These buses were driven by our grandparents, our parents, and we ourselves along with you.
On Cavicom, I have already reviewed Soviet TVs, vintage telephones. Now I've made an attempt to talk a little about buses. To what extent I succeeded, look.
The first attempt to create a streamlined bus in our country was made by the Auto Repair Plant transport management Leningrad (ATUL). Since 1927, handicraft buses began to be produced at this plant, the regular movement of which then began in the city on the Neva.
Such "home-made" for 1932 - 1933. made a hundred.
The next bus manufacturer was the ZIS plant. His first model was a bus based on the ZIS-6 truck, and then the ZIS-8.
But these were angular boxes. The first and most massive bus model was the ZIS-16. Its streamlined shape gave the impression of speed
The salon accommodated 16 people. The photo is not the original salon, but only a reconstruction.
The first ten "sixteenths" were made by May 1, 1938. In total, until the middle of 1941, 3250 ZIS-16 buses were manufactured at the Stalin Automobile Plant alone, and taking into account the "homemade", this figure approached 4000. The sixteenths in different modifications produced until 1950.
The load on urban transport increased. It had to become more and more roomy. So the ancestor of all Soviet "sheds" ZIS-154 appeared
Although it appeared on December 8, 1946, the technical ideas applied in it may surprise even modern specialists. This bus did not have a gearbox at all - neither manual nor automatic. An electric transmission was used to transmit torque to the wheels. The generator was paired with the engine direct current. This unit was located across the body under the rear five-seater seat and, in comparison with the traditional gearbox, took up relatively little space. Traction motor located under the floor of the body, through cardan shaft transmitted rotation to the rear drive axle. For the front or reversing served as an electric switch, and the value tractive effort on the driving wheels was installed automatically, without driver intervention. ZiS-154, as this bus was called, was a very comfortable car with soft wheel suspension and roomy interior for 60 passenger seats, 34 of which were seated. The driver's seat was adjustable in height, distance to the steering wheel and backrest angle.
For that time, such a bus turned out to be too complicated, and the electric transmission often failed due to careless maintenance. The mechanics spat, the drivers cursed, and the directors of the fleets wrote tearful pleas to the ZiS and the Minavtotrans to replace the ZiS-154 with something simpler. Their pleas reached the leadership and the production of the ZiS-154 in 1950 was curtailed.
It was replaced by the ZiS-155. It was installed with the usual mechanical transmission,
The capacity of this bus was less than that of its predecessor, seating 23 and standing 21. In terms of comfort, it was a step back - unlike soft suspension 154th, 155th shook like a normal truck.
Production of the 155 continued until 1957, when it was finally replaced by the longer 158. The plant named after Stalin on June 26, 1956 was renamed the Moscow twice Order of Lenin Order of the Red Banner of Labor Automobile Plant named after. I.A. Likhachev. Therefore, the 158th was no longer ZiS-, but 3iL-158.
The body was returned to its previous state - and its passenger capacity became the same as it was on the ZiS-154: the number of seats again became 32, and the number of standing places was determined by a purely Russian number "to hell with it."
Salon ZIS-158
Driver's seat ZIS-158
In addition to urban transport, there was an urgent need for intercity passenger communications. Therefore, in 1953, the design of a large intercity bus ZiS-127 began at the Moscow Stalin Plant. Work on the creation of the bus was supported by the former director of the automobile plant, Ivan Alekseevich Likhachev.
In the cabin of the ZiS-127, 32 semi-sleeping passenger seats with reclining backs were installed. The chairs were filled with sponge rubber upholstered in woolen fabric in combination with faux leather. Passengers could adjust the backs and cushions of their seats as they wished. The windows were safety glass and curtains.
Salon ZiS-127 was radio-equipped and equipped with ventilation, heating, lighting systems, clocks and a thermometer. On each passenger seat installed individual light source and fan. Nets were fixed over the chairs for hand luggage. The body was equipped with heating and ventilation systems, good lighting, and a radio installation. For the carriage of luggage under the floor of the body there are spacious luggage compartments, well insulated from dust. The driver's cab has an individual fan and appropriate control devices.
The length of the routes served by this bus can be judged from these examples: in January 1956, the serial ZiS-127 began operating on the Moscow - Vyazma route, and then on the Moscow - Simferopol, Moscow - Leningrad, Moscow - Riga, Moscow - Minsk and Leningrad - Tallinn.
In the mid-fifties, samples of the most modern European buses Magirus, Neoplan and Mercedes. They were studied, tested, considered from the point of view of production technologies at LAZ, as a result of which the design of the Lviv firstborn was practically developed by the end of 1955, he was assigned the LAZ-695 index.
The total capacity of the bus was 55 people, 32 of which could ride seated. A narrow passage was considered an inconvenience, however, given that the bus was conceived as a suburban one, this circumstance was not of decisive importance.
The LAZ-965 model, being constantly upgraded, lasted 46 years on the factory assembly line, having installed absolute record by the duration of the production of one model.
Here are the main modifications of this model
Driver's seat LAZ-695N
There was also a long-distance version of the LAZ-699 "Tourist"
The design of the new LiAZ-677 city bus began in 1960. And already in the autumn of 1962, the first prototype was built at LiAZ. On November 7, he took part in a festive demonstration.
