On 15/01/2012 12:28, Wolfgang Schwanke wrote:
wrote
in :

Anyway, both AI and AII were
phased out in November 1989, coincidentally only a few days before
the fall of the wall. They had already been phased out in West Berlin
in the 1960s and early 1970s, respectively. So the footage is really
from the very last months, weeks or even days these types were in
regular operation.

I just noticed there's a camera date June 1989 at the beginning of the
footage.

With what did they plan to replace the AIs and AIIs, particularly the
wide-profile ones?

With Giselas only. That's how the line operated from then on until it
was joined with its western counterpart in 1993. Of course they didn't
know that in 1989, so they must have been planning to run it with
Giselas indefinetely.

Now I am confused. I thought that Giselas could not run on the
wide-profile U-Bahn line. Thus, if BVB was withdrawing wide-profile
A-series trains from revenue service, with what did they plan to replace
them?

Dorota = D-class U-Bahn trains from West Berlin.

Oh

Were there any physical connections between the eastern and western
parts of the U-Bahn when the city was divided?

Yes, the "Waisentunnel" is a connection between U8 and U5 near
Alexanderplatz. I think the D carriages were transported through it.

And this tunnel existed during the city's partition?

I ask, because I noticed that some tracks simply stopped short of the
border, literally cut, when I visited Berlin in 1999,

Do you remember the exact place you were then? The U-Bahn system has
been restored to its pre-wall status in 1995 with all previous
cross-border connections operational. But the same thing cannot be said
for the S-Bahn and mainline rail even today. So I assume your memory is
not from the U-Bahn.

It was indeed on the U-Bahn. The station was elevated but covered. Just
beyond the station, the track curved slightly to the right and went over
a steel bridge. Literally below that bridge were railroad tracks that
simply stopped, literally cut before the border.

Was much homologation required when BVB acquired the
rail cars from BVG?

No they were perfectly compatible. They merely changed the livery to the
then "corporate design" of the East Berlin transport system which had
been introduced only recently.

Are there any pictures of the D class trains in East Berlin livery?
Also, what did the BVB seal look like?


When U2 was reconnected in 1993, polarity on the third rail had to be
reversed on its eastern half, because they'd altered it for some reason
in the east. This required an overhaul of all Gisela rolling stock in
the days and weeks before the rejoin.

Was U2 physically cut off? Perhaps they changed polarity before it was
cut off for military purposes, such as to prevent transport of French,
British and US troops as one method of marching into East Berlin?

It's interesting that Berlin U-Bahn trains were able to operate on the
Pyongyang Metro, however, for I would have though that the North
Koreans would have built their system more to Soviet specs, assuming
that they differed

They must have adapted it. As Pyongyang ran both small profile "Gisela"
as well as large profile "D" at different stages, who are incompatible
with each other, they must have made mechanical and electrical
adaptations at least for one of the two types, or even both. But I don't
know anything about it.

Giselas no longer run on the Pyongyang Metro, I just read. But they seem
to still be in use on the regional rail in the greater Pyongyang area.

Was the U-Bahn fare in East Berlin the same as on the U-Bahn at a flat
rate of 20 pfennigs?