesses included cattle dealing and farming, quarrying and gravel extraction. He also bought property around his hotel, which eventually provided space for his bus garage.
His move into bus services was in 1924, with a Horsforth to Leeds service. He expanded both organically and by taking over a number of other bus companies, from 1924 to 1943, by which time Samuel Ledgard buses were well established, operating from the main depot in Armley, and from other depots in Otley, Yeadon, Ilkley and Bradford.
The Ledgard fleet was predominantly Leyland and the last buses ordered by Samuel Ledgard were three Leyland Titan PD2/12s. These entered service a mere month before he died in April 1952.
1952–1967.
Samuel Ledgard's estate totalled £129,491. As the company was still owned by him, it formed part of his personal assets. The then, punitive death duties amounted to £29,883, which threatened the continuance of the business and meant that, when looking to update the fleet, the executors had to look to the second-hand market. This strategy resulted a wide range of vehicles from various manufacturers entering service, including buses from: AEC, Albion, Bristol, Daimler and Leyland. A significant influx was 23 ex London Transport Executive 'austerity' Daimler CWA6's with Park Royal bodywork in 1953/54, 22 of which went into service unmodified, save for platform doors being fitted. They gave stirling service until the last one was withdrawn in 1962. However, one notable exception to the second-hand purchases, was six new AEC Regent V buses with Roe bodywork which were delivered in 1957. One of these buses was registered 1949U - a reversal of the registration on Samuel's first petrol lorry, in 1912.
In an attempt to standardise such a diverse fleet, 1963 saw the first of many ex-London Transport RT-type AEC Regent III buses being purchased. Over the next four and a half years, 34 of these vehicles entered the Ledgard fleet.
In August 1967, it was announced that West Yorkshire Road Car Company would acquire the Ledgard business. The date for this was set to be midnight on 14 October 1967. Whilst Ledgard's staff were offered employment with West Yorkshire, only 14 of over 100 Ledgard vehicles acquired by West Yorkshire entered service, ten AEC Regent Vs and two Daimler CVG6s, plus two Duple bodied Ford coaches. By 1970, even these vehicles had been sold.
The present day.
An active enthusiasts society (the Samuel Ledgard Society was formed in 1998. The society holds an annual reunion, social events and publishes a quarterly magazine: "The Ledgard Chat". The magazine is now published three times per year, in April, August and December, from the beginning of 2020.
The Nelson Hotel survives, and bears a blue plaque in Samuel Ledgard's memory. In August 1979, a road in Leeds was named Ledgard Way. The Otley depot building is still in existence and is now used by a tyre-fitting company.


Exchange Hotel (Gordonsville, Virginia)

The Exchange Hotel in Gordonsville, Virginia, was built in 1860 for Richard F. Omohundro next to an important railroad junction, when the Exchange Hotel offered a welcome stopping place for weary passengers on the Virginia Central Railroad.
Civil War.
In March 1862, because of its strategic location, the Exchange Hotel became part of the Gordonsville Receiving Hospital, admitting more than 23,000 sick and wounded in less than a year. The wounded and dying from nearby battlefields such as Cedar Mountain, Chancellorsville, Trevilian Station, Mine Run, Brandy Station, and the Wilderness were brought by the trainloads. Although this was primarily a Confederate facility, the hospital treated the wounded from both sides. Twenty-six Union soldiers died here. By war's end more than 70,000 men had been treated at the Gordonsville Receiving Hospital and just over 700 would be buried on its surrounding grounds. The scene of untold agony and death, the building survived the conflict.
After the war.
In the reconstruction period, this hospital served the newly freed slaves as a Freedman's Bureau Hospital. As the United States healed and the railroads boomed, this graceful building again became a hotel and enjoyed a fine reputation until the 1940s when it went into decline.
Museum.
Historic Gordonsville, Inc. acquired and restored the property in 1971. The museum contains many artifacts from the Civil War era, like medical artifacts, uniforms and firearms. The museum also houses a bookstore. It is located in the Gordonsville Historic District.


Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation

The Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation (GLPTC) is a municipal corporation founded in 1971 that provides bus services in Tippecanoe County, Indiana under the operating name of CityBus.
History.
In 1970, the privately owned Greater Lafayette Bus Company abruptly ceased operations and the City of Lafayette hastily assumed operation of the bus routes. Since the routes operated in West Lafayette in addition to Lafayette, a funding mechanism that allowed the use of tax revenues from both cities was needed. GLPTC was formed to operate city bus services in the two cities and select surrounding areas of Tippecanoe County. GLPTC receives funding from the federal government, the State of Indiana and property taxes levied in the service areas. In 1998 GLPTC began using the operating name CityBus.
Current operations.
The corporation's revenue for 2019 was $11.86 million, with approximately $3.5 million coming from farebox collections, pass sales, charters and other services. As of February 2021, the CityBus fleet consists of 76 buses: 7 paratransit buses, 34 CNG buses, 19 hybrid diesel-electric buses, and 16 diesel buses. In 2019 CityBus (GLPTC) was the second busiest bus system in Indiana with more than 5 million rider trips.
CityBus has a partnership with Purdue University and Ivy Tech Community College that allows students, faculty and staff of these universities to ride free of cost.
CityBus is currently undergoing a replacement plan that will eventually replace all of their Diesel and Hybrid buses with CNG buses. As of August 2020, CityBus surpassed their goal of having 50% of their fleet use CNG fuel by 2025.
Routes.
CityBus operates 15 regular routes through Lafayette and West Lafayette, 7 contracted for West Lafayette School Corporation, 3 contracted routes for apartment complexes, and an additional 7 routes within the Purdue University campus.
~Denotes temporary discontinuation for 2020-2021 academic year.
Current Fleet.
CityBus operates a fleet of transit and para-transit buses. A slight majority of its transit buses are New Flyers, but there are also a number of Gillig Low Floor / Gillig BRT buses. The para-transit buses, used for their "ACCESS" system, are mostly mini-buses based on the Ford E-Series chassis. In 2015, CityBus, along with other transportation providers, signed a 5-year contract with New Flyer to provide up to 159 new buses (total) for the providers. CityBus ordered buses 5001-5009, 6001-6006, and 7001-7006 through the consortium, for a total of 21 buses, fulfilling their portion of the contract.
Retired Fleet.
These buses have been retired from the CityBus fleet. Retired vehicles are typically auctioned off to the public, while some are used for spare parts prior to sale.


Bridgeland/Memorial station

Bridgeland/Memorial station is a CTrain light rail in Calgary, Alberta. It serves the Northeast Line (Route 202). It opened on April 27, 1985 as part of the original Northeast line. The station is located in the median of Memorial Drive Northeast, 1.4 km from the City Hall Interlocking. A pedestrian overpass connects the station to both sides of Memorial Drive and stairs and escalators, as well as an elevator provide access down to the center-loading platform. The station serves St. Patrick's Island, which is only a short walk away, as is the Calgary Zoo, although it is also accessible via the Zoo station of the system.
In 2004 and 2005 the station underwent upgrading and renovations to improve safety and access for visually impaired users wishing to access the nearby CNIB facility, and also in preparation for increased usage as work on The Bridges - a major inner city redevelopment project on the north side of the station - progresses. The station was closed for a couple of weeks in the Summer of 2004 due to the construction.
As part of Calgary Transit's plan to operate 4-car trains by the end of 2014, all 3-car platforms are being extended. Construction on the extension of the platform at Bridgeland/Memorial started and was finished in 2014.
In 2005, the station registered an average transit of 1,300 boardings per weekday.
In the Media
In 1993, a re-enactment of an incident involving a 4-year-old child becoming entrapped by an escalator was filmed inside the station for the CBS show "Rescue 911". The actual event occurred at Rundle LRT station but Bridgeland was chosen for having an identical layout and more aesthetically pleasing visuals.


3 Street Southwest station

The 3 Street Southwest is a CTrain light rail station in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The 3 Street Southwest platform is used by eastbound trains, with the nearest stations serving westbound trains being and the 4 Street Southwest station and the 1 Street Southwest station. The platforms is located on the south side of 7 Avenue South and is located within the free-fare zone serving both Routes 201 and 202.
The 3 Street W station, located between 3 Street and 2 Street SW and adjacent to TD Square (shopping center) opened on May 25, 1981, as part of Calgary's original LRT line from 8 Street W to Anderson. The original station was closed on April 20, 2009, and demolished immediately with the new station constructed in its place. The new station opened on March 12, 2010.
Like all refurbished 7 Avenue platforms, the entire sidewalk slopes up to the station at both ends and the platform can handle 4-car trains.
The station registered an average of 16,300 daily boardings in 2005.