For more than thirty years, he almost reigned supreme on urban routes, in some places reluctantly sharing passengers with a more spacious, but less maneuverable Ikarus. The very first LiAZs had two-tone coloring. And since 1978 they began to be painted in bright yellow. In 1983, LiAZs began to be painted red.
The driver's seat here was more spacious.
Box. This is the name the people christened the first bus Gorky Automobile Plant. The bus was created on the basis of the famous GAZ-AA lorry and was called GAZ-03-30. It was on this bus that Gleb Zheglov and Volodya Sharapov caught the Black Cat.
In 1950, along with the cessation of the production of a lorry, the production of the GAZ-03-30 bus also ceased.
For the new bus, the chassis from the GAZ-51 turned out to be the most suitable option.
Initially, the bus was called GZA-651 and was produced at the Gorky Bus Plant, but in 1958 the production of the box was transferred to the city of Kurgan. Especially for the assembly of the 651st, Kurgan was opened there on January 14, 1958 bus factory. Since then, the box has received the name KAvZ-651.
There were few modifications to this model.
The interior of this bus has not changed much.
Mainly changed dashboard
Last years In their lives, these buses worked as minibuses, having, in addition to the name “box”, the newly acquired “gas chamber”.
Another representative of small class buses is PAZ. This is a bus wagon type. The first model was built back in Gorky in 1956. Later, the model began to be produced in the city of Pavlovo-on-Oka and was called PAZ-651, but soon it was replaced by the PAZ-652 model
The lineup this bus also changed and 652 was replaced by 672
These buses worked mainly on rural routes. I will not consider other buses of the PAZ family, you can see them on city streets.
In addition to buses, minibuses were also produced in the USSR, such as the Kharkov "Start", familiar to us from the film " Caucasian captive»
Executive bus ZIL-118 "Youth"
And a large family of minibuses RAF
Collected material on Soviet buses
Wanderer specially for Kavikom.
The first urban public transport in Russia was the horse-drawn carriage, and then it was replaced by the tram. However, the device tram lines- a troublesome business, even in major cities. It is not possible to arrange trolleybus tracks everywhere. But the bus only needs a more or less flat and solid road, you can even unpaved.
Forty-three enterprises were engaged in the production of buses in the USSR - both specialized and those that produced small experimental batches. Moreover, we bought buses abroad. It would not be easy to take a look at the entire Soviet bus fleet - so let's focus on the main and most famous models and manufacturers.
The grandfather of the domestic bus can be considered AMO-F15, produced in 1926-1931 at the plant of the Automobile Moscow Society (since 1931 - ZIS, since 1956 - ZIL). This baby was the size of a modern fixed-route taxi and accommodated 14 people. That's just the engine on it stood with a capacity of only 35 hp. With. - that is, even weaker than that of "Zaporozhets"! But how did he help out our grandparents, who, finally, were able to get to work not on foot or in a cab (if funds allowed), but on a real “motor”!
And in 1934, the ZIS-8, created on the basis of the ZIS-5 truck, entered the streets of Soviet cities, becoming the first mass-produced domestic buses. They had 21 seats, the enlarged cabin already allowed 8-10 standing passengers to be carried as well. The 73-horsepower engine accelerated the bus to 60 km / h, which was enough for urban transport. According to the drawings of the plant, the ZIS-8 was produced in Leningrad, Kiev, Kharkov, Rostov-on-Don, Tula, Kaluga, Tbilisi and other cities, mounting the bodies on finished chassis. Until the end of the 30s, ZIS-8 were the basis bus depot Moscow. They also became the first Soviet buses that were produced for export: in 1934, a batch of 16 cars went to Turkey.
And on the basis of the ZIS-8, they produced special vans for working in the city: bread trucks, refrigerators. By the way, in the well-known TV series “The meeting place cannot be changed”, it was the ZIS-8 that acted as a police bus nicknamed “Ferdinand”.
In the spring of 1938, the production of a new model began: on the same base, but with an 85-horsepower engine, an enlarged interior with 27 seats and rounded hull shapes. She received the name ZIS-16. Development bus service proceeded at an increasing pace - in 1940 they carried over six hundred million passengers.
During the war, most of the buses were mobilized to the front, where they were used as staff and ambulance buses, as well as mobile radio stations. And those that continued to work on urban routes, in the face of fuel shortages, partially switched to gas. It was produced from peat or wooden chocks in gas generators, which were installed on special carts and rolled behind the buses like trailers. One “refueling” was enough just for the route, after which, at the final stop, the driver again threw firewood into the gas generator.
With the return to civilian life in the post-war years, new urban transport was also required. Of course, small pre-war buses had important advantage: they did not crowd a crowd of one and a half hundred workers or summer residents traveling from a shift, which from time to time was “plowed” by a screaming conductor. Unlike trams, it was rare to see a crush on buses: in a small cabin, twenty to twenty-five people rode peacefully and with some even comfort, who disciplinedly entered through one door and exited through another, without crowding or swearing.
But the idyll did not last long: the growth of cities, the introduction of bus service on all possible routes (even to villages with a population of fifty people) also caused an increase in the number of passengers. And they, taking advantage of the unprecedented cheapness of travel (in the 80s it cost five kopecks in the city, 15-50 in the region), were often too lazy to go one stop on foot and boarded buses and trolleybuses. Therefore, there was a need for more spacious city buses.
