It seemed that, like Ikarusi, they would also ride forever. ZiU's Trolleybuses dominated the Minsk streets for more than 30 years, but first gave way to their "clones" of Belarusian production, and then at all were completely ousted by low-voltage "horns" of the new generation. However, by the duration of its presence in the city's transport system, they have not yet been exceeded. We remember ZiU.
If anyone knows, ZiU is an abbreviation from the "Writsky plant". This is not the only one, but the largest manufacturer of trolleybuses in the USSR. There were times when the plant was the largest similar production in the world. The name and location of the enterprise were impregnated with communist symbolism. It was located in the city of Engels of the Saratov region, and I received my name in honor of Moses Solomonovich Uritsky - Headquarters of the Committee of the Revolutionary Defense of Petrograd. In 1993, the Order of the Labor Red Banner of the "Writish Plant" was renamed CJSC Trolleybus Plant. So there was a brand "Trolza" (Trolza in Latin transliteration). But she is already a story - in 2020, the company was recognized as bankrupt. However, the trolleybuses on its squares do to this day, the truth of Jurlso, the trademark, the model range and the owners are already the others.
The first trolleybus in Engels was collected back in 1951. It was a model MTB-82 Moscow development. It was from the MTB-82 that the trolleybus movement began in Minsk, but this model did not yet carry the Zhu brand, because it remains beyond our review.
ZiU-5.
But ZiU-5 is already developing a plant from Engels. The first experienced model was collected in 1959, and their serially produced before the 1972th, building more than 16,000 copies. Several hundreds of them worked in Minsk.
Nostalgic photo, first half of the 1970s. According to the young Minsk district, Chiryovka is driving ZiU-5D 1972 release, board 2458. It became, this car is from the latest parties manufactured in Engels.
Salon ZiU-5 Very reminded the Riga tram. Two rows of double soft sofas, upholstered "skin of young dermatin". Two screen doors in the fodder and frontal parts of the body. On the latter years of the release of the handrails began to do in a polyvinyl braid, the finishing fan was replaced by plastic. Then these decisions were considered to be advanced, allowing to increase the electrical safety of passengers and the convenience of salon cleaning.
One Ziu-5d in Minsk was kept for history, today he is a museum exhibit. And they worked such trolley buses in the capital quite a long time. "The last of the Mogican" went away from the routes only in August 1987.
In the early 1970s, a new model - ZiU-682 began to enter Minsk, which determined the portrait of the Minsk trolleybus on three more than decades ahead.
ZIU-682.
The first SIU-9 prototype was built in 1966. Compared to its predecessor ZiU-5, this trolleybus had a more spacious, lightweight and technological welded steel case instead of pulp aluminum, as well as a pneumatic wheel suspension. The body of trolleybus was three-door (with a narrow front door), had a greater area compared to ZiU-5. In the steering control was used a hydraulic. Later, after upgrading, the model was renamed in ZIU-682.
Minsk trolleybus fans were lucky: in the Belarusian capital until the middle of the zero, they were maintained in the move and were operated on ZiU-682V routes with rear lamps-boats. "Boats" - a kind of fetish for fans of the genre. For example, this instance of 1984 built was written off only in 2005.
Many Minsk residents, probably, still remember the "Afghan" charitable trolleybus with a big inscription "Pain" on the sidewall. Drivers, locksmiths were engaged in the design of the car, the director of the park came to the rescue. In the cabin on both sides along the windows, the photographs of the victims of the Minsk residents - the Afghan soldiers were placed - and their biographies. In some military unit, four sleeves were raised, which installed instead of composters. One of the drivers was a veteran-Afghan, in the cabin through the speakers sounded Afghan songs. It was not required to pay for the passage in this trolleybus: people lowered money to the sleeve at will. The funds collected in this way were listed on the construction of a monument on the island of tears. The basis for "pain" was ZUU-682V 1987 of the release. In camouflaged coloring, the car went to the route in April 1991 and worked on the lines of about five years.
There was in Minsk and their own overhaul of ZIU-682. For example, this instance of 1988 by producing its resource in 1997, a major overhaul was held, which conducted a Dzerzhinsky experimental and mechanical plant that made the body, and the Trolleybus depot No. 4 of Minsk, who mounted electrical equipment on it. In total, from 1997 to 2001, 18 trolley buses were repaired on such a scheme. But just the original appearance had only board number 4155. The remaining externally were almost indistinguishable from classic ZiU-682.
In the early 1990s, Minsk also bought new trolleybuses in Engels. This late ZiU-682g 1993 of the release is one of them. But by the time it was decided to build trolley buses. So the new round of history began.
Belarusian descendants of ZiU
Already in 1992, the factory "Belkommunmash", since the 1970s worked by the repair of trolley buses, gathered his version of Zhu-682 - the AKSM-100 model. Externally, it was indistinguishable from the original.
But the next model - AKSM-101, mastered in production in 1994, was already easy to distinguish from ZiU-682. The Belarusian trolleybus has traction high-voltage electrical equipment on the roof. This casing is from above and there is a sure sign of "Minsk Clone ZiU". Then this decision was in the wonder. There were people who were seriously afraid to ride such trolley buses in the rain, "so that it did not hit the current." Of course, it was a prejudice, from which Minsk residents gradually got rid of.
In 1996, an upgraded Belarusian version - AKSM-101A appeared once again. The roof cover received if it can be expressed, a more streamlined form. Board number 3357 At one time had on the body, perhaps the most beautiful advertisement in the city - Shell. It is believed that such an advertisement is still better than a dull monotonous color, as now.
The peak of the Belarusian evolution of "heirs ZiU-682" was the AKSM-101M model, which was released until 2002. As for the beauty of the design, you can argue, but the aggregate part at that time was considered quite advanced. The front axle from the "Supermaz" was used, the attachment of the traction motor was changed. And yes, imagine, there were times when McDonald's needed advertising and used for this trolleybebus media resource.
It is with the developments based on the ideas of ZiU-682, the story of "Belkommunmash" began as a manufacturer. In the future, their own models will appear, first high-profile, and then low-profil. Well, then, the "student" will surpass the "teacher" both in terms of production and engineering levels.
"Harmonica" ZiU
But in the 1990s, the "Garmoshki" "Belkommunmash" could not yet. They were then purchased in Engels.
Writer's first articulated Trolleybus ZiU-10, the Writish plant made back in 1978, but in Minsk such trolley buses appeared only in 1993. A total of five such cars were purchased. All is the late modification of ZIU-683B01.
The next purchase of articulated trolley buses in Engels took place in 2002-2003. Then Minsk acquired 16 "accordions" Trolza-6205.02. They had other doors, another plastic mask design, other components, but at the heart of it was the same classic. Some of the cars have written off after four years, "long-livers" worked for 10 years.
Now the Trolleybus Park of Minsk completely transformed. It does not have the rolling stock of non-Farm manufacture, everything is exclusively made in Belarus. Minsk remains the trolleybus capital of the world (according to the number of units operated) with only its own production machines. But this production began with the ZIU's clones, so in the history of Belarusian trolleybus construction, these three letters should be inscribed by gold paint.
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