Space Taxi

Space Taxi is an action game for the Commodore 64 written by John Kutcher and published by Muse Software in 1984. It simulates a flying taxi controlled by thrusters. The game uses sampled speech, including "Hey taxi!," "Pad one please," "Thanks," and "Up please." These are said in a variety of voice pitches, creating the feeling of different taxi customers.
Gameplay.
In addition to thrusters, the taxi has landing gear that can be switched on or off. Switching landing gear on disables the side thrusters, but landing without landing gear destroys the taxi. The taxi also crashes when colliding with the environment, landing with high velocity or not landing properly (i.e. having only one of the gear stands on the platform while having the other in midair).
There are 24 different levels, in sequential order, and the player has to complete all of them.
In each level, there is a set of numbered platforms. At regular intervals, a customer materializes out of nowhere, on a randomly selected platform. The player has to fly their taxi to that platform, whereupon the customer will enter the taxi, saying which platform he wants to go to. When the player takes him to that platform, he will pay the taxi fee and tip based upon how fast the trip takes and the smoothness of the landing. After each numbered platform has been successfully visited, the next customer will say "Up please", whereupon the gate at the top of the level will open. Flying through the gate completes the level. One must also be careful not to land on or hit the customer with the taxi, not only because he will angrily yell "HEY!" and then disappear, before appearing somewhere else on the platform, but also deduct money from your total earned. This is increasingly difficult on smaller platforms where the platform will barely fit the customer and the taxi.
Each level features a different setting or theme (such as a treat-strewn candyland or a snowy winter landscape), and most have some special feature to hinder the player's job. Some of the features include a table tennis ball bouncing across the level, snowflakes falling from the sky, a series of radar masts interfering with the controls, or teleports that send the player to a random location.
The taxi also has a limited fuel supply. The fuel level resets at the end of each level, but on some of the more complicated screens it is necessary to refuel. This is accomplished by flying to a special platform marked with an "F" and containing a gas pump. The player must pay for fuel out of the money he has earned. Passengers do not make allowances for pitstops, and their tip will continue to decrease as the player tanks up. The taxi's fuel consumption is based upon the time spent in the air, not how much the thrusters are used, so if a player needs to get from one side of the screen to the other, it consumes less fuel (though is more dangerous) to accelerate halfway across the screen and then reverse thrust, than to use one small thrust to move slowly across the screen and occasional upward thrusts to maintain altitude.
After completing all levels, the player gets to a special "mystery level", in which the player is greeted with the message "Welcome to... MUSEWORLD" and three platforms, each with a figure relating to another Muse Software game: an ambulance representing "Rescue Squad" (1983, also John Kutcher), the Nazi soldier for "Castle Wolfenstein" (1981, Silas S. Warner), and a shooting robot relating to "RobotWar" (1981, Silas S. Warner).
Development.
Kutcher wrote "Space Taxi" while a freshman at Hopkins University. The physics in the game were influenced by "Lunar Lander".
Legacy.
"Space Taxi" was cloned several times for the Amiga, once keeping the original name and once as "AirTaxi". A similar game on the PC was called "Ugh!", where the player controls a caveman with a flying contraption. For Windows Phone a remake of the first eight levels was published in 2012 as "Sketch Taxi".
"Space Taxi 2", an authorized sequel to "Space Taxi", was released by Twilight Games in 2004. It is available on their website.
"Space Cab" is a tribute to "Space Taxi" created for the Atmega 32u4 based Arduboy game system. "Space Cab" can also be played through online emulation.


Hillcrest station

Hillcrest is a station on the Port Authority of Allegheny County's light rail network, located in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The street level stop is designed as a small commuter stop, serving area residents who walk to the train so they can be taken toward Downtown Pittsburgh.
History.
The grade crossing of Bethel Church Road was replaced by the Hillcrest bridge in September 1987.


Volkswagen Milano

The Volkswagen model VW Milano is a prototype of an electric taxi, which was presented at the Hanover Fair in April 2010. It is a van type car with three doors, an 85 kW electric motor and a 45 kWh lithium ion battery. The market introduction was planned for the year 2013.
United Kingdom.
The Milano was unveiled in London on December 14, 2010. On the same day, transport minister Philip Hammond unveiled the £5,000 electric car subsidy, and London Mayor Boris Johnson in his air quality strategy paper, set out plans to phase out the oldest of the LT Cabs in an effort to improve air quality. The plan includes a £1m fund to encourage taxi owners, to upgrade to low emission vehicles such as electric taxi cabs.