Very original, full of technological innovations was one of the first post-war models - ZIS-154, produced from 1947 to 1950. The body without the hood familiar to passengers, an unusual shape for those times, a large saloon (34 seats). Its body was not made of wood, and not even of tin, but of aluminum - which was a real sensation for those times. In addition, it was equipped with a diesel-electric power plant(110 hp), which provided high smoothness. Passengers were surprised at first by the fact that the bus was moving without the usual jerks and engine choking, as if floating above the road.
Two years later, he was replaced by a simpler and cheaper fellow - the ZIS-155 bus. The length of the cabin was reduced by a meter, the number of seats was reduced to twenty-eight, simple carbureted engine developed 95 hp However, the low cost of these machines, produced from 1949 to 1957, made it possible to quickly update the outdated pre-war fleet.
One of the most common urban and suburban buses for several decades there was a LiAZ-677, produced at the Likinsky Bus Plant from 1968 to 1994 (about two hundred thousand pieces were produced in total). He received a number of exhibition medals, was recognized as one of the best buses Soviet-made- but the passengers were still unhappy.
Firstly, it had only 25 (later 40) seats, because of which there were all sorts of disputes between passengers, as well as complaints about the designers - they say, couldn’t they put an extra seat? After all, in the end, the bus turned out, mainly for standing. Secondly, with an estimated capacity of 110 passengers, it could pack up to 250 - especially during peak hours. And only on the steps managed to accommodate up to ten people! Well, and thirdly, the bus developed a low speed, especially if it went uphill or was overloaded. According to the apt remark of the passengers, it was as if his oxen were pulling. Although he consumed fuel with great appetite: up to 45 liters per 100 km in the urban traffic cycle!
The dimensionless capacity of the LiAZ-677, which could always accommodate a few more passengers, was its main advantage. It was very cool to unload the routes, and late citizens could always jump even into a crowded bus - since its doors with a weak pneumatic mechanism could be opened by hand and without much effort.
And only the designers of Gorky and Kurgan factories continued to conservatively adhere to pre-war standards, releasing small buses based on trucks. Unsightly in appearance, they were in great demand - enterprises, collective farms, and schools willingly acquired them. To give a ride to workers (which was more convenient than riding on benches in a truck with the inscription “people”), to go with an accountant to a bank or with a supply manager to a warehouse, to take students to a district review - all of their functions cannot be listed. And one of them, very sad - to serve as an impromptu hearse. Since there were practically no real hearses in the USSR, a bus was usually used for such purposes, which was provided by the enterprise where the deceased or his relatives worked. The coffin with the deceased was brought into the salon through the aft door and placed on the aisle, and the grieving relatives sat nearby.
These buses are descended from the GAZ-03-30, which the designers of the Gorky Automobile Plant released in 1933 on the basis of the famous "lorry" - truck GAZ-AA. The prototype of his body was school bus American Ford. It was small car, with a wooden body sheathed with iron sheets, and an interior with 17 seats. The bus had three doors: the driver's, the front right for passengers and the aft, then designed not for loading coffins, but for emergency evacuation of living passengers. This arrangement, as well as the shape of the hull, as well as the tradition of producing these buses based on GAZ trucks, has been preserved for half a century. As its modifications, GAZ-55 ambulance buses were produced (the one that stubbornly did not start in the comedy "Prisoner of the Caucasus"), mobile workshops and laboratories, as well as a military three-axle version of the GAZ-05-193 model.
In 1949, new vehicles were created on the basis of the post-war GAZ-51 truck, which received the designation GAZ-651. Their interior became a little more spacious and already accommodated 19 seats, and the new 80-horsepower engine accelerated the car to 70 km / h.
In 1950, in connection with the transition of the plant to the manufacture of bodies for special trucks, they decided to transfer the production of buses - first to Pavlovsky, and then to the Kurgan Bus Plant (KAvZ), where he received the designation KAvZ-651. There, his release already numbered in the tens of thousands. next model, KavZ-685, was launched in 1971 on the basis of the GAZ-53 truck. Its body was already all-metal, the ceiling was raised (it was possible to stand without resting on it with a crown), the number of seats increased to twenty-one, the driver's seat was separated from the passenger compartment by a partition. Power increased dramatically new engine gave out 120 hp and accelerated the bus to 90 km / h.
Huge help to the urban and rural population was brought by small, but roomy and agile buses of the Pavlovsk Bus Plant (PAZ). "Paziki" made their way through the severe frosts of Yakutia, exported to the countries of Asia and Africa, where they successfully worked in the most difficult climate and without proper service.
The plant itself was founded in 1930, but for more than twenty years it has been engaged in the production of tools and body fittings. And only in 1952, PAZ-651 (aka GAZ-651) rolled off his new assembly line. The designers of the plant decided to change the outdated body shape, at the same time to slightly expand the interior due to the transfer driver's seat forward (to the left of the engine) - so in 1958 the PAZ-652 was born. A rear exit for passengers appeared in it, and both accordion doors now opened automatically. The capacity increased to 37 people, the cabin accommodated 23 seats. The disadvantage was that the windows were too small, giving little light into the cabin - which they decided to compensate for with additional windows on the bend of the body between the wall and the roof.
