In service 1958-1991 Constructed 1958 Scrapped 1991 | Manufacturer LHB, Kiepe Entered service 1958 Number built 50 units | |
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The Type DT1 is a two-car electric multiple unit built for the Hamburg Hochbahn and it was the first new development of subway cars in Hamburg after several of years and the first train type that has two cars in a unit, called Doppeltriebwagen (DT). Although only 100 cars (or 50 units) were produced, the DT1 was the forerunner of the successors DT2 and DT3 from 1958 to 1991.
Description
After the Second World War, the subway car fleet only consisted of T cars, which had been built in 1911 to 1929. These circumstances led the operator of the subway system, Hamburger Hochbahn AG, decide to develop a new type of subway trains. The DT1s were equipped with four traction motors per car instead of two, like the T cars. Therefore, the DT1s had a much better acceleration but also had a high energy consumption however, also because of their weight. The livery was beige-red at first, but it was changed in 1969 to red-grey to unify the look of the subway trains.
Because of their heavy weight and high energy consumption the Hochbahn was quickly dissatisfied with the new train type and moved them to rush-hour service in the 1970s. All units were taken out of service in 1977 already for the first time, leaving a few units retired permanently to get spare parts or because of fire damage. However, due to increasing ridership and line extensions the remaining units had to return to service soon as there was no new train type to replace them. Due to their long unclear future the DT1 is the only subway type in Hamburg that hadn't been refurbished on a large scale like its successors and predecessors.
In the 1980s, the Hochbahn decided to replace the whole remaining DT1 fleet with new DT4 units. After delivery of the first DT4, the retirement began for the DT1 units and the last trains were taken out of passenger service in 1991. Most units got scrapped after their retirement, only five units were preserved for working service and heritage tours. The working cars were retired in 2005 while one of the heritage units is in service as a "party train" since 2000.