Borgward

The former Borgward car manufacturing company, based in Bremen, Germany, was founded by Carl F. W. Borgward (1890–1963). It produced cars of four brands, which were sold to a diversified international customer base: Borgward, Hansa, Goliath and Lloyd. Borgward's Isabella was one of the most popular German premium models in the 1950s, while Lloyd's Alexander / Lloyd 600 model offered affordable mobility to many working-class motorists. The group ceased operations in 1961, following controversial insolvency proceedings.
The brand was revived in the 21st century, with the Stuttgart-based Borgward Group AG designing and marketing cars manufactured in China.
Origins of the component companies.
The origins of the company go back to 1905 with the establishment in Varel (near Bremen) of Hansa Automobilgesellschaft and the foundation in Bremen itself of NAMAG, maker of the Lloyd car. These two businesses merged in 1914 to form the "Hansa-Lloyd-Werke A.G.". After the war, in the troubled economic situation then confronting Germany, the business failed to prosper and by the late 1920s faced bankruptcy. For Carl Borgward, already the successful creator of the Goliath-Blitzkarren business, the misfortunes of Hansa-Lloyd presented an opportunity to greatly expand the scope of his auto business, and he took control of it.
Carl Borgward's first "car", the Blitzkarren.
The first "automobile" Carl Borgward designed was the 1924 "Blitzkarren" ("lightning cart"), a tiny three-wheeled van with , which was an enormous success in the market gap it filled. Traders with a small budget bought it for delivery. The Reichspost ordered many of them for postal service.
Hansa-Lloyd.
In 1929, Borgward became the director of Hansa-Lloyd AG having been able to merge his Goliath-Werke Borgward & Co. with Hansa-Lloyd. The small Goliath-Blitzkarren had by now evolved into the three-wheeled timber-framed synthetic-leather-bodied 5 or 7 hp Goliath Pionier. Borgward turned his attention to the other businesses and led the development of the Hansa Konsul. In February 1937, there came the new Hansa Borgward 2000 and in 1939 its name was shortened to Borgward 2000. The 2000 model was followed by the Borgward 2300 which remained in production until 1942.
After World War II, in 1946 Carl Borgward used some of the brand names from businesses he had acquired over the years to found three separate companies: Borgward, Goliath and Lloyd. This was intended to increase the quantity of steel allocated to his business at a time of austerity and rationing. For many purposes the companies would be run as a single entity; but in a business operated by a man to whom delegation did not come naturally, the proliferation of legal entities nevertheless added unhelpful layers of complexity through the 1950s and encouraged a broadening of the range which in the end proved financially unsustainable with the sales volumes achievable. In 1949 the company presented the Borgward Hansa 1500.
One of the top engineers at Borgward from 1938-1952 was Dipl. Ing. Hubert M. Meingast.
Isabella and P100.
Production of the Borgward Isabella began in 1954. The Isabella would become Borgward's most popular model and remained in production for the life of the company. In 1959 the Borgward P100 was introduced, equipped with pneumatic suspension.
Sports racers.
Borgward introduced a line of 1500 cc sports racers in the 1950s, with the 16-valve engine from these becoming a successful Formula Two power unit (which was also used by some F1 privateers in 1961).
Financial problems.
Although Borgward pioneered technical novelties in the German market such as air suspension and automatic transmission, the company had trouble competing in the marketplace. While larger companies like Opel and VW took advantage of economies of scale and kept their prices low to gain market share, Borgward's cost structure was even higher than necessary for its size, as it basically operated as four tiny independent companies and never implemented such basic cost reduction strategies as joint development and parts sharing between the company's makes. Borgward suffered quality problems as well. The Lloyd Arabella was technically advanced as a water-cooled boxer with front wheel drive, but plagued with problems such as water leakage and gearbox software glitches. Lloyd lost money on the car even though it was more expensive than its direct competitors.
Controversial company bankruptcy.
In 1961, the company was forced into liquidation by creditors. Carl Borgward died in July 1963, still insisting the company had been technically solvent. This proved to be true in the sense that after the creditors were paid in full, there was still 4.5 million Marks left over from the business.
Controversy over the bankruptcy persists.
Reports of difficulties at Borgward surfaced in an article that appeared in Germany's news magazine "Der Spiegel" on 14 December 1960. A "Spiegel" article was highlighted by means of a picture of Borgward, cigar in mouth, on the magazine's front cover. It was strongly critical of his business approach, and included many of the arguments later advanced to explain or justify the company's demise. The widest range of cars from any manufacturer in Germany, produced by three till recently operationally autonomous companies (Borgward, Goliath and Lloyd) was supporting a turnover of only 650 million Marks, placing the overall sales value from the combined Borgward auto businesses only in fifth position among Germany's auto-makers. The 70-year-old Carl Borgward's "hands-on" insistence on an increasingly manic proliferation of new and modified models featuring adventurous, but under-developed technological innovations ("fast manisch[e] Konstruierwut") gave rise to components which too often did not work, broke down or fell apart, resulting in massive bills for pre-delivery remediation and/or post delivery warranty work that found their way back to the company.
The December 1960 "Der Spiegel" article was not the only serious public criticism targeting Borgward at this time: suddenly stridently negative (if more succinct) comments also turned up in the mass-market "Bild" newspaper and in television reports. Critical media commentaries also appeared concerning large loans to the Borgward Group provided by the Landesbank.
It is apparent that the business was confronting cash-flow difficulties at the end of 1960. Capital intensive businesses such as auto manufacturing use their expensive machines and tools most efficiently if they use them constantly at full capacity, but the car market in Europe in the 1950s/60s was more seasonal than today, with sales diminishing in Winter, then peaking in the early summer months: Borgward's inventory of unsold cars at the end of 1960 was higher than usual, reflecting ambitious growth plans, most obviously in respect of the United States market The December 1960 "Der Spiegel" article speculated that of the 15,000 Borgward cars ordered by the North American dealers in 1960 (and of the 12,000 delivered to them) 6,000 might have to be taken back following a slump in North American demand. (Borgward was not the only European auto maker hit by a North American slump in demand for imported cars during 1960. In the same year two ships carrying Renault Dauphines were turned back in mid-Atlantic because the docks in New York were overcrowded with unsold Dauphines.")
At the end of December 1960 Borgward approached the bank for a further one million Marks of credit, the loan to be backed by a guarantee from the Bremen regional government which initially the Bremen senators agreed to provide. However, following the flood of critical press comment the senators withdrew their guarantee. They now required Carl Borgward to pledge the company itself to the state in return for the guarantee. After a tense 13-hour meeting widely reported in a still hostile media, Borgward agreed to the senate’s terms on 4 February 1961, thereby averting the bankruptcy of the business.
The Bremen Senate also insisted on appointing its own nominee as chairman of the company’s supervisory board. The man they chose was whom reports generally describe as a “Wirtschaftsprüfer” (public auditor), though this designation, especially once translated into English, does less than full justice to the breadth of Semler’s career. He had studied law at university and worked initially as a lawyer. The scion of a leading Hamburg political family, in 1945 he had himself been a founding member of the centre-right CSU party, and was a member of the Bundestag between 1950 and 1953. Despite his Hamburg origins, Semler was by this time based in Munich, with a network of contacts in the Bavarian establishment that probably included fellow CSU politician and the future German chancellor, Ludwig Erhard, who in 1948 had succeeded Semler in a top administrative position within the Bizone. The appointment of Johannes Semler as the representative of the Bremen senators to chair the Borgward supervisory board would, in retrospect, contribute to the controversy that followed the Borgward bankruptcy.
On 28 July 1961, Semler, as Chairman of the supervisory board, joined the directors of the three companies Borgward, Goliath and Lloyd to instigate proceedings for the establishment of a “Vergleichsverfahren”, which would have provided for a court sanctioned scheme of arrangement enabling the business to continue to trade while at the same time protecting the interests of creditors. Two months later, however, in September 1961, the Borgward and Goliath businesses were declared bankrupt, followed in November by the Lloyd business. Subsequent “conspiracy theorists” have suggested that Semler, for reasons of his own, never had any intention of allowing the Borgward auto-businesses to survive.
Conspiracy theory.
Carl Borgward himself would not accept that the Borgward, Goliath and Lloyd auto businesses were technically insolvent, and the fact that none of the companies’ creditors lost money supports his case. In the light of what was known at the time, and increasingly in the light of subsequent events, the argument that the business was not really insolvent at all has, if anything, gained support. Nevertheless, evaluation of the issues requires informed and careful judgement, and the opposite case can also be made, that had the company continued trading beyond 1961 there was no reasonable prospect that it would generate sufficient cash to repay existing debts within a contractually established or reasonable period nor, indeed, to repay all necessary subsequently incurred financing and other business debts. At best, Borgward by the middle of 1961 was seen by potential investors and lenders as a much riskier prospect than it had been a year earlier.
Case for a conspiracy.
It has been suggested that the media onslaught launched against Borgward at the end of 1960 was part of a well orchestrated covert campaign by other German auto-makers, jealous of Borgward's success and spotting an opportunity to eliminate a significant rival. Even now, the Spiegel article of 14 December 1960 is strangely shrill, partisan, and out of line with the dry tone that characterised most serious business reporting at the time.
Johannes Semler, appointed by the city fathers to chair the supervisory board, ostensibly in order to guide the business towards a more secure future, appeared a strange choice for the role despite his excellent network of contacts and long experience at the interface between business and public life. The appointment appeared stranger still after his simultaneous appointment, in 1960, to the board of BMW in Munich, his more recent political power base and by now his adopted home city. BMW had lost its old manufacturing facility in 1945 when Eisenach had ended up under Soviet control and since then had itself struggled to survive financially.
Cui bono?
In fact, the appointment of Semler to the BMW board was one of several events which, in rapid succession, marked an improvement in the fortunes of BMW. BMW had itself come close to bankruptcy in 1959, but had been rescued thanks to a massive additional investment by Herbert Quandt, who became, behind the scenes, a remarkably successful “hands-on” principal BMW shareholder. Key to the company's future was a new saloon/sedan smaller and more sporty than a Mercedes-Benz yet larger than a Volkswagen, and more stylish than anything then to be expected from Opel or Ford. Quandt also recruited an energetic sales director for BMW called Paul G. Hahnemann who later would assert that the BMW 1500, launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1961, created an important new niche in the German car market. Hahnemann repeated his boast so often that he gained the soubriquet "Nischen-Paule" in the press. Those who contend that Semler's role in the Borgward bankruptcy was part of a conspiracy orchestrated on behalf of BMW to bring down Borgward point out that the “niche” allegedly defined by the mid-weight BMWs from 1961 bore an uncanny resemblance to the niche previously occupied by the Borgward Isabella during the 1950s.
Case against a conspiracy.
Cases against conspiracies are seldom as compelling as cases in support of conspiracies. Nevertheless, Carl Borgward's management style had never been collegial, and during several decades as a swash-buckling engineer-entrepreneur he had never shown much appetite for opinions at variance with his own. The "Spiegel" article that kicked off the press onslaught in December 1960 included a withering attack on Borgward for having recently laid off 2,000 people as part of a belated attempt to streamline administration and production. In a period of boom there was little doubt that the affected workers would have found job opportunities with other German automakers, but they would have needed to relocate away from Bremen, and the Spiegel's description of Carl Borgward's implementation of the redundancies savagely implied a singular absence of human sensitivity. One way and another, Borgward had over several decades enjoyed plenty of opportunities to create enemies, able to feed toxic stories to the media without any need for a conspiracy among rival auto-makers.
Borgward's approach to “product planning” was remarkably profligate. In West Germany only Opel, at this time, came close to Borgward in terms of frequency of model changes and facelifts. But Opel were backed by the financial muscle and the strong management support of General Motors, the world's largest auto-maker and at that time itself a fabulously profitable corporation. In contrast, Borgward had only a generous (but not bottomless) credit facility from the local state bank which he coupled with a personal disinclination to delegate or discuss business decisions. Opel, for all their flamboyant marketing and a domestic market share second only to that of Volkswagen, at this time offered only two models, the Rekord and the Kapitän. It is difficult to keep up with how many different models the Borgward group was supporting. In addition to various commercial vehicles, the 1961 passenger car range included the Lloyd Alexander, the Lloyd Arabella, the Goliath 1100 (rebadged in 1959 as the Borgward 1100), the Borgward Isabella and the Borgward P100. The company's reputation for serious teething troubles on new models was not simply the result of malicious press reporting. Borgward was managed by a 70-year-old autocrat without an obvious succession plan. At the height of the crisis talks in 1961 Carl Borgward received (and robustly rejected) a 200 Million Mark offer for his business from Chrysler corporation. Even without his own personal BMW connections, chairman Semler might reasonably have concluded that the Borgward business as then configured had no realistic prospect of remaining solvent for more than few more months without collapsing into a yet more destructive bankruptcy from which creditors would not recover all their cash, and which could easily end up with the company becoming a third significant foreign transplant to compete on financially unequal terms with the domestically-owned auto industry.
Post mortem.
The German magazine "Der Spiegel" published a thoughtful piece in 1966, implying that with a little more support, and if the proprietor had been more willing to take advice from his own directors, the Borgward company could have easily overcome its financial problems of 1961. But Carl Borgward was financially naive and reluctant to accept advice: his preferred source of credit had always involved shunning the banks and simply taking extra time to pay his creditors, rejecting advice on the financing of his business from his own Finance Director. By Autumn 1960 he was holding on to unpaid creditor invoices worth more than 100 Million Marks for sheet metal and tyres alone. Given that all the company's creditors were eventually paid in full, the liquidation decision appeared nevertheless to have been taken prematurely.
Production in Argentina.
Borgward Argentina was founded in 1954 as a joint venture of Carl F. Borgward HMBH and IAME (Aeronautics and Mechanical Industries) intended to equip the Rastrojero, a small pickup truck. The engine was manufactured at the plant that Borgward had in the town of Isidro Casanova, Buenos Aires province, at a production rate of 20 units per day with almost 800 employees. The production of Borgward Isabella was carried out in Cordoba city, by using Argentine engines, local components (glass, batteries, tires) and other pieces from Germany. This model production started in 1960 at the booming of Argentina automotive industry development, with a production plan of 500 units for that year.
When the German parent company closed its doors in 1961, the operation happened to have local control, and continued for a short time to complete the total manufacture of 1,050 cars during its short life in Argentine territory.
Production in Mexico.
As part of the bankruptcy process, in 1963, all manufacturing equipment for the Borgward Isabella and P100 was sold to a buyer in Monterrey, Mexico. Production in Mexico was delayed, but was started in August 1967 by entrepreneur Gregorio Ramirez Gonzalez. Production in Mexico ceased in 1970.
Revival.
In 2008, the Borgward Group AG was formed in Lucerne by Christian Borgward (grandson of Carl F. W. Borgward) and Karlheinz L. Knöss. The new company later moved to Stuttgart. With both investment and manufacture by Beiqi Foton Motor (a subsidiary of BAIC, a major Chinese automotive group), the Borgward group had started to sell SUVs by January 2017.