In 1968, she got on the conveyor new model bus, PAZ-672. She was distinguished more powerful engine(115 hp), new chassis slightly more room for standing passengers. This model, with minor changes, was produced until 1989. "Paziki" became the main public transport for suburban and inter-village routes - 80% of traffic lay on their shoulders.
A large part of the Soviet bus fleet (143,000 cars were imported) was occupied by the Hungarian Ikaruses - perhaps the most popular and most comfortable cars of the 70-80s. Their popularity is evidenced by at least this fact: it was the only bus, which even small children recognized from afar, exclaiming: "Ikarus" is coming! But few people understood the brands of domestic buses.
But Ikarus had significant disadvantage- its powerful diesel engine made a lot of noise, created a vibration (well felt by those who rode on rear seats) and threw out clubs of suffocating soot. The latter has always suffered people standing at stops, as well as those who, according to the rules traffic, bypassed the bus from behind - right past the exhaust pipe.
Immediately after the war, the forces of the entire USSR began the industrialization of Western Ukraine - until then the poorest and most backward province of Europe. Already on May 21, 1945, the Lviv Bus Plant (LAZ) was established - and a grandiose construction began. At first, the plant produced auxiliary equipment, and then they wanted to start producing the ZIS-155 on it. However, it was accepted final decision develop your own bus model. It was based on the latest domestic and Western developments, in particular buses " Mercedes Benz 321" and "Magirus". And already in 1956 the first Lviv bus LAZ-695.
The first modification of the bus had a roof with rounded glass edges. True, in the summer, in the heat, this created understandable inconvenience in the cabin. Therefore, the glass was removed after two years. But there was a "visor" above the windshield and a wide air intake on the back of the roof - supplying air to engine compartment located under the rear seats.
LAZ-695 was able to hold out on the assembly line for forty-six years, which can be called a record. Moreover, after the cessation of production at LAZ, it was collected for several years in small batches at several Ukrainian enterprises. During this time, more than three hundred thousand Lviv buses left the track!
The end of the century was not very favorable for buses, even at the main enterprises the output fell to several hundred cars, which could be sold with great difficulty. Old routes no longer received new cars, new ones were not created. And then they began to turn off those routes that were. Public transport for some time it just stopped developing. Somewhere from him and now there are only memories ...
Link to the article from which this copy is made -The first urban public transport in Russia was the horse-drawn carriage, and then it was replaced by the tram. However, the arrangement of tram lines is troublesome, even in large cities. It is not possible to arrange trolleybus tracks everywhere. But the bus only needs a more or less flat and solid road, you can even unpaved.
Forty-three enterprises were engaged in the production of buses in the USSR - both specialized and those that produced small experimental batches. Moreover, we bought buses abroad. It would not be easy to take a look at the entire Soviet bus fleet - therefore, we will focus on the main and most famous models and manufacturers. ", since 1956 - "ZIL"). This baby had the size of a modern fixed-route taxi and accommodated 14 people. That's just the engine on it stood with a capacity of only 35 hp. With. - that is, even weaker than that of "Zaporozhets"! But how did he help out our grandparents, who, finally, were able to get to work not on foot or in a cab (if funds allowed), but on a real “motor”!
And in 1934, the ZIS-8, created on the basis of the ZIS-5 truck, entered the streets of Soviet cities, becoming the first mass-produced domestic buses. They had 21 seats, the enlarged cabin already allowed 8-10 standing passengers to be carried as well. The 73-horsepower engine accelerated the bus to 60 km / h, which was enough for urban transport. According to the drawings of the plant, the ZIS-8 was produced in Leningrad, Kiev, Kharkov, Rostov-on-Don, Tula, Kaluga, Tbilisi and other cities, mounting the bodies on finished chassis. Until the end of the 30s, ZIS-8 were the basis of the Moscow bus fleet. They also became the first Soviet buses that were produced for export: in 1934, a batch of 16 cars went to Turkey.
And on the basis of the ZIS-8, they produced special vans for working in the city: bread trucks, refrigerators. By the way, in the well-known TV series “The meeting place cannot be changed”, it was the ZIS-8 that acted as a police bus nicknamed “Ferdinand”.
In the spring of 1938, the production of a new model began: on the same base, but with an 85-horsepower engine, an enlarged interior with 27 seats and rounded hull shapes. She received the name ZIS-16. The development of the bus service proceeded at an increasing pace - in 1940 they carried over six hundred million passengers.
During the war, most of the buses were mobilized to the front, where they were used as staff and ambulance buses, as well as mobile radio stations. And those that continued to work on urban routes, in the face of fuel shortages, partially switched to gas. It was produced from peat or wooden chocks in gas generators, which were installed on special carts and rolled behind the buses like trailers. One “refueling” was enough just for the route, after which, at the final stop, the driver again threw firewood into the gas generator.
With the return to civilian life in the post-war years, new urban transport was also required. Of course, small-sized pre-war buses had an important advantage: they did not crowd a crowd of one and a half hundred workers or summer residents traveling from a shift, which from time to time was “plowed” by a screaming conductor. Unlike trams, it was rare to see a crush on buses: in a small cabin, twenty to twenty-five people rode peacefully and with some even comfort, who disciplinedly entered through one door and exited through another, without crowding or swearing.
