The Tramways of Upper Silesia - A Guidebook tells the story of a remarkable tramway network situated in a region of Poland rich in mineral resources, which was at serious risk of closure in the post-industrial era, but has survived and regenerated itself to become an important part of the regional transport infrastructure.
The transport network is still operated by a single operator and is the last inter-urban tramway in existence in Europe. Local political support along with a determined and committed management, who never lost faith in the future potential of the tramway, have resulted in the system’s transformation. Second-hand articulated cars from cities such as Frankfurt and Vienna have been modernised within the tramway company’s workshops and the reconstruction and modernisation of the track and infrastructure, along with the introduction of modern, low-floor rolling stock to cater for the needs of present-day passengers have resulted in what the author, Michael Russell, describes as one of the greatest tramway networks the world has ever known.
This detailed account of the system covers the history of the network, rebuilding the system, rolling stock and works cars, surveys of each individual line, and ends with a German–Polish/Polish–German translation of place names referred to in the book. Eleven tramway network maps follow the development of the system from the steam and horse tramway in the 1890s through to the electric tramway as at 1st April 2022. This A4 book also acts as a comprehensive guide to the system that operates today
602 colour and 107 black & white photographs, plus additional large-scale folding track plan. 240 pages.