Dennis Dorchester

The Dennis Dorchester was a mid-engined heavy-duty single deck coach or bus chassis manufactured by Dennis in small numbers between 1983 and 1988.
About two thirds of the total number built were bought by Scottish Bus Group subsidiaries Western Scottish, Central Scottish and Clydeside Scottish. These consisted of 23 with Plaxton Paramount coach bodywork, and 21 with Alexander bodywork, with each of the three T-type variants represented — five each of the TS service bus and TE express semi-coach, and eleven of the TC full coach.
Leicester City Transport bought three Dorchester coaches with Plaxton Paramount bodywork, but sold them fairly quickly to Kingston-upon-Hull City Transport, which also bought one new. South Yorkshire Transport also took on three similar vehicles.
Of the Dorchester customers in the independent sector, Geoff Amos of Northamptonshire included three high-capacity bus versions among their five examples, two with Wadham Stringer bodywork and one with Reeve Burgess bodywork, all with 71 seats. Tillingbourne Bus Company also purchased two 61-seat Wadham Stringer-bodied buses.
Other body manufacturers for the Dorchester were Duple (five, including the sole export Dorchester, for South Africa), Caetano (two coaches which made up the remainder of the Amos contingent), and Berkhof (one vehicle).


Scania N series

The Scania N series is a line of low-floor bus chassis with straight-up, transversely mounted Euro IV or newer engine at the rear, built by Scania since 2006, replacing the Scania N94.
It is available as the N UB (N230UB, N270UB, N280UB) two-axle single-decker bus, the N UA (N310UA) tri-axle articulated bus, and the N UD (N230UD, N250UD, N260UD, N270UD, N280UD) two-axle double-decker bus. The double-decker variant is mainly built for use in the United Kingdom, and was initially available both as an integral product known as the Scania OmniCity, and as a separate chassis with Alexander Dennis Enviro400 bodywork.
The N230UD is the best selling variant of the N-series chassis, with Stagecoach in the United Kingdom being the largest customer. The N230UD was succeeded as the main model of the N-series family by the updated N250UD in 2015, which was launched with the updated Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC bodywork. This also marked the official end of the double deck variant of the Scania OmniCity.
A gas-powered double-decker variant of the N-series chassis, known as the N280UD, was launched with Enviro400 MMC bodywork in 2016. Reading Buses was the first customer of the United Kingdom's first ever gas-powered double-decker bus. The largest UK fleet of N280UD buses is in service with Nottingham City Transport, with the total fleet there reaching 120 by the end of 2019. Their examples are Enviro400 City bodied.


Hotel Astoria (Copenhagen)

Hotel Astoria is a design hotel located next to the Central Station in Copenhagen, Denmark. The building is an early example of Functionalist architecture in Denmark.
History.
The building was designed as a station hotel for the Danish State Railways by Ole Falkentorp, who had started his career in the State Railways' design office before forming his own practice. The hotel was built from 1934 to 1935 as the first luxury hotel in Copenhagen.
In 2007, Hotel Astoria was taken over by DGI-byen. The new owner commissioned GUBI to redesign the interior while preserving many of the original features. The revolving doors, the first in Denmark, are still present at the main entrance, and one of the luxury rooms has been maintained exactly as it was in 1935. Relying on black and white set off by tones of deep purple and greyish blue, a new colour scheme has been selected and the building has been fitted out with artistically designed, custom-made furniture.
On 1 July 2011 the hotel was taken over by Zleep Hotels. On 1 January 2014, Brøchner Hotels took over management of the hotel.
Architecture.
The hotel consists of a long slender wing forming a barrier between the courtyard in front of the main entrance to the Central Station, which partly opens to the underground rail lines, and Reventlowsgade, the street on the Vesterbro side of the station.
An example of architecture parlante, the building is intended to resemble a steam locomotive, with its connotations of travel and movement encapsulating the essence of the site, and as an expression of the fascination with progress and technology which was typical of the time. It consists of an expressive constellation of cubist volumes, culminating in the narrow facade looking out over Vesterbrogade which is topped by a "hood ornament" in the shape of a winged wheel bearing a crown, a sculptural representation of the old logo of the Danish State Railways. The vertical, exterior hotel sign is in the full height of the building. At the other end of the building, there is a cylindrical staircase tower with a helical window.
Great care was taken by E. Schmidt, the technical designer, in drawing up the detailed specifications for a building which was to be constructed using Asger Skovgaard Ostenfeld's recently developed deformation technique for reinforced concrete structures. The finish on the four-inch-thick walls with metal-framed windows was achieved by manual bush hammering.
The hotel has been an inspiration for Peter Clash's design of the RIBA Award-winning Sleeperz Hotel in Cardiff, Wales.