But the idyll did not last long: the growth of cities, the introduction of bus service on all possible routes (even to villages with a population of fifty people) also caused an increase in the number of passengers. And they, taking advantage of the unprecedented cheapness of travel (in the 80s it cost five kopecks in the city, 15-50 in the region), were often too lazy to go one stop on foot and boarded buses and trolleybuses. Therefore, there was a need for more spacious city buses.
Very original, full of technological innovations was one of the first post-war models - ZIS-154, produced from 1947 to 1950. The body without the hood familiar to passengers, an unusual shape for those times, a large saloon (34 seats). Its body was not made of wood, and not even of tin, but of aluminum - which was a real sensation for those times. In addition, it was equipped with a diesel-electric power plant (110 hp), which ensured a high ride smoothness. Passengers were surprised at first by the fact that the bus was moving without the usual jerks and engine choking, as if floating above the road.
Two years later, he was replaced by a simpler and cheaper fellow - the ZIS-155 bus. The length of the cabin was reduced by a meter, the number of seats was reduced to twenty-eight, a simple carburetor engine developed 95 hp. However, the low cost of these machines, produced from 1949 to 1957, made it possible to quickly update the outdated pre-war fleet.
One of the most common city and suburban buses for several decades was the LiAZ-677, produced at the Likinsky Bus Plant from 1968 to 1994 (about two hundred thousand units were produced in total). He received a number of exhibition medals, was recognized as one of the best Soviet-made buses - but the passengers were still unhappy.
Firstly, it had only 25 (later 40) seats, because of which there were all sorts of disputes between passengers, as well as complaints about the designers - they say, couldn’t they put an extra seat? After all, in the end, the bus turned out, mainly for standing. Secondly, with an estimated capacity of 110 passengers, it could pack up to 250 - especially during peak hours. And only on the steps managed to accommodate up to ten people! Well, and thirdly, the bus developed a low speed, especially if it went uphill or was overloaded. According to the apt remark of the passengers, it was as if his oxen were pulling. Although he consumed fuel with great appetite: up to 45 liters per 100 km in the urban traffic cycle!
The dimensionless capacity of the LiAZ-677, which could always accommodate a few more passengers, was its main advantage. It was very cool to unload the routes, and late citizens could always jump even into a crowded bus - since its doors with a weak pneumatic mechanism could be opened by hand and without much effort.
And only the designers of the Gorky and Kurgan plants continued to conservatively adhere to pre-war standards, producing small buses based on trucks. Unsightly in appearance, they were in great demand - enterprises, collective farms, and schools willingly acquired them. To give a ride to workers (which was more convenient than riding on benches in a truck with the inscription “people”), to go with an accountant to a bank or with a supply manager to a warehouse, to take students to a district review - all of their functions cannot be listed. And one of them, very sad - to serve as an impromptu hearse. Since there were practically no real hearses in the USSR, a bus was usually used for such purposes, which was provided by the enterprise where the deceased or his relatives worked. The coffin with the deceased was brought into the salon through the aft door and placed on the aisle, and the grieving relatives sat nearby.
These buses are descended from the GAZ-03-30, which the designers of the Gorky Automobile Plant released in 1933 on the basis of the famous "lorry" - the GAZ-AA truck. The prototype of its body was the school bus of the American company Ford. It was a small car, with a wooden body sheathed with iron sheets, and an interior with 17 seats. The bus had three doors: the driver's, the front right for passengers and the aft, then designed not for loading coffins, but for emergency evacuation of living passengers. This arrangement, as well as the shape of the hull, as well as the tradition of producing these buses based on GAZ trucks, has been preserved for half a century. As its modifications, GAZ-55 ambulance buses were produced (the one that stubbornly did not start in the comedy "Prisoner of the Caucasus"), mobile workshops and laboratories, as well as a military three-axle version of the GAZ-05-193 model.
In 1949, new vehicles were created on the basis of the post-war GAZ-51 truck, which received the designation GAZ-651. Their interior became a little more spacious and already accommodated 19 seats, and the new 80-horsepower engine accelerated the car to 70 km / h.
In 1950, in connection with the transition of the plant to the manufacture of bodies for special trucks, it was decided to transfer the production of buses - first to the Pavlovsky and then to the Kurgan Bus Plant (KAvZ), where it received the designation KAvZ-651. There, his release already numbered in the tens of thousands. The next model, KavZ-685, was launched in 1971 on the basis of the GAZ-53 truck. Its body was already all-metal, the ceiling was raised (it was possible to stand without resting on it with a crown), the number of seats increased to twenty-one, the driver's seat was separated from the passenger compartment by a partition. The power increased sharply: the new engine produced 120 hp and accelerated the bus to 90 km/h.
Huge help to the urban and rural population was brought by small, but roomy and agile buses of the Pavlovsk Bus Plant (PAZ). "Paziki" made their way through the severe frosts of Yakutia, exported to the countries of Asia and Africa, where they successfully worked in the most difficult climate and without proper service.
The plant itself was founded in 1930, but for more than twenty years it has been engaged in the production of tools and body fittings. And only in 1952, PAZ-651 (aka GAZ-651) rolled off his new assembly line. The designers of the plant decided to change the outdated body shape, at the same time to slightly expand the interior by moving the driver's seat forward (to the left of the engine) - this is how the PAZ-652 was born in 1958. A rear exit for passengers appeared in it, and both accordion doors now opened automatically. The capacity increased to 37 people, the cabin accommodated 23 seats. The disadvantage was that the windows were too small, giving little light into the cabin - which they decided to compensate for with additional windows on the bend of the body between the wall and the roof.
