Kit BK45: Düwag Sechsachser Zweirichtungen Gelenktriebwagen
(Duewag 6 axle, double-ended articulated motor tramcar)

This photo shows an example operated by the Bochum-Gelsenkirchen system.

Brief History

• The Düwag factory in Düsseldorf built articulated trams for many systems in Germany between 1957 and 1966.
• This model depicts the double-ended six-axle version with the door pattern 2-1-2-1 and equal size smaller windows. Other systems, such as Heidelburg, had the uncommon door pattern 2-1-2-2 with different unequal window spacing.
• In 1972 Düsseldorf bought 3 standard gauge versions of these trams from Neuss, when they closed their tramcar system.
• Aachen, Belgrad, Bochum-Gelsenkirchen, Geneva, Gent, Hagen, Innsbruck, Lille, Mainz, Mönchengladbach,Wurzburg and the "Vestischen Strassenbahn" had the narrow gauge version (l meter gauge track). Some are still in service.
• The Grossraumwagen bogie trailer tramcar, which is available as BEC-KITS 39 Grossraumwagen Beiwagen (Trailer Tramcar) was sometimes towed by these articulated cars.
• Some of the 6-axle cars were later rebuilt into 8-axle cars articulated trams for further service, for example in Innsbruck.

Kit special features

• This kit has two unmotorised bogies for the main body sections and one lower unmotorised bogie under the working articulation.
• It can be motorised with two BEC-KITS motorised MEDUW Düwag bogies, keeping the lower unmotorised bogie under the working articulation.
• A working tramcar pantograph is included.
• A range of systems is covered on the transfer sheet supplied.

Bibliography

• Hoogerhuijs, Herman van't. 1996. Trammaterieel in Nederland en België. (Gent pages 118-120) De Alk bv, Alkmaar. ISBN 90 6013 948 8.
• Jacobi, R. and Zeh, D. 1995. Die geschichte der Düsseldorfer Straßenbahn (Pages 223, 231, etc.) EK-Verlag GmbH, Freiburg. ISBN 3-88255-401-0.
• Waller, P. 1994. The heyday of the European tram. (Pages 6, 37, 57) Ian Allan. ISBN 0 7110 2274 7