Trolleybuses in Warsaw

A Warsaw trolleybus system formed part of the public transport network of Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, during two separate periods. The first trolleybus system was established in 1946 and lasted until 1973. It had a maximum of 10 routes. The second system, comprising only one route, was in operation from 1983 until 1995.
History.
During World War II, most of the mass transit infrastructure in Warsaw was destroyed. The city was in need of a cheap and efficient transport network. In 1945, thirty secondhand trolleybuses, along with material for installation of overhead lines, were obtained from the Moscow trolleybus system, in the Soviet Union, and the first two lines in Warsaw opened on 5 January 1946. They operated from "Plac Unii Lubelskiej" to Warszawa Gdańska train station, and from the Łazienkowska depot to the city centre ("ulica Piękna"). In March 1946, another line was opened ("Plac Saski"–"Bonifraterska"), but was closed and replaced by trams in December. By 1955, five new trolleybus lines were opened and existing ones extended, covering mainly the city centre.
The first system's fleet had also included 15 French-built Vétra trolleybuses, purchased new in 1947, and 30 East German-built vehicles, received in 1952–53. These were later supplanted by trolleybuses built by Škoda, in what was then Czechoslovakia. They included seven of model 7Tr, 45 of model 8Tr and 77 of model 9Tr, though not all in service during the same periods.
1967 started a period of fast decline in both the number of trolleybuses and the trolleybus lines in Warsaw. The national government policy at the time was that as much Polish coal as possible be exported while the oil be imported at very low prices from the USSR. It was decided that electricity production should be decreased in order to save coal for export. The last trolleybus line (52) closed on 29 June 1973.
Second system.
The last period of the Warsaw trolleybus history started in 1977, when it was decided that the existing vehicles should be used on a new line between Warsaw and the southern suburb of Piaseczno. An additional longer route to Piaseczno was planned, through Wilanów, Powsin and Konstancin-Jeziorna. However, economic conditions made construction of the latter line impossible, and only the former, on the direct route between Warsaw and Piaseczno, was opened. This single route, numbered 51, opened on 1 June 1983, returning trolleybus service to Warsaw. In the meantime, it had been decided to purchase new trolleybuses, and these came from Uritsky (ZIU), in Russia, model ZIU-682. These wore a red-and-cream paint scheme. New trolleybuses were also purchased from the Polish manufacturer, Jelcz. Route 51 was long, and the depot (garage) was located only about from the outer end of the line.
After 1989 it became apparent that the ZIU trolleybuses were in need of replacement, and that the cost of running a single line was very high. In 1992, additional trolleybuses were acquired secondhand from the St. Gallen trolleybus system, in Switzerland. These comprised St. Gallen trolleybuses 119–130, built in 1957–58 by Saurer, and a number of passenger trailers, built in 1969–70. These entered service in 1992, with new fleet numbers but keeping their green-and-cream St. Gallen livery. The ZIU trolleybuses were withdrawn in 1993. By 1995, the 1957 Saurer trolleybuses had become "among the oldest trolleybuses still in service anywhere in the world".
In 1995, the Warsaw City Council decided to discontinue the service. The final day of operation was 31 August 1995. The trolleybus depot at Iwiczna, in Piaseczno, was closed, and the vehicles were placed in storage. The decision was taken to reduce costs. The depot had been designed for 300 vehicles but was only being used by 39 (counting trailers). In July 2000, what had been an indefinite closure was made permanent. The remaining vehicles were sold to Gdynia and Lublin, and to various museums.


Hiroden Streetcar Route 5

Hiroden Streetcar route #5 "Hiroshima Station – (via Hijiyama-shita) – Hiroshima Port Route" runs between Hiroshima Station and Hiroshima Port via Hijiyama-shita.
Lines.
Horoden Streetcar route #5 is made up of next three lines. The train goes straight through from each direction.


Brookvale Bus Depot

Brookvale Bus Depot is a bus depot in the Sydney suburb of Brookvale operated by State Transit.
History.
Following the closure of the Manly tram network in 1939, all Northern Beaches buses had been stabled at the increasingly overcrowded former Manly Tram Depot. To alleviate this, a new depot opened on 5 October 1952 on Pittwater Road, Brookvale.
As of December 2020, it has an allocation of 217 buses.