In 1968, a new bus model, PAZ-672, was installed on the conveyor. It was distinguished by a more powerful engine (115 hp), a new chassis, and a little more room for standing passengers. This model, with minor changes, was produced until 1989. "Paziki" became the main public transport for suburban and inter-village routes - 80% of traffic lay on their shoulders.
A large part of the Soviet bus fleet (143,000 cars were imported) was occupied by the Hungarian Ikaruses - perhaps the most popular and most comfortable cars of the 70-80s. At least this fact speaks of their popularity: it was the only bus that even small children recognized from afar, exclaiming: "Ikarus" is coming! But few people understood the brands of domestic buses.
But Ikarus also had a significant drawback - its powerful diesel engine was very noisy, created vibration (well felt by those who rode in the back seats) and threw out clubs of suffocating soot. The latter has always suffered people standing at stops, as well as those who, according to the rules of the road, bypassed the bus from behind - right past the exhaust pipe.
Immediately after the war, the forces of the entire USSR began the industrialization of Western Ukraine - until then the poorest and most backward province of Europe. Already on May 21, 1945, the Lviv Bus Plant (LAZ) was established - and a grandiose construction began. At first, the plant produced auxiliary equipment, and then they wanted to start producing the ZIS-155. However, the final decision was made to develop their own bus model. It was based on the latest domestic and Western developments, in particular the Mercedes Benz 321 and Magirus buses. And already in 1956 the first Lviv bus LAZ-695 was produced.
The first modification of the bus had a roof with rounded glass edges. True, in the summer, in the heat, this created understandable inconvenience in the cabin. Therefore, the glass was removed after two years. But there was a "visor" over the windshield and a wide air intake on the back of the roof - which supplied air to the engine compartment, located under the rear seats.
LAZ-695 was able to hold out on the assembly line for forty-six years, which can be called a record. Moreover, after the cessation of production at LAZ, it was collected for several years in small batches at several Ukrainian enterprises. During this time, more than three hundred thousand Lviv buses left the track!
The end of the century was not very favorable for buses, even at the main enterprises the output fell to several hundred cars, which could be sold with great difficulty. Old routes no longer received new cars, new ones were not created. And then they began to turn off those routes that were. Public transport simply stopped developing for some time. Somewhere from him and now there are only memories ...
Forty-three enterprises were engaged in the production of buses in the USSR - both specialized and those that produced small experimental batches. Moreover, we bought buses abroad. It would not be easy to take a look at the entire Soviet bus fleet - therefore, we will focus on the main and most famous models and manufacturers.
The grandfather of the domestic bus can be considered AMO-F15, produced in 1926-1931 at the plant of the Automobile Moscow Society (since 1931 - ZIS, since 1956 - ZIL). This baby had the size of a modern fixed-route taxi and accommodated 14 people. That's just the engine on it stood with a capacity of only 35 hp. With. - that is, even weaker than that of "Zaporozhets"! But how did he help out our grandparents, who, finally, were able to get to work not on foot or in a cab (if funds allowed), but on a real “motor”!
And in 1934, the ZIS-8, created on the basis of the ZIS-5 truck, entered the streets of Soviet cities, becoming the first mass-produced domestic buses. They had 21 seats, the enlarged cabin already allowed 8-10 standing passengers to be carried as well. The 73-horsepower engine accelerated the bus to 60 km / h, which was enough for urban transport. According to the drawings of the plant, the ZIS-8 was produced in Leningrad, Kiev, Kharkov, Rostov-on-Don, Tula, Kaluga, Tbilisi and other cities, mounting the bodies on finished chassis. Until the end of the 30s, ZIS-8 were the basis of the Moscow bus fleet. They also became the first Soviet buses that were produced for export: in 1934, a batch of 16 cars went to Turkey.
And on the basis of the ZIS-8, they produced special vans for working in the city: bread trucks, refrigerators. By the way, in the well-known TV series “The meeting place cannot be changed”, it was the ZIS-8 that acted as a police bus nicknamed “Ferdinand”.
In the spring of 1938, the production of a new model began: on the same base, but with an 85-horsepower engine, an enlarged interior with 27 seats and rounded hull shapes. She received the name ZIS-16. The development of the bus service proceeded at an increasing pace - in 1940 they carried over six hundred million passengers.
During the war, most of the buses were mobilized to the front, where they were used as staff and ambulance buses, as well as mobile radio stations. And those that continued to work on urban routes, in the face of fuel shortages, partially switched to gas. It was produced from peat or wooden chocks in gas generators, which were installed on special carts and rolled behind the buses like trailers. One “refueling” was enough just for the route, after which, at the final stop, the driver again threw firewood into the gas generator.
With the return to civilian life in the post-war years, new urban transport was also required. Of course, small-sized pre-war buses had an important advantage: they did not crowd a crowd of one and a half hundred workers or summer residents traveling from a shift, which from time to time was “plowed” by a screaming conductor. Unlike trams, it was rare to see a crush on buses: in a small cabin, twenty to twenty-five people rode peacefully and with some even comfort, who disciplinedly entered through one door and exited through another, without crowding or swearing.
