Karia HM V - Service History

Service History

The first HM V tram, number 1, was delivered to the HKL on 1959-04-27, with number 15 delivered last in the series on 1959-10-23. Coinciding with the delivery of these new trams the HKL had decided to reset their numbering scheme. Therefore the HM V trams were numbered starting from one and not from 376, as they would have been had the old numbering been continued. The HM V trams were built to be compatible with the HP II type trailers that had been constructed in 1958–1959, also by Karia. The usage of trailers in Helsinki ended in 1983, although the couplers needed for hauling trailers were retained in the HM V type trams for many years afterwards, number 14 being the last tram to have one, with the coupler removed only in 2006.

Originally the HM V trams were built for two-person operations, with a separate driver and conductor. Between 1978 and 1982 they were converted to one-person operations, with the driver also acting as the ticket seller.

The first HM V units to be withdrawn from service were numbers 5 and 6, withdrawn in 1993, with number 7 following in 1994. In 1994 work also begun on converting number 15 into a pub tram. These works were completed in 1995, when number 15 was renumbered into number 175 in honour of the 175th anniversary of the Sinebrychoff brewery, who also paid the conversion work of the tram. In addition to be being renumbered, the tram was named Spårakoff (from Helsinki slang Spåra, tram, and "Koff", a beer brand brewed by Sinebrychoff). Also during 1995 number 11 was rebuilt as a "NAC prototype" by ABB, with new traction motors and control devices.

During the latter half of the 1990s HKL ordered 40 low-floor Variotrams, which were projected to replace the HM V and RM 3 types in their entirety. During the early 2000s three HM V trams were withdrawn from service, with number 4 withdrawn in 2000, and numbers 1 and 2 during the following year. However, due to persistent technical problems of the Variotrams, some other units in the class remained in service. In 2004–2005 number 12 was in Tallinna Trammi- ja Trollibussikoondis (TTTK) depot in Tallinn for large-scale repair/renovation process. Similar renovation were carried out at TTTK on number 9 in 2005–2007. Number 11 received smaller-scale renovation in 2007. While these three trams were restored, numbers 3, 8 and 10 were withdrawn from service in 2006–2007, leaving six HM V trams in existence.