Control car

A control car, cab car (US and Canada), control trailer, or driving trailer (UK and Ireland) is a generic term for a non-powered railroad (US) or railway (UIC) vehicle that can control operation of a train at the end, opposite to the position of the locomotive. They can be used with diesel or electric motive power, allowing push-pull operation without the use of an additional locomotive. They can also be used with a power car or a railcar. In a few cases control cars were used with steam locomotives, especially in Germany and France (see article Voiture État à 2 étages).
In the United States and Canada, "cab cars" are control cars similar to regular passenger cars, but with a full driver's compartment built into one or both ends. They can be very similar to regular rail cars, to the point of including a gangway between cars so that they could be used in the middle of a passenger train like a regular car if necessary. European railways have used such equipment since the 1920s. In the United States they appeared for the first time in the 1960s. In the United Kingdom, driving trailers may have one or two driving cabs.
Trains operating with a locomotive at one end and a control car at the other do not require the locomotive to run around to the opposite end of the train when reversing direction at a terminus. Control cars can carry passengers, baggage, mail or a combination thereof, and may, when used together with diesel locomotives, contain an engine-generator set to provide head-end power (HEP).
In addition to the driver's cab, which has all the controls and gauges necessary for remotely operating the locomotive, control cars usually have a horn, whistle, bell, or plough (as appropriate), and all of the lights that would normally be on a locomotive. They must also be fitted with all necessary communication and safety systems like GSM-R or European Train Control System (ETCS).
Control method.
The classic control method was a multiple unit cable with jumpers between cars. In North America and Ireland a standard AAR 27-wire cable is used. In other countries cables with up to 61 wires can be found. A more recent method is to control the train through a Time-Division Multiplexed (TDM) connection, which usually works with two protected wires.
North America.
Some commuter rail agencies in the United States routinely use cab cars in place of regular passenger coaches on trains. While older bi-level cab cars often made trains less aerodynamic, new ones being built for GO Transit and Metrolink have specially streamlined cabs. The Chicago and North Western Railway had 42 control cabs built by Pullman-Standard in 1960, which eliminated the need for its trains or locomotives to be turned around. It was an outgrowth of multiple-unit operation that was already common on diesel locomotives of the time. The Canadian transit agency Exo uses control cars on all its trains, except its electric multiple units, which run as double-ended semi-permanently coupled three-car rakes. Amtrak also has a number of ex-Budd Metroliner cab cars, which are used primarily for push pull services on the Keystone Service and New Haven–Springfield Shuttle. The Long Island Rail Road uses cab cars on its C3 double deck coaches.
During the mid-1990s, as push-pull operations became more common in the United States, cab-cars came under criticism for providing less protection to engine crews during level crossing accidents. This has been addressed by providing additional reinforcing in cab cars. This criticism became stronger after the 2005 Glendale train crash, in which a Metrolink collided with a Jeep Grand Cherokee at a level crossing in California. The train was traveling with its cab car in the front, and the train jackknifed. Eleven people were killed in the accident, and about 180 were injured.
In early 2015, another collision occurred in Oxnard, California, involving one of Metrolink's improved "Rotem" cab cars at the front of the train hitting a truck at a crossing. The truck driver left his vehicle before the impact, but the collision resulted in multiple car derailments and further cars jackknifing causing widespread injury.
Converted locomotives.
From the 1970s until 1999, the Long Island Rail Road used a number of older locomotives converted to "power packs". The original prime movers were replaced with engines/generators solely for supplying HEP with the engineer's control stand left intact. Locomotives converted included Alco FA-1s and FA-2s, EMD F7s, and one F9. One FA was further converted into a power car for the C1 bi-level cars in 1991. The railroad has since switched to classic cab cars with a DE30AC/DM30AC locomotive on some trains. Longer trains require two engines, one on each end.
Until the 1980s, Ontario's GO Transit had a similar program for EMD FP7s. They were frequently used with GP40-2Ws and GP40M-2s, which lacked HEP to power trains. They also found use with HEP-equipped GP40TCs and F40PHs, and were sometimes leased to other railroads. They were eventually retired in 1995 upon the arrival of the EMD F59PHs and subsequently scrapped, except for one F7A and one F7B, which were sold to Tri-Rail and the Ontario Northland Railway, respectively.
MARC had a former F7 unit, #7100, also converted into an APCU, or All-Purpose Control Unit, which occasionally substituted for a cab car. It was rebuilt with a HEP generator, newer cab controls, and fitted with a Nathan Airchime K5LA. It was used up until the late 2000s, and was donated to the B&O Railroad Museum in 2010.
Amtrak.
Amtrak developed their Non-powered Control Unit (NPCU) by removing the prime mover, main alternator, and traction motors from surplus EMD F40PH locomotives. The control stand was left in place, as were equipment allowing horn, bell, and headlight operation. A floor and roll-up side-doors were then installed to allow for baggage service, leading to the nickname "cab-baggage cars" or "cabbages".
Six NPCUs rebuilt for "Cascades" service in the Pacific Northwest do not have the roll-up side doors, because the Talgo sets on which they operate have a baggage car as part of the trainset, though #90230 and #90251 were recently fitted with these doors.
Four NPCUs are used on the "Downeaster". These units have Downeaster logos applied to the front and the sides of the units.
Three NPCUs are designated for use on Amtrak California services. They are painted in a paint scheme similar to the old with blue-and-teal striped livery used by Caltrain between 1985 and 1997.
In 2011, Amtrak F40PH 406 was converted to an NPCU to enable push-pull operation of Amtrak's 40th-anniversary exhibit train; in addition a HEP generator was installed to supply auxiliary electricity. Unlike other NPCUs, the 406 retains its original number (instead of being renumbered to 90406) and resembles an operational F40PH externally.
In October 2015, NPCU #90208 was painted into a special Veterans livery similar to P42DC #42 and ACS-64 #642. Later, in August 2016, NPCU #90221 was repainted into the same scheme. "Cascades" NPCU #90250 was rebuilt with roll up side doors with Amtrak Phase 5 paint and given a Seattle Seahawks wrap, which has since been removed.
In 2017, NCDOT started a Cab Control Unit (CCU) program using ex-GO F59PHs.
Europe.
In Britain, this type of car is called a "driving trailer". There are many examples of this type of vehicle in operation in Europe.
Belgium.
NMBS/SNCB make extensive use of push-pull operation. Trains are powered by class 21 class 27 or class 18 electric locomotives and are operated in one direction from a driving carriage.
Czech Republic.
In the Czech Republic, these control cabs were hardly used in the past. The main reason was concerns about the greater tendency of trainsets that do not have a traction unit at the head of the train to derail. Earlier legislation considered such a train to be sunk and for this reason the speed of such a train was limited to 30 km/h.
The first attempt to operate at ČSD was the production of two three-car units, each consisting of a SM 487.0 power car, an inserted N 487.0 trailer, and a Ø 487.0 control cab. Both prototypes were produced in 1966 by Tatra Studénka Wagon and MEZ Vsetín. However, the units did not have sufficient capacity and were used to convert to five-car units with motor vehicles series SM 488.0 (now class 560) on the front.
Finland.
The VR fleet includes 12 cab cars (Finnish: "ohjausvaunu"), classified as Edo.
France.
The Corail fleet includes 28 "voitures-pilote", classified as B6Dux.
Denmark.
The Danish were ordered in 2014. The control car is manufactured by Bombardier. They are to be upgraded for ERTMS, starting 2019.
Germany.
The first German attempts to use control cars (German: "Steuerwagen") and remote control-equipped steam locomotives were before World War II by the Deutsche Reichsbahn (DRB). The driver's control instructions were transmitted from the control car to the locomotive by a Chadburn-type machine telegraph (similar to engine order telegraphs on ships). The order had to be immediately acknowledged and implemented by the automatic firebox controllers. This indirect control was judged as impractical and unsafe, because, although the driver controlled the brake directly, the danger existed that in an emergency the locomotive would continue supplying "push" power for some time and possibly derail the train.
Attempts to use electric locomotives (beginning with a converted E 04 class model) were more promising, as the engine driver could control the locomotive directly. World War II interrupted the test program, despite good successes. Only after the war would control car operation be slowly accepted, when locomotives and suitably equipped cars became available.
The length of train consists in push-pull operations was originally limited to 10 cars for reasons of guidance dynamics. A speed limit of 120 km/h was also imposed, rising to 140 km/h in 1980. This was not an operational hindrance, as push-pull trains were generally initially used in six-car commuter trains.
Only since the mid-1990s have long-distance trains, which can have up to 14 cars and travel at speeds of 200 km/h, been operated with control cars. A special circumstance is the ICE 2, which may operate with the control car in the lead at up to 250 km/h on the recently built high-speed lines.
Hungary.
Control cars in Hungary are present since the 1960s. The first type of control cars used by MÁV, that is still used on low traffic branch lines was the BDt (then called BDat) series, with the BDt 100 series being capable of travelling with diesel (and formerly with steam) engines (most notably the M41 series), and the BDt 300 series being capable of travelling with electric V43 series engines. These carriages were built by the MÁV Dunakeszi Main Workshop between 1962 and 1972.
Most of the BDt 100 series, with lack of function after the Bzmot series overtook the shrinking number of unelectrified branch lines, were converted to BDt 400 series by the Dunakeszi Main Workshop, now led by Bombardier, in 2005 (after a prototype series of 7 built in 1999). They are only compatible with the V43 2xxx series, as only they have digital remote control.
With the purchase of the former East German carriage series from the DB, called "Halberstadters", 27 control cars serialed Bybdtee arrived in Hungary. Although a V43 3xxx series was introduced that has special remote control compatible to these control cars, because of the Halberstadters' rare use as branch line carriages, they are rarely used as effective control cars, and are more frequently seen as a regular carriage because of their bicycle storage space.
There are more carriages that are technically separate control cars, like the Bdx series that were part of the (now deleted from rolling stock) MDmot DMU series, or the Bmxt series that is part of the BDVmot and BVhmot EMU series, but they are considered and treated as a part of their DMU and EMU unit respectively.
Ireland.
Iarnród Éireann operates two classes of push-pull trainsets, each with its own Control Car:
All Mark 4 Control Cars have full-sized driving cabs with EMD locomotive type power and brake controls. Locomotive control is by means of an AAR system, modified by Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) to include control of train doors and operate with 201 Class locomotives.
Iarnród Éireann formerly operated Mark 3 Control Cars from 1989 until 2009:
Italy.
In Italy, the first push-pull trains began to run after World War II.
At the time there were no systems to actually remote command the rear locomotive, so an engineer had to take place in it and command traction, following instructions (via an apposite intercom) given by the other driver, who remained in the front car, commanding brakes and sighting signals.
This lasted until the adoption of the 78-wire cable in the 1970s, which enabled full remote commanding from control cars.
Today push-pull trains are very common, and different kinds of control cars are employed:
These types allow full remote control of any Italian locomotive supplied with standard 78-wire cable, except for UIC Z1, which are used on IC services and are only able to command class E.402 locomotives, and MDVC Diesel-specific version, usable only with class D.445 Diesel locomotives.
The same driving commands are used for both rheostatic and electronic locomotives, but their meanings change.
"Vivalto" type control cars, at this time, can only remote command Class E.464 and Class E.632 locomotives, because of software issues, though are able to command other locomotive types.
Vivalto cars can also use TCN remote control cable.
Driving cars can be recognized because of the "np" in their identification number and usually also have a dedicated compartment for bicycle and luggage transportation.
There also are specific EMU/DMU non-motorized units control cars, which (in Trenitalia) are classified as Le / Ln XXX with no significant difference between them and motorized units except the lack of traction motors.
The Netherlands.
The use of cab cars (Dutch: stuurstandrijtuig) in The Netherlands by NS is becoming rare due to the conversion of the sets to EMUs and the discontinued use of control cars on "intercity direct" services.
The use of a "virtual EMU" concept for some short-distance trains in the north of the country is where train sets are formed of a driving carriage, two or three intermediate carriages and a class 1700 electric locomotive. These train sets are diagrammed as if they were all EMUs resulting in formations with two locomotives, often at intermediate positions in the train. Most of the train sets have been converted into double-decker EMUs called DDZ.
Poland.
In Poland, the term used is "wagon sterowniczy", which literally means "control carriage".
Koleje Mazowieckie use driving trailers on their regional services. The first batch of double-decker driving trailers and cars, the Twindexx Bombardier Double-deck Coaches, was delivered in 2008. The second batch, PESA-made Sundecks, was delivered at the end of 2015.
Slovakia.
In 2011, the state-owned Slovakian railway operator ZSSK introduced a JNR-based passenger train operator; a push-pull operation train series manufactured by Škoda Transportation, including Class 381 electric 109E locomotives and even Class 263 alternating-current locomotives, provides the vehicles utilised by the company. The Class 951 system train coaches remain introduced at Bratislava hlavná stanica, which these generally operate in conjunction with commuter rail and regional rail.
Sweden.
There has only been one type of control car in service in Sweden. Only three examples of the AFM7 were made and they are currently in service with SJ in the Mälaren Valley. The Swedish word for contral car is "Manövervagn" which literally means manoeuvre car.
Switzerland.
Swiss driving trailers operate in many different configurations. There are several models currently in service on S-Bahn networks as well as regional, InterRegio, and InterCity services. These are operated by the federal railway system (SBB) as well as various private railroads throughout the country (including narrow gauge lines) and into France, Germany, and Italy.
Driving trailers are classified after the UIC-lettering system, adding a "t,” giving "Bt" (second class), "BDt" (second class + baggage), "ABt" (first + second class), or "Dt" (baggage).
For Intercity trains there are the Bt IC that work together with EW IV and the double-deck version for the IC 2000 trainsets, working with Re 460.
The Zürich S-Bahn trainsets with Re 450 work in fix consists of Re 450 - B - AB - Bt but intermediate cars and driving trailers are numbered as coaching stock.
"NPZ" Regional and S-Bahn trains with RBDe 560 usually have a matching Bt driving trailer. Replacement by an older BDt EW I/II is technically possible. Older driving trailers, mostly BDt EW I/II and a few remaining Dt of SBB can be used with Re 420 and RBe 540 and some motive power of private railways. In theory also Re 430 and Re 620 can be controlled but these classes only work freight trains today.
The BLS operates four groups of driving trailers:
Südostbahn had a fleet of ABt for their BDe 4/4 but they will soon be fully replaced by FLIRTs. NPZ ABt exist for the two types of RBDe 566 SOB owns (566 071-076 ex BT and 566 077-080 ex SOB of the SBB-type). Nine BDt are used for the Voralpen-Express with Re 456, Re 446 or SBB-CFF-FFS Re 420.
The narrow gauge Zentralbahn ABt can control HGe 101 (ex SBB), De 110, BDeh 140 (ex LSE) and the new "SPATZ" ABe 130.
The Rhaetian Railway (RhB) has, besides the ABDt that work with Be 4/4 511-516, a group of driving trailers that can be used with their Ge 4/4 I, II and III locomotives. Three of them are specially fitted for Vereina car shuttle trains.
The Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (MGB) has numerous driving trailers for almost all types of motive power. They work regional trains and car shuttle trains through the Furka Base Tunnel.
United Kingdom.
Control cars have been in use in the United Kingdom for many decades, with the Great Western Railway often using autocoaches on branch line services. These allowed a train driver to remotely control the regulator and reverser of a suitably equipped locomotive. The fireman remained on the locomotive to operate the boiler and locomotive whistle. Locomotives were commonly sandwiched between a pair of autocoaches, allowing a maximum of four to be used.
Driving Trailers.
A Driving Brake Standard Open or DBSO is a specially converted Mark 2 passenger car. Initially operated by ScotRail from 1979, they were operated on InterCity and Anglia Railways services on the Great Eastern Main Line from the late-1980s until 2006. Some have been refurbished for use on Network Rail test trains. Others were used by Direct Rail Services on Cumbrian Coast line locomotive hauled passenger trains under contract to Northern Rail until late 2018 when they were replaced by regular Diesel multiple units.
Transpennine Express's Mark 5a sets include a purpose built Driving Trailer.
Driving Van Trailer.
A Driving Van Trailer or DVT is a more modern type of control car, purpose-built to include space for baggage and a guard's office. The DVT was developed in the late-1980s from the DBSO and designed to be used with Mark 3s on West Coast Main Line services and Mark 4s on the East Coast Main Line. As of February 2021, Mark 3 DVTs are in service with Chiltern Railways and Network Rail, with Mark 4 DVTs in service with London North Eastern Railway with some to be operated by Transport for Wales from 2021. Former operators of the Mark 3 DVTs are Arriva Trains Wales, Greater Anglia, Transport for Wales, Virgin Trains West Coast and Wrexham & Shropshire.
Oceania.
NSW.
All of the driving trailers are generally on much of the earlier rolling stock. Examples of these driving trailers were on some old (now most likely scrapped) red rattler cars along with C and K sets (4 trailers). The driving trailers from the K set were later converted to ordinary trailers. These can be noted by the positioning of the pantograph. On a single set the pantographs are placed on the second and third cars, and on an eight car train (2 sets combined) they're placed on the second, third, sixth and seventh cars. Some third Generation of Sydney Trains, Tangaras or T sets, have driving trailers but are equipped to supply electricity to the train though the use of a pantograph.
Waratahs (A sets) have two driving trailers (one at each end) with power trailers in between the driving and non-driving trailers.
South Australia.
2100 class railcar are driving trailers, being placed in a 2-car consist with a 2000 class power unit, sometimes with a second trailer to make a 3-car consist-the power car would be placed in between the two trailers. As of 2018, only three of these trailers exist, the rest were scrapped. Two are preserved and one that was donated to South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (cut-in half). Three 2000 class power units out of the twelve have had the same fate.
New Zealand.
Experiments with light railcars were aimed at cutting costs on lightly-used branch lines. Autotrains were built in 1906 and 1907 and by 1925 NZR had 8 88-seat and 5 72-seat motor trains. In 1908 there was a motor train Auckland suburban service to Otahuhu and between Morrinsville and Putaruru in 1913.
In Auckland, Transdev Auckland operated 21 DC class locomotives and four DFT class locomotives (owned by KiwiRail) in push-pull mode with 24 sets of 3-5 SA cars and an SD driving car with driving cab and remote controls (ex British Rail Mark 2 carriages rebuilt for suburban service), owned by Auckland Transport. The carriages were replaced with EMUs in July 2015.
Asia.
Sri Lanka.
Control cars are available on most Diesel multiple units operated by Sri Lanka Railways.
Israel.
Control cars are available on most Diesel multiple units operated by Israel Railways.