But the idyll did not last long: the growth of cities, the introduction of bus service on all possible routes (even to villages with a population of fifty people) also caused an increase in the number of passengers. And they, taking advantage of the unprecedented cheapness of travel (in the 80s it cost five kopecks in the city, 15-50 in the region), were often too lazy to go one stop on foot and boarded buses and trolleybuses. Therefore, there was a need for more spacious city buses.
Very original, full of technological innovations was one of the first post-war models - ZIS-154, produced from 1947 to 1950. The body without the hood familiar to passengers, an unusual shape for those times, a large saloon (34 seats). Its body was not made of wood, and not even of tin, but of aluminum - which was a real sensation for those times. In addition, it was equipped with a diesel-electric power plant (110 hp), which ensured a high ride smoothness. Passengers were surprised at first by the fact that the bus was moving without the usual jerks and engine choking, as if floating above the road.
Two years later, he was replaced by a simpler and cheaper fellow - the ZIS-155 bus. The length of the cabin was reduced by a meter, the number of seats was reduced to twenty-eight, a simple carburetor engine developed 95 hp. However, the low cost of these machines, produced from 1949 to 1957, made it possible to quickly update the outdated pre-war fleet.
One of the most common city and suburban buses for several decades was the LiAZ-677, produced at the Likinsky Bus Plant from 1968 to 1994 (about two hundred thousand units were produced in total). He received a number of exhibition medals, was recognized as one of the best Soviet-made buses - but the passengers were still unhappy.
Firstly, it had only 25 (later 40) seats, because of which there were all sorts of disputes between passengers, as well as complaints about the designers - they say, couldn’t they put an extra seat? After all, in the end, the bus turned out, mainly for standing. Secondly, with an estimated capacity of 110 passengers, it could pack up to 250 - especially during peak hours. And only on the steps managed to accommodate up to ten people! Well, and thirdly, the bus developed a low speed, especially if it went uphill or was overloaded. According to the apt remark of the passengers, it was as if his oxen were pulling. Although he consumed fuel with great appetite: up to 45 liters per 100 km in the urban traffic cycle!
The dimensionless capacity of the LiAZ-677, which could always accommodate a few more passengers, was its main advantage. It was very cool to unload the routes, and late citizens could always jump even into a crowded bus - since its doors with a weak pneumatic mechanism could be opened by hand and without much effort.
And only the designers of the Gorky and Kurgan plants continued to conservatively adhere to pre-war standards, producing small buses based on trucks. Unsightly in appearance, they were in great demand - enterprises, collective farms, and schools willingly acquired them. To give a ride to workers (which was more convenient than riding on benches in a truck with the inscription “people”), to go with an accountant to a bank or with a supply manager to a warehouse, to take students to a district review - all of their functions cannot be listed. And one of them, very sad - to serve as an impromptu hearse. Since there were practically no real hearses in the USSR, a bus was usually used for such purposes, which was provided by the enterprise where the deceased or his relatives worked. The coffin with the deceased was brought into the salon through the aft door and placed on the aisle, and the grieving relatives sat nearby.
These buses are descended from the GAZ-03-30, which the designers of the Gorky Automobile Plant released in 1933 on the basis of the famous "lorry" - the GAZ-AA truck. The prototype of its body was the school bus of the American company Ford. It was a small car, with a wooden body sheathed with iron sheets, and an interior with 17 seats. The bus had three doors: the driver's, the front right for passengers and the aft, then designed not for loading coffins, but for emergency evacuation of living passengers. This arrangement, as well as the shape of the hull, as well as the tradition of producing these buses based on GAZ trucks, has been preserved for half a century. As its modifications, GAZ-55 ambulance buses were produced (the one that stubbornly did not start in the comedy "Prisoner of the Caucasus"), mobile workshops and laboratories, as well as a military three-axle version of the GAZ-05-193 model.
In 1949, new vehicles were created on the basis of the post-war GAZ-51 truck, which received the designation GAZ-651. Their interior became a little more spacious and already accommodated 19 seats, and the new 80-horsepower engine accelerated the car to 70 km / h.
In 1950, in connection with the transition of the plant to the manufacture of bodies for special trucks, it was decided to transfer the production of buses - first to the Pavlovsky and then to the Kurgan Bus Plant (KAvZ), where it received the designation KAvZ-651. There, his release already numbered in the tens of thousands. The next model, KavZ-685, was launched in 1971 on the basis of the GAZ-53 truck. Its body was already all-metal, the ceiling was raised (it was possible to stand without resting on it with a crown), the number of seats increased to twenty-one, the driver's seat was separated from the passenger compartment by a partition. The power increased sharply: the new engine produced 120 hp and accelerated the bus to 90 km/h.
Huge help to the urban and rural population was brought by small, but roomy and agile buses of the Pavlovsk Bus Plant (PAZ). "Paziki" made their way through the severe frosts of Yakutia, exported to the countries of Asia and Africa, where they successfully worked in the most difficult climate and without proper service.
The plant itself was founded in 1930, but for more than twenty years it has been engaged in the production of tools and body fittings. And only in 1952, PAZ-651 (aka GAZ-651) rolled off his new assembly line. The designers of the plant decided to change the outdated body shape, at the same time to slightly expand the interior by moving the driver's seat forward (to the left of the engine) - this is how the PAZ-652 was born in 1958. A rear exit for passengers appeared in it, and both accordion doors now opened automatically. The capacity increased to 37 people, the cabin accommodated 23 seats. The disadvantage was that the windows were too small, giving little light into the cabin - which they decided to compensate for with additional windows on the bend of the body between the wall and the roof.
