ŽS series 812

ŽS series 812 (former JŽ series 812) was a diesel motor railbus operated by Serbian Railways. Originally it was the German Uerdingen railbus produced by Goša FOM for Yugoslav Railways (JŽ).[1]

ŽS series 812
A Serbian Railways 812 unit
ManufacturerDuewag, Germany
Built atGoša FOM, Serbia
Constructed1955 (1959 GOŠA)
Entered service1955 - 2016
Number built270
Operator(s)Yugoslav Railways
Serbian Railways
Specifications
Car length13.95 m (45 ft 9 in)
Maximum speed90 km/h (56 mph)
Weight18.9 t (18.6 long tons; 20.8 short tons)
Prime mover(s)Diesel
Power output110 kW (150 hp)
TransmissionHydraulic
UIC classification1A+2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

History

In the early 1950s, Yugoslav Railways decided to import a large number of diesel multiple units for traffic on local railway lines. The decision was made on the Uerdinger Schienenbus VT 95 series. The first multiple units in red livery arrived in 1955, and by 1959 there were 40 in service. Having performed well in service it was decided to purchase the license for mass production. The production started at Goša FOM wagon factory from Smederevska Palanka and the first domestic-made railbuses were delivered to Yugoslav Railways in silver livery. A total of 270 diesel multiple units were produced by Goša FOM until 1969, which contributed to the replacement of steam locomotives in local passenger traffic.

Name

The official name of VT 95 series with Yugoslav Railways was JŽ series 812. In the 1A+2 configuration when two motor cars are connected so one is pulling another as a wagon, the DMU is known as JŽ 812/816. This configuration is basic but it was rarely used due to the small number of passengers.

The first nickname was "Silver Arrow" (Serbo-Croatian: Srebrna strela/ Сребрна стрела) due to its silver livery. It was so much faster than the old steam locomotives, the railwaymen nicknamed it "Rabbit" (Serbo-Croatian: Zec/ Зец). Because of its German origin, it is nicknamed by passengers as Schienenbus (Serbo-Croatian: Šinobus/ Шинобус), which is widely known among the people of former Yugoslavia.

Service

Šinobus was operated by Serbian Railways (ŽS) on several local lines until 2016, mainly in Vojvodina. Due to their age, ŽS class 812 were replaced by the new ŽS series 711 diesel multiple units.[2] There are some 30 railbuses in inventory but only five or six are operational.

A number of JŽ series 812 have been operated by Croatian Railways (HŽ) as HŽ series 7221 but they are no longer in service.

It stands for one of the most popular railway vehicles in the former Yugoslavia.

  • Šinobus at its terminal station Kanjiža
    Šinobus at its terminal station Kanjiža
  • Series 812 railbus at Horgoš station, Serbia
    Series 812 railbus at Horgoš station, Serbia
  • Šinobus on Ruma-Šabac line. Šinobus has been replaced on this line with series 711 DMU.
    Šinobus on Ruma-Šabac line. Šinobus has been replaced on this line with series 711 DMU.
  • ŽS series 812 next to ŽS series 441 at Ruma
    ŽS series 812 next to ŽS series 441 at Ruma
  • ŽS series 812/816 at Zrenjanin depot
    ŽS series 812/816 at Zrenjanin depot

References
  1. Motor trains, page 3
  2. RTS - Old timer on tracks (Serbian)
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