Martinsburg station

Martinsburg is a railway station in Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States, served by Amtrak and MARC. The station also included the historic Baltimore and Ohio Railroad roundhouse, and Martinsburg Shops.
Located on the mainline of CSX, the Martinsburg station is a restored 1848-1876 railroad hotel and its sympathetic modern train station addition at 229 East Martin Street in Martinsburg. It is also a contributing property to the Baltimore and Ohio and Related Industries Historic District. The building is among the oldest surviving railroad stations in the United States.
The station has seen many historic events. In 1862, the hotel witnessed the destruction of the B&O Roundhouses and shops by General Stonewall Jackson, and the following year General Robert E. Lee's army retreated through Martinsburg two blocks west following the Battle of Gettysburg. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877, the first national labor strike, began here. The station is also the portal to the state's first Civil War Trail.
Transit connections.
PanTran Blue, Red, and Green bus routes originate and terminate at the station. Blue and Red routes stop there approximately once every hour and half, running between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and roughly between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays (see route schedules for details). The Green Route provides a shuttle service between the station and Shepherd University during weekday rush hours while the university is in session.
Ridership.
MARC (2019): Average Weekday Ridership 96


Curtner station

Curtner is a light rail station operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). Curtner station is served by the Blue Line of the VTA Light Rail system. The station is located within the median of State Route 87, where it crosses over Curtner Avenue in San Jose, California.


Champion station

Champion station is a light rail station operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in San Jose, California. Champion is served by the Green and Orange light rail lines. The station is decorated with a number of icons commonly used to depict routers, switches and other networking devices on network maps as a nod to Cisco Systems, whose San Jose campus surrounds the station.
Location.
The stations two side platforms are located in the median of Tasman Drive just east of Champion Court.
Station layout.
The station features public artworks, including the sculpture "EcoTech" completed in 1997 by eco artist Deborah Kennedy for the city of San Jose.


