LH Standard tram – car interior

Sounds accompanying the ride of a passenger in the power car of LH Standard tram. The recording was realized during the ride from Podgórze tram depot to the Museum of Municipal Engineering in Cracow in regular traffic.

The tram began its operation in the year 1925. The bogie was manufactured in Eisenwerk G. Trelenberg factory and the body in Linke-Hofmann-Lauchhammer factory (Germany). In the years 1924-1929, in order to satisfy the needs of public transport system of the city of Wrocław, 232 LH Standard tramcars were manufactured. The structure of the body of these modern vehicles was made entirely from steel. Platforms constituted the only exception – as elements often subject to damage, they were manufactured from wood covered with metal sheet in order to reduce maintenance and repair costs. The tramcar could accommodate 60 passengers at a time, including 20 seats. The seats had a special feature – it was possible for the passenger to adjust the seatback according to the direction of ride or personal preferences. Initially the seats were soft and upholstered but at present, the car is equipped with wooden seats introduced in the 1940s.
After WW2, LH Standard tramcars appeared also on the streets of Katowice and Warsaw; in Poland they were in operation until the year 1977. Car No 1076 arrived to Cracow in 1985 as one of the first exhibits for the museum of transport, the creation of which was planned at the time. In 2006, after the necessary renovation, it was included in the collection of historical tram rolling stock of Cracow Municipal Transport Company (MPK) and is now exhibited in the Museum of Municipal Engineering.

Sound recordist: Michał Fojcik
Photographer: Iwo Wachowicz