Points

Most of the tram points in Bucharest were manually operated. At busy city centre junctions there were small metal huts with a seat and a point lever usually occupied by an elderly lady. Otherwise the drivers simply got off their trams and used a point iron.

More route 29

By the time I publish the next picture in this series Romania will be a member of the European Union. I am looking forward to visiting the country again in 2007 and wish Romania and all its people well for the future.
1. The interior of tram number 75 on route 29 in Bucharest.
2. Kath demonstrating the 'missing window' air conditioning system.
3. A Romanian tram driver at work.

Route 29

1. Route 29 was a suburban feeder route along an unmade road.
2. The lady on the left is the driver.

Puddles

 

Bucharest 1

We spent 4 nights on the coast at Costanta and then drove to Bucharest. On the way we passed through several rain showers. Cars jus stopped in the middle of the road whilst the drivers took the wiper blades from the glove boxes and re-fitted them. The trams in Bucharest had flags on them because the next day was 'National day' or similar.
1. An unusual 2 section artic. Most were three sections. This one had a broken pantograph.
2. Typical bogie cars.
3. Air conditioned (missing window) 4-wheelers.
4. Tatra T3s.

More Constanta trolleybuses

1. A map of the system and a woman with red hair.
2. Running repairs to a trolleybus.
3. As in many parts of the former Soviet Union, trolley heads seemed to need frequent inspection.
4. The word 'DEFECT' is self-explanatory. Is the tool leaning against the entrance steps a 'jim crow' for trolley poles? Perhaps John Markham or Bob Hall will be able to tell us.


 

Constanta - trolleybuses

After about a week and a half on the road we arrived at the Black Sea resort of Constanta. Here we stayed in a beach tourist hotel catering for package holiday visitors from western Europe. Magically there was plenty of food - enough for three reasonable meals per day. Bottled beer and wine were also available.
1. There were no trams in Constanta in 1982 but there was a long trolleybus route along the coast to the north. The service was unreliable.
2-4. Town centre views of the trolleybuses.

 

Braila

Braila had a one route tramway and as far as I know it still has.

Galati

In Galati the first routes of a new standard gague tramway opened in 1971 and by 1982 there were no metre gague routes left.
1. A typical Tatra T3.
2. A Banat motor tram and trailer - these must have been only a few years old in 1982.
3&4. Shift change at the steel works.

To Galati

The next day we drove southwards from Iasi to Galati. The main problem with a right hand drive car was overtaking the many horse-drawn carts that were used for general transport in the rural areas. Getting petrol was a problem because in the towns there was usually a queue about a mile long at each of the few petrol stations. The cars were parked at the side of the road with their engines switched off and when the queue moved they were pushed. In the countryside there were few queues. We saw petrol stations with high octane petrol between Iasi and Galati and arrived with a fairly low tank. Sure enough there was a queue of cars along the road and out of sight round a corner. We drove along and then I saw a gap near the front and drove into it expecting to be sworn at in Romanian. A crowd surrounded the car calling out 'pumpe speciale' and escorted us to the special pump (for party leaders perhaps) and then they all admired our luxury Ford Cortina and gave us a friendly wave as we left.
1. This well is at a world famous painted church.
2. Typical horse drawn carts.
3. Making friends with a local on a ferry.
4. We will always remember this hotel. On arrival it looked better than the previous ones and it even had a multi-lingual menu in the dining room. We each chose someting different but the elderly waiter mumbled someting and disappeared, returing with the young man from the reception desk who said 'We are not rich in food!'. All they had were chips, some cold ham and some cucumber. Towards the end of this banquet a local asked to change money and I was so fed up that I followed him to the gents and got about 5 times the official rate of exchange which made things more affordable. That was the first time I changed money on the black market.

Iasi 4-wheelers

Romania has a continental (hot in summer, cold in winter) climate. Most of the 4-wheelers had the front near side window removed. Not for them them the complications of air-con or semi-convertable cars.
1. Close up of a typical w-wheeler at Zona Ind (Industrial zone).
2. There should be plenty of electricity. I don't remember any power cuts on this trip.
3. Well laden tram near city centre.
4. Just imagine that you have a wife and two children with you and that you all were all relying on this tram to get you back to the hotel before they sold out of anything edible.

Iasi Tatras

Iasi has a metre gauge tramway.
1. Turning circle at Tatarasi.
2. One of the main squares in the city centre. The sole motor car is a locally built Dacia.
3. In the socialist world most bus drivers were men, tram driving was usually woman's work and anyone could have a go on trolleybuses. This was the first time I had seen driving cabs with lace curtains etc, although it is quite common in the more remote parts of the former USSR.
4. Track repairs in the city centre.