Honda Acty

The is a series of cabover microvans and kei trucks produced by the Japanese automaker Honda from 1977 to 2021, designed for the Japanese domestic market (JDM). "Acty" is short for "Activity".
The Acty's primary competitors are the Subaru Sambar, Suzuki Carry/Every, Daihatsu Hijet, Mazda Scrum, Nissan NT100/NV100 Clipper and the Mitsubishi Minicab.
History.
The Acty range is designed to be economical, agile work vehicles, and generally lack luxury options, although air conditioning and power steering are available along with various trim, decoration, and customization options. The first generation was produced from 1977 to 1988 (model series TA, TB, TC, VD, VH), the second generation's years were 1988-1999 (model series HA1, HA2, HH1, HH2 with the E05A engine; HA3, HA4, HA5, HH3, HH4 with the EN07A engine - the Street continued in production until 2011) and the third generation's years were 1999-2009 (model series HA6, HA7, HH5, HH6 with E07Z engine) with the van still in production. The fourth generation was introduced, as a truck only, at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show in 2009 on December 17, showing the HA8 series and continuing to use the E07Z engine. Since the merger of the Subaru Sambar and Daihatsu Hijet, the Acty truck has become the only remaining Kei truck not to have a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout.
First generation.
The first Acty trucks were introduced July 27, 1977, and replaced several "Keitoras" Honda had previously offered, such as the Honda TN360 (most recently sold as the TN7) and the Honda T360. On 1 September 1975, the Japanese Government revised the rules on Road Trucking Vehicle Law that regulated the dimensions and engine size of vehicles in this class. As a result, the first Acty trucks and vans were available with a "midship" mounted 545 cc 2-cylinder SOHC water-cooled engine, known as the EH engine, which produces at 5500 rpm and of torque at 4000 rpm. This was about 50% larger than the engine used in the preceding TN7. Export models, with less emissions equipment, claim at the same engine speed.
The van was introduced November 1979, although a truck-based panel van with a boxy rear was available from the beginning (TB). To save money, the van uses the same taillights as the truck and also has side doors with center mounted handles, meaning that the same pressing can be used for either side of the car. The Acty was exported to a number of markets, including Great Britain, where it is considered to have created an entire new category. The Suzuki Carry/Bedford Rascal was GM's response to the Acty in the British market.
An upper trim level of the Acty van intended mainly for passenger usage went on sale 1 February 1981 and was called the ; it was produced for two generations of the Acty van. Available with a standard or an all-new high roof design, the high roof was also made available for the Acty van (SDX only). The name was discontinued in 2001 after the Honda Vamos name had been reintroduced as a replacement trim level for the Street, on a shared platform of the Acty van. In March 1983 the four-wheel drive Acty/Street was added. This model receives 12-inch wheels for increased ground clearance and has an engine with an improved cylinder head, increasing power to at 5300 rpm and torque to at 3500 rpm. This was also the first Acty/Street to receive a five-speed manual gearbox, initially only available on the 4WD models. A larger, was also part of the 4WD's equipment.
In June 1982 the series received a facelift, with wraparound turn signals. At this time the Hondamatic version was added, as was the "Big Cab" version, with a passenger compartment stretched by . While the Acty has round headlamps, the Street received square units after the facelift. Starting with model year 1985, the Acty/Street was exclusive to a chain of Japanese Honda dealerships established for small and commercial vehicles, called "Honda Primo".
Export versions.
The Acty was also sold in a few export markets, such as the United Kingdom and Australia. Subsequent models were marketed almost entirely in the Japanese domestic market only. As a bit of an oddity, the Acty was sold during 1982 in Australia, but was made unavailable inside of Sydney due to concerns by Honda that the vehicle was underpowered for the hilly terrain.
Second generation.
The second generation Acty was launched in March 1988 with the introduction of the Honda E05 engine, with an additional cylinder added, making it a 547 cc 3-cylinder with SOHC. The engine is rated at 5500 rpm and of torque at 5,000 rpm. The first models were the Acty truck and van, with the commercial grade Acty van appearing a month later. The 4WD models (HA-4) were no longer available with an automatic transmission. There was also an "Acty Attack" version of the truck, intended for farmers in particular this model has a differential lock in the rear and features Ultra-Low forward and reverse gears (UL/UR). The other models of STD, SDX, SDX2 and TOWN had slight variations with the TOWN and SDX2 adding a color coded (white) bumper and tachometer. The TOWN features tweed seats with a brown interior (as opposed to "vinyl" like seats on STD models). The only other notable options were a light for rear work area and radio.
The original Actys have distinct round headlights while the Street has large, rectangular headlamps. The truck and van originally shared the same taillights. After the March 1990 facelift the Acty received the same headlights as the Street, while all models grew longer by as the result of altered kei car regulations. At this time the Street also received the taillights from the contemporary Honda Today (which were also used for the third generation Acty van). The 1990 changeover also meant that the 547 cc engine was replaced with the larger 656 cc Honda E07A engine (with fuel injection added in 1996). The carburetted version of this engine produced at 5,300 rpm and of torque at 4,500 rpm. The Street could reach a top speed of , while the four-wheel drive version only could attain .
In October 1993 the Honda Street's front design was changed yet again, receiving larger, more square headlamp units. A PGM-FI version in "Fox" and "Xi" equipment levels was also introduced to the Street at this time. This version produces . The front end changes were applied to the Acty as well, beginning in January 1994. The Acty and the Street were further modified in January 1996 when the turn signals were changed from amber to clear. At this time, the fuel injected Acty SDX-Hi was also introduced - only with two-wheel drive and a five-speed manual - with the same engine as the Street Xi (the Fox was dropped, replaced by the carburetted Street V). Production of the Acty continued until the arrival of the third generation in 1999, although the Honda Street continued to be built until 2001 as it was only partially replaced by the pricier Honda Vamos.
Third generation.
The third generation Acty truck was introduced on 27 May 1999. The van went on sale one month later. On September 30, 1996, the Japanese Government amended the Enforcement Regulations Vehicle Law, Ministerial Ordinance No. 53, which addressed safety requirements for front passengers, but did not allow for larger overall dimensions. Honda pushed the driving position back while keeping the engine in its traditional location underneath the vehicle. The new design retained the mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout although it was now of a "semi-bonneted" design. Meeting the increased safety requirements was a major focus during development. The base price of the pickup model is ¥777,000 (approximately $7,920 USD), with the van starting at ¥1,060,500 (approximately US$10,810) as of December 2008. Four-wheel drive is available as an option on all vans, and all but one model of pickup truck, making the Acty one of a handful of mid-engine, AWD vehicles that are not designed as supercars.
The 656 cc engine is of an LEV design, with low emissions and high gas mileage. Fuel economy was further increased by the use of electric power steering. Max power in 1999 was at 5,000 rpm. The engine was since upgraded to the current 660 cc 12-valve inline-three E07Z gasoline engine making at 7,000 rpm and of torque at 4,000 rpm (4WD models). Currently, the maximum payload is . The truck was available as a basic standard model, SDX (Super Deluxe) and more comfortable Town versions. There was also the Acty Attack, a spartanly equipped four-wheel drive version with a differential lock, particularly intended for farmers. The van was available as a two-seater Pro-B (with division) or as the somewhat more comfortable Pro-A. There were also four-seater SDX and Town versions. The Acty van (and the related Vamos Hobio) kept using the taillights of the 1988 facelift version of the Honda Today.
The "Street" name was discontinued in favor of the Honda Vamos, based on the Acty van. In December 2009 the Acty truck was replaced by the new fourth generation model, but the bonneted Acty van continued to be produced with the third generation bodywork. On 12 July 2018, the Acty van was discontinued and it was replaced by the N-Van.
Fourth generation (truck).
On 17 December 2009, the fourth generation Acty truck was introduced. As for the Daihatsu Hijet and Suzuki Carry competitors, this model has become delinked from the van as a result of differing safety requirements for commercial vehicles and passenger-type vans. It continues to use the predecessor and van's E07Z engine, although now with . The chassis codes are HA8 (2WD) or HA9 (4WD). The wheelbase was shortened dramatically, returning to the as used on the second generation Acty, in order to increase cabin space and to shrink the turning circle. In June 2012, the Acty underwent some light modifications so as to meet new upcoming standards on lighting.
In November 2018, Honda renewed the "Spirit Color Style", a special-purpose vehicle commemorating the 55th anniversary of T360, the origin of Honda's four-wheeled vehicle, based on the "TOWN" type, in the light commercial vehicle "ACTY TRUCK" released on November 9.
Discontinuation.
The Acty will be discontinued in June of 2021 due to new emissions regulations and mandatory crash mitigation brakes that must be installed sequentially, thus increasing development costs.
The Acty ended production on April 2021.
In popular culture.
In the Shuichi Shigeno manga and anime Initial D, as well as the Arcade Stage games, The Honda Acty is often seen in the background.
The YouTube series The Midnight Garage commonly uses a modified Honda Acty as a parts hauler for their other project cars.
A Honda Acty van was used as the 'Sooty Mobile' in the UK children's TV show "The Sooty Show" during the 1980s and could be seen in various outdoor episodes. The van was subsequently passed on to a neighbour of Matthew Corbett (then the presenter of the show) and used for road trips across Europe, before being rediscovered in a garage after 20 years.