The BVV's D & E type

The BVV (Budapest City Rwy. - later BVVV - Budapest City Electric Rwy.) in 1900 and 1902 bought the D (166-185) and the E (186-195) type cars form Schlick-Nicholson factory. Both types had the same body, but the D type was a one-motored car.

 The D type car 171 on the Pest Danube-bank viaduct line. As can be seen, the car had extremely elegant look. The cars had only conduit current collectors (the E type was suitable for overhead-wired lines too).

 

During the BSzKRt (Budapest Capitol Transportation Co.) the D type recieved numbers 2300-2319. In 1924 from these cars the company made the first twin-car type of the world - wich later remained the speciality of the Hungarian tram networks. The two one motored-cars were coupled, and recieved the electric outfit of a single two-motored car. So this unit had a passanger carrying capacity of a motor+trailer unit, but was suitable to moveboth direction - avoiding the building of sophisticated loops.

Here's the pair 2316+2317 in Aréna-depot around 1924, with an unusual standing of collectors.
A twin car on line 46 in front of Keleti pályaudvar (Eastern Rwy. Sta.) in the '30s, on its terminus.

The 10 E type car recieved in 1923 numbers 2400-2409. The small cars ran mainly on line 2 - a very comlicated line running on the narrow streets in the inner-city of Pest.

Here's the car 2405 in the '40s, on line 2.
The car 2407 in depot, during the BSzKRt era.

The D type twin-cars recived in 1949 stronger Belgian motors, a remained in service until 1956-57.

On this photo: the cars 2309+2308 at Lehel út-Dózsa György út on line 15; in 1956.
The E type cars were partially scrapped - partially made twin-cars (three pairs) in 1949.

Here's an E type twin-car on line 48 in the '50s; at Astoria.

In 1950 the car 2407 - instead of scrapping - was sold to Szeged; here it carried number 78. On the photo it is near the depot, in 1962.

Text by Németh Zoltán Ádám
Pictures: John H. Price and others