Škoda 14Tr and 15Tr - where do they remain?

[alex397]

I've recently spent some time in Vilnius, Lithuania. A superb gem of a country, and well worth a visit for both culture/history as well as transport.

One of its biggest draws for the transport enthusiast is the surprisingly large fleet of Škoda 14Tr trolleybuses, which seem to be in good condition considering their age. Much rarer in the Vilnius fleet is the 15Tr, the articulated version, with apparently only 3 left in the fleet - I was very lucky to get a ride on one of them. I really enjoyed travelling on these ancient buses - they had character, and made some pleasing noises! (I fully appreciate the need to replace them though).

There are no longer any left in Lithuania's second city, Kaunas, apparently all being withdrawn in December 2019.

So, my question is, where else do these vehicles remain? They seem to be long gone in most cities where they were new. My research so far suggests there are some in the Czech Republic and in slightly worse off condition in Ukraine.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Transphoto.org has tables for each make and model of trolleybus, showing the cities where they operate and the numbers in the fleet. The first number for each city is the total in the fleet and the second is the number in operation. (In the former USSR it is common for large numbers of trams and trolleybuses to be out of service long term but not officially withdrawn.)

Škoda 14Tr

Škoda 15Tr

Note that locations in Crimea are still listed under Ukraine, even though Transphoto.org is a Russian website.

P.S. If you want to search yourself, remember to select "With submodels".

 

[alex397]

Transphoto.org has tables for each make and model of trolleybus, showing the cities where they operate and the numbers in the fleet. The first number for each city is the total in the fleet and the second is the number in operation. (In the former USSR it is common for large numbers of trams and trolleybuses to be out of service long term but not officially withdrawn.)

Škoda 14Tr

Škoda 15Tr

Note that locations in Crimea are still listed under Ukraine, even though Transphoto.org is a Russian website.

P.S. If you want to search yourself, remember to select "With submodels".

That seems to be a very useful and fascinating website, thank you!

So it seems Lithuania has the highest concentration of the Škoda 14Tr, with 172 working examples based in the capital Vilnius. The highest number of them are located in Ukraine (223 working examples), but spread out more widely. I know some did end up in the USA, but that certainly sticks out like a sore thumb on that list, amongst every other post-Soviet/Eastern Bloc country.

Top countries for the articulated 15Tr are Ukraine, Czech Republic and Hungary.

 

[dutchflyer]

No, its UKRayna. Nearly any expired 14/5 in the CZ rep. one went to there, but spread out over many cities. After Rossye UKR has the most cities with trolleyś, nearly 40-though many, around 10, are in Krim or the disputed area under siege in the DonBass. HU has not that many art. 15s. A few towns in UKr still even ride the Skoda 9Tr-the classic one, notably Rivne (about halfway between Kyiv and Lviv). The famous longest trolleyline in this world-From Sevastopil to the seaside at Yalta was also mainstay for them, but the Russians renewed the fleet since occupation.
Another site for general worldwide info about trolley´s is trollleymotion.eu.