Former HOldings

This six-axle high performance car was built in 1970 as a prototype LRT car for the German city of Hannover by Siemens/Düwag and as such is a street running version of Edmonton's U2 light rail cars. After running until 1975 it was acquired by the B.C. Government of the day to be used as a demonstration car for a light rail system being proposed at that time for Vancouver. However, the different "Sky Train" technology was adopted and the car actually sat unused on its shipping cradle for almost twelve years. Purchased by the Society in late 1987, it arrived in early 1988 and ran under power briefly at Fort Edmonton Park in 1989. It was stored for years on LRT tracks after being repainted and overhauled electrically and mechanically. In virtually as new condition, xHannover 601 entered service on the High Level Bridge line in 2005 and completed its final season in our care in 2016.

On the evening of September 13, 2016, after 12 years of service on the High Level Bridge Line, our xHannover 601 was loaded onto a trailer to begin its long journey back to its homeland in Germany. It is now a highly-prized feature in the collection of the Hannover Tramway Museum. You can read about this interesting car's history below.