Last of the Mohicans

I took this photo back in the summer of 2013, when I visited Thrife and Erdbeersternchen right after arriving back from Sydney. Was walking across the Alexanderplatz with Thrife when I saw an older tram approaching, so I ran back to the tracks to grab a few shots.

Just this week, I read about how this very type of tramcar has been withdrawn from service in Berlin, with the last run taking place one week ago, with cars 7057 and 7058. I couldn't identify the rear one, but I assume the two haven't switched partners since I took the pic. This means that I caught the last Tatra KT4Dt-mod trainset to ever run in Berlin, almost a year before it met its fate. That's kinda neat I'd say.

This type of tramcar was manufactured from 1976 all the way to 1997, with this particular unit having been built in 1986. What set them apart from the regular KT4D of Berlin was the little t designation, showing that they were equipped with thyristor based power controllers, using up less electricity than the regular cars. The mod part is due to extensive refurbishments and modifications that were carried out in the 1990s, with all cars receiving new doors, interiors, liveries and so forth. Most of the retired units have been sold on, mainly to Szczecin (Poland) and some to Almaty (Kazakhstan), where they remain in service to this day.

Really love how I only managed to shoot one old tramcar during my short stay in Berlin, and then it turns out to be the last running member of its type.