Urban Electric TransitMunich Trolleybus
Munich
(28.04.1948 — 28.04.1966)
The era of trolleybuses began in Munich in 1948, but they did not have a long life. It came to an end on April 28, 1966 – exactly 18 years to the day.
In Bavaria's state capital, the trolleybus remained only a short episode. On April 28, 1948, the first 3 km long route from Laim to Waldfriedhof (the forest cemetery) was opened. A trolleybus line mainly followed a tram ring line that had been planned for decades. Triangles were initially used at both ends for turning, but these were soon replaced by loops to enable trailer use.
A year later, on May 7, 1949, an approximately 4 km long southern extension to Obersendling (corner of Aidenbachstrasse and Gmunder Strasse) was opened. A separate depot was created here after the trolleybuses had originally had to be towed to the Westend tram depot. On September 5, 1949, the 1.2 km long route from Aidenbachstrasse to Wolfratshauser Strasse (corner of Boschetsrieder Strasse) was added and on October 25, 1953, with the commissioning of the northern segment from Laim to Romanplatz, the entire 9.5 km-long trolleybus line O32 was completed (where letter 'O' stands for Oberleistungbus or O-bus).
At both Laim and Waldfriedhof, generous intermediate loops also allowed for shortened lines. For example, the southern segment of the route was temporarily served only on Sundays and in the summer for the Zoo visitors. Expansion plans to Harlaching, Giesing, Solln and Großhadern were no longer realized, although a few switches and short branches had already been installed.
Extensive road construction projects led to a gradual conversion to buses. First, the section from Hofmannstrasse to Wolfratshauser Strasse (corner of Boschetsrieder Strasse) was discontinued on October 28, 1962. The route was then shortened by a further 600 m with a view to extending tram Line 8 to Ratzingerplatz and the associated redesign of Boschetsrieder Straße. On April 10, 1966, the current trolleybus Line 58 Romanplatz — Laim — Ratzingerplatz was further curtailed, so that trolleybuses only operated between Laim and Ratzingerplatz on weekdays during rush hour under Line E58 designation. Further changes to the contact line at Kreuzhof finally sealed the Munich trolleybus era.
On the evening of April 28, 1966 a thunderstorm paralyzed the overhead lines due to a lightning strike, so that — coincidentally on the 18th "birthday" of the line the decision was made to shut down trolleybus operation prematurely and without any announcements.
The first 15 Krauss-Maffei trolleybuses of the KME 130 type, of which only two cars were available when operations opened, were characterized by a single, particularly wide central entrance with sliding doors. Analogous to the similar KME 130 diesel bus, the electric motor was located in the rear, where it did not allow for a passenger platform within the interior. The 1955 series, on the other hand, had three doors, corresponded to the Krauss-Maffei type KME 160 bus, and received the reserved leftover electrical equipment from the original series. The 15 second-generation trolleybuses purchased in 1958 received refurbished electrical equipment from earlier vehicles delivered in 1948/50. Trailer operation was mainly available during rush hours, with 15 trailers from 1948 (No. 21-35) and eight from 1955 (No. 51-58).
Text by Ludger Kenning (translated from German).
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 160 # 1 Aidenbachstrasse Trolleybus Depot 1966 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei trailer (KME 130) # 26 — route 58, train 7-26 Ratzingerplatz August 1965 |
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Munich, Rathgeber M5.65 motor car # 1007 — route 8 Ratzingerplatz August 1965 |
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Map of the Munich trolleybus network, consisting of the solo Line 032 (later 58). October 25, 1959 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 160 # 12 — route O32 Romanplatz Terminus 1959 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 160 # 12 — route O32 Romanplatz Terminus 1959 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 160 # 12 — route O32 Romanplatz 1959 |
Wotanstrasse |
Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 160 # 16 — route O32 Romanplatz Terminus August 1956 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 130 # 1 — route O32 Aidenbachstrasse Trolleybus Depot August 1956 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 130 # 7 — route O32, train 7-28 Romanplatz Terminus July 16, 1955 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 160 # 18 — route O33 Aidenbachstrasse Trolleybus Depot 1955 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 130 # 15 — route O32 Laim Terminus June 1953 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 130 # 15 — route O32 Laim Terminus June 1953 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 130 # 8 — route O32, train 8-25 Gmunder Strasse August 5, 1950 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 130 # 4 — route O32 Wolfratshauser Straße Terminus August 5, 1950 |
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A Munich trolleybus at the 1949 transport exhibition. 1949 |
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Photo from Ludger Kenning collection. 1949 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei KME 130 # 4 — route O32 Wolfratshauser Straße Terminus 1949 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei trailer (KME 130) # 21 — route O32, train 5-21 Laim Terminus 1949 |
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Laim Terminus 1949 |
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Laim Terminus 1949 |
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A KM factory photo of the first Munich trolleybus. 1948 |
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A brand-new KM trolleybus just a few months after the opening of the trolleybus line in Munich. 1948 |
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Munich, Krauss-Maffei trailer (KME 130) # 22 Laim Terminus 1948 |
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