ATM Class 1500

ATM Class 1500

Company type	Tramcar fleet
Industry	Public transport
Founded	1927
Headquarters	Milan , Italy
Products	Tramcars

The ATM Class 1500, commonly referred to as the type 1928, represents a fleet of tramcars operated by the ATM within the Milan urban tramway system.

History

During the 1920s, growing demand on Milan's urban tram network necessitated replacing the aging "type Edison" vehicles. The city's tram department opted to develop a new tram design featuring two bogies, inspired by the Peter Witt streetcars utilized in Cleveland and various other American cities.

Designed by municipal engineers in 1927, two prototypes were constructed by Carminati & Toselli and entered service by the end of that year, bearing fleet numbers 1501 and 1502.

Following successful trials, production commenced for a batch of 500 units numbered from 1503 to 2002, manufactured by multiple firms:

• Società Italiana Carminati & Toselli produced 110 units (1503–1612);
• Società Italiana Ernesto Breda delivered 110 units (1613–1722);
• Reggiane's Officine Meccaniche di Reggio Emilia built 50 units (1723–1772);
• Officine Meccaniche manufactured 110 units (1773–1882);
• Officine Elettro-Ferroviarie Tallero assembled 110 units (1883–1992);
• Officine Meccaniche Lodigiane completed 10 units (1993–2002).

Electrical components were supplied by Ansaldo and TIBB, while bogies were produced under license from Commonwealth Steel Company by Fiat.

The trams were delivered between 1929 and 1930 and promptly introduced into operation. Between 1932 and 1935, some vehicles were fitted with an experimental half door at the rear; later, from 1938 to 1940, a full rear door was installed, leading to the discontinuation of the Peter Witt boarding method after only a few years.

Although many trams sustained heavy damage during the Second World War, only one unit was scrapped; the remainder underwent repairs or reconstruction between 1945 and 1949.

Starting in the 1970s, the original green paint scheme—adopted in 1930—was replaced with an orange livery. From 1972 onward, trolley poles were phased out in favor of pantographs. By the mid-1970s, several trams were retired and subsequently dismantled.

Currently, about 135 units remain operational, repainted recently in a white and yellow color scheme reminiscent of the prototypes. While most continue in regular service, select cars are reserved for special events (including trams numbered 1503, 1699, 1702, 1723, 1822, and 1847), driver training (1602, 1798, and 1862), two serve as driving restaurant vehicles under the ATMosfera brand (1855 and 1970), and one operates as a school tram known as "Scuolaintram."

• Tram no. 1544 displaying green livery
  Tram no. 1544 displaying green livery
• Tram no. 1577 with orange paint scheme
  Tram no. 1577 with orange paint scheme
• Tram no. 1661 featuring yellow livery
  Tram no. 1661 featuring yellow livery
• Tram no.1813 adorned with rainbow colors
  Tram no.1813 adorned with rainbow colors

Legacy

In 1929, one unit was dispatched to Frankfurt where it underwent trials on the tram system, but these tests proved unsuccessful. Another unit found its way to Brussels, serving as the prototype for the series 5000; it was subsequently transferred to Madrid.

Within Italy, tramcars resembling the Milan Peter Witt design were manufactured for several cities, including Genoa, Naples, Padua, Trieste, and Turin.

Reconstructions

In 1984, two damaged vehicles were repurposed to create a low-floor prototype, designated as car number 4500.
Two additional cars have been restored: one returned to its original configuration featuring only two doors, and the other restored to its 1950s appearance with green paint.

Numerous cars were sold to San Francisco and San Jose, where they have been preserved as museum trams.

Car number 1692 underwent a partial conversion for double-ended "keep left" operation in Australia and operated briefly in Melbourne. It is currently exhibited at the Sydney Tram Museum.

Bibliography

• Giovanni Cornolò, Giuseppe Severi: Tram e tramvie a Milano 1840-1987. Azienda Trasporti Municipali, Milan 1987.
• Guido Boreani: Un tram che si chiama Milano. Calosci, Cortona 1995. ISBN 8877851139.

External links

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