Background
During the 1930s, Oslo Sporveier operated a fleet of 150 trams and 130 trailers. The latest series, the HaWa Class, had been delivered during the early 1920s and were, by the late 1930s, becoming old fashioned, with low speed, uncomfortable interiors and a two-axle wheel arrangement. Increased competition from cars and buses made the tram company start a process to find a new "generation" of trams and buses. In 1935, an agreement was made with Stømmmens Værksted to build a series of aluminum-bogied trams and buses. Since the last order, the tracks had been relaid farther from one another, so the tramway could operate 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) wide and 15 metres (49 ft) long trams.
The use of an aluminum body was controversial, and international experts recommended that the tram company should not choose that solution. The goal was to decrease the weight so the trams could operate with less-powerful motors, giving a lower cost. The first prototype was a full-scale model of a tram, built at Homansbyen Depot in 1935, using an undercarriage from disused horsecars.
Read more about this topic: Gullfisk
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