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In the first half of the 1970s, at a time when the concept of design had already been introduced in the USSR (including Latvia), the tram carriage RVR-7 (PB3-7) was built as a result of a state order at the RVR (Riga Carriage Factory). With its novel look, progressive engineering solutions and positive economic indicators, it can be considered as one of the most expressive examples of industrial transport design in Latvia, or the former Latvian SSR.
Design Samples
The first experimental carriage was built in 1974. Unfortunately, the RVR-7 model went down in history only as a sample. Although the experimental testing went well and the specialist appraisals were high, the first RVR-7 series, which was put into test use in Riga, and therefore made an appearance for the locals, only came into use more than ten years later, in 1986. Data gained through experiments allowed the preparation of factory assembly lines for the commercial manufacture of this tram model, however the economic downturn in the USSR in the late 1970s and the aging of the material and technical basis in the 1980s, combined with the priority plan to launch the modern ER-29, ER-30 and ER-200 electric trains meant that the production of the RVR-7 models was not begun.
In 1985 the experimental work on the creation of the new TR-1 (TP-1) model was completed. The TR-1 was described as “a first generation carriage in the Soviet Union which is on the same level as the best foreign models, and, compared to other models currently built in the Union, it possesses a number of technical economic advantages.” Unfortunately that model also did not make it to commercial production, although an experimental series was built and used for a limited period of time for transporting passengers in Riga.
Context
The priority for industrial transport construction in the USSR was the modernisation of engineering solutions with the aim to improve the working indicators and to reduce the costs of running, maintenance and repairs (speed-quantity-price). Aesthetic criteria are mentioned briefly in factory documents and mass media reports: “It conforms to the generally accepted aesthetic norms.” The RVR was one of the largest and most central industrial vehicle factories in the USSR, the creator of prototypes and standards. The implementation of the concept of design in rail transport construction can be associated with the RVR engineering office – using the available resources, designers created earlier unseen solutions, not just in terms of engineering, but also in the look of the vehicle and the interior fit out, the silhouette and the overall design. Tracing the significant changes in rail transport built in the Latvian SSR, in terms of the overall shape and guidelines for construction, it is possible to identify a number of distinct periods of design development.
The First Stage – Resumption of Manufacturing
The period of time after the Second World War until around the first half of the 1950s was assumed as the period of erasing the consequences of war. During that time the tram depot was established to renovate the so-called trophy trams and refurbish trams for which interiors had been adapted during wartime for military purposes. As carriage building had been established in the territory of Latvia, the Baltic German owned “Fēnikss” from the era of the Russian Tsar Nicholas, which during the time of Latvian independence was nationalised and renamed “Vairogs”, became the Riga Carriage Factory (RVR) during the Soviet era, following the replenishing of the material and technical base that had been destroyed during the war. In 1948, the RVR received the technical specifications for the tram MTV-82A (MTB-82A) from a Moscow factory, and an order to prepare the factory for the commercial production of the model. The MTV-82A is a one-carriage tram: it is comprised of a welded frame and body, the cladding is of riveted sheet metal, the passenger salon is separated from the driver’s cabin and birch plywood is used in the salon interior. Two years later this model was improved (MTV-82M) and on this basis, in response to a special order from Moscow, two cargo trams were designed: Думпкар, a tipper with a lifting platform, and Платформа, a tram with opening sides.
The Second Stage – Testing
The 1950s and 1960s came to be known as the transitional period or the protodesign period. The MTV-82 models were constructed according to outside specifications, while tram models in that period were designed in Latvia – they were based on the parameters of other models, although there was general experimental work to find the best solutions. In this context the model RVR-50 (PB3-50) should be mentioned. The design of the RVR-50 was begun in 1949, based on the 1945 specifications of the American “RSS” type tram carriages. A number of modifications occurred over a short time period with the aim to correct faults or improve the construction of the base model (RVR-51, RVR-55, RVR-57 and others). Visually these models were identical. At that time the needs of the national economy were satisfied with the MTV-82 type trams, which continued to be manufactured up until 1961.
In 1961 the RVR-6 (PB3-6) was built to replace the MTV-82, with its construction based on the results and conclusions gained from experiments with the RVR-50. In 1966 a commercial production of a modernised version of the RVR-6M was commenced, and it became the most prolifically manufactured RVR tram model. Although the design of new and more modern trams was carried out in parallel, the RVR-6M series were manufactured up until the 1980s, producing the total of approximately 6000 units. The carriage had an attractive design, with improved and modernised aesthetics of the earlier tram models and in line with the type of carriage body that was in style at that particular time, and was also evident in the shapes of buses and minibuses. Although there were various different modifications over time, some features had remained faithful to the original specifications of the American “RSS” type carriages. A document found about the patent purity of the RVM-6M indicates that after studying the patents registered in the USA, Germany, France, Great Britain and Sweden, export to the latter two countries was not possible. However, the RVR-6M was utilized in thirty of the largest cities of the USSR.
Third Stage – Value Creation
The third period, from the turn of the 1960s-1970s up until the 1980s could be called a comparatively original design period. The models of that time – the RVR-7 and the TR-1 – were examined in the beginning of this article as unique examples of Latvian industrial transport design. They were created by specialist designers, and in terms of their visual design they broke with the aesthetic line of the earlier models. This turning point was particularly apparent in the train which was designed for the needs of tourist excursions in the New Afon stalactite caves. Its shape was as functional as possible, even futuristic, and related to the tendencies in other fields of transport production. In the 1980s there was no commercial production of new tram models due to the economical problems of the USSR, while versions of the reliable old models continued to be manufactured. In 1991 the USSR ceased to exist.
It should be noted that although we have examined these periods of time with regard to design and manufacturing of trams, they can also be applied to other types of vehicles manufactured in the Latvian SSR, for example, minibuses, buses, trains and others. On the one hand, this can undoubtedly be associated with the planned economy, while, on the other hand, the creative component has been very important. The engineers and designers definitely introduced their own individual attitude to the features and opportunities afforded by the available raw material. Each new tram model came with notable changes in its design, which was not possible in the resource-draining train construction. Therefore in the context of Latvian design history it is important to re-evaluate the place of the designer as an independently creative individual, as well as the contribution of the creative collectives or factory engineering offices in the creation of industrial transport design.