In 1968, a new bus model, PAZ-672, was installed on the conveyor. It was distinguished by a more powerful engine (115 hp), a new chassis, and a little more room for standing passengers. This model, with minor changes, was produced until 1989. "Paziki" became the main public transport for suburban and inter-village routes - 80% of traffic lay on their shoulders.
A large part of the Soviet bus fleet (143,000 cars were imported) was occupied by the Hungarian Ikaruses - perhaps the most popular and most comfortable cars of the 70-80s. At least this fact speaks of their popularity: it was the only bus that even small children recognized from afar, exclaiming: "Ikarus" is coming! But few people understood the brands of domestic buses.
But Ikarus also had a significant drawback - its powerful diesel engine was very noisy, created vibration (well felt by those who rode in the back seats) and threw out clubs of suffocating soot. The latter has always suffered people standing at stops, as well as those who, according to the rules of the road, bypassed the bus from behind - right past the exhaust pipe.
You can read more about the history of Ikarus in my last post - History of Ikarus
Immediately after the war, the forces of the entire USSR began the industrialization of Western Ukraine - until then the poorest and most backward province of Europe. Already on May 21, 1945, the Lviv Bus Plant (LAZ) was established - and a grandiose construction began. At first, the plant produced auxiliary equipment, and then they wanted to start producing the ZIS-155. However, the final decision was made to develop their own bus model. It was based on the latest domestic and Western developments, in particular the Mercedes Benz 321 and Magirus buses. And already in 1956 the first Lviv bus LAZ-695 was produced.
The first modification of the bus had a roof with rounded glass edges. True, in the summer, in the heat, this created understandable inconvenience in the cabin. Therefore, the glass was removed after two years. But there was a "visor" over the windshield and a wide air intake on the back of the roof - which supplied air to the engine compartment, located under the rear seats.
LAZ-695 was able to hold out on the assembly line for forty-six years, which can be called a record. Moreover, after the cessation of production at LAZ, it was collected for several years in small batches at several Ukrainian enterprises. During this time, more than three hundred thousand Lviv buses left the track!
The end of the century was not very favorable for buses, even at the main enterprises the output fell to several hundred cars, which could be sold with great difficulty. Old routes no longer received new cars, new ones were not created. And then they began to turn off those routes that were. Public transport simply stopped developing for some time. Somewhere from him and now there are only memories ...
Here is another forgotten device -)))
Is there anyone who still remembers this?
The world's first low-floor bus; the longest bus in the world; the bus that received an honorary award is only a small part of what our engineers have created:
1. AMO-F-15
The 1st State Automobile Plant (now known as ZIL) in 1926 created the first Soviet bus AMO-F-15 based on a truck of the same name.
2. ZIS-16
ZIS-16 was created in 1938 and was used not only to transport passengers. During the Great Patriotic War, buses of this model were widely used as ambulances and staff vehicles. They were also sometimes equipped with loudspeakers and used as transmitting radio stations.
Unfortunately, most of these buses were destroyed due to the fact that they were used close to the front line.
Designed in 1955, the ZIS-127 was supposed to be the first Soviet intercity bus. However, a couple of years later, the Soviet Union refused to create own buses of this type and bought Ikarus buses in Hungary. Production of the ZIS-127 was discontinued in 1960.
The first ZIS-155 was created in 1956. In production, it was very simple, and became the first Soviet bus that was exported to Poland, East Germany, China, Mongolia and Afghanistan.
5. LAZ-695
LAZ-695 was developed at Lvov car factory and first took to the streets in 1956. It went through many upgrades, and became perhaps the longest-lived Soviet bus - its production lasted more than 50 years and ended only in 2008.
6. PAZ-672
Despite its venerable age (its production began in 1957), the PAZ-672 can still be seen in small provincial towns, where it is used both as a bus and as a hearse.
7. LAZ-"Ukraine-67"
This bus was a real breakthrough, and its design and specifications were highly rated by experts. "Ukraine-67" won several awards at the 18th International Bus Exhibition in Nice, including a special award from the President of France.
8. LiAZ-677
LiAZ-677 appeared on the streets in 1967 and very quickly received the nickname "hard worker bus". You could see it in every Soviet city.
9. LAZ-360
The LAZ-360, which appeared in 1970, became the world's first low-floor bus. The distance from the roadway to the floor was only 360 millimeters.
10. PAZ-3205
In 1989, the Pavlovsk Bus Plant released the PAZ-3205, which became their best creation. This bus was sold even in Western car dealerships and could be seen on the streets of the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Mexico and Canada.
11. LiAZ-6212
After the collapse Soviet Union Russian auto industry experienced not better times, however, some developments are still preserved. Designed in the early 90s, LiAZ-6212 was put into production only in 2002, but became quite popular and drove people to Romania, Serbia and Cuba.
12. Volzhanin-6270
In 2001, the Volzhanin-6270 appeared on the streets, which became one of the longest single-decker buses in the world.
13. CityRhythm 12ELF
The new electric bus, designed by Volgabus, fully charges its batteries in just six hours. It is capable of driving almost 220 kilometers on a single charge, which allows it to work quietly all day on the streets.
