As we enter August our world tour of trams moves on and we go from Czechia to Germany. We’re in Berlin for the next few weeks, although its not the main Berlin system which is featured.
The Schöneicher Rüdersdorfer Strassenbahn is one of two independent tramways operating from successive S-Bahn stations on the S3 line in the south east of Berlin. Its in the VBB system, (Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg), a transport association run by public providers in the states of Berlin and Brandenburg and as such they are operated under the VBB fare structure.
The metre gauge Schöneiche route, number 88 in the VBB system, runs for 14km from Friedrichshagen S-Bahn station, initially through the Köpenick forest and on emerging from this crosses into the state of Brandenburg, passing through the town of Schöneiche and terminating in the town of Rüdersdorf.
The route consists of a mixture of single and double track running and at either end there are turning loops. The depot is near Ransdorfer Strasse, an intermediate tram stop in Schöneiche. The tramway was opened in 1920 primarily to connect Schöneiche and Rüdersdorf to the Berlin surburban railway system.
In this opening image from the tramway we see no. 27 at the Gratzwalde tramstop. 27 is another Tatra product with it built in 1987 as a KT4D for the system in Cottbus. A move to Schöneicher – Rüdersdorfer Strassenbahn came in 2010 which is when it received its current number (previously it had carried the numbers 42 and then 142, the latter coming when it was converted to a KTNF6 in 1998).
Photograph by Stanton Copley, 7th October 2021