Trolleybus and tram networks in Ukraine form the subject of a calendar that has been released to raise money for the war-torn country through the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
The A4 calendar has been published by the Light Rail Transit Association (LRTA) and covers July 2022 to January 2024. It includes 24 full colour images of electric public transport in a variety of Ukrainian cities covering both trolleybuses and trams, all of which have been taken by National Trolleybus Association (NTA) Chair Mike Russell.
LRTA Vice-President Andrew Braddock has compiled the calendar. It is available post-free through a variety of sources (see below) with a minimum donation of £15, although Mr Braddock encourages additional amounts.
Each of the photographs was taken in more peaceful times and represents what Mr Braddock describes as “the fascinating electric traction” in Ukraine. Settings extend from the industrial landscape of the disputed Donbas region to the large cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv and Odesa and more tranquil towns in the north and west of Ukraine.
Among those areas depicted are Mariupol, where the trolleybus and tram infrastructure is thought to have been almost totally destroyed, and Crimea, with a view of a Skoda 9Tr trolleybus beginning the famous 86km journey from Yalta to Simferopol on the world’s longest trolleybus route.
Extended captions are provided for all pictures. Assistance has been received from Kyiv-based Kostj Koslov, for whom and other enthusiasts in the country a Ukrainian version of the calendar is being prepared.
Mr Braddock adds that the calendar has been produced at no cost by Yes Print of Yateley. Postage will be funded by LRTA, NTA and the British Trolleybus Society (BTS). As a result of that generosity, all funds received from the sale of the calendar will go in full to the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal.
The calendar is available from the website of BTS, LRTA and NTA, and from Sandtoft Trolley Museum. Purchasers outside the UK should email LRTA for details of postage costs.
