“The singing trolleybuses” – this is how they are remembered by the people of Sofia. An emblematic model for Sofia, which was an absolute hegemon from the 1960s until the late 1980s. In the city, 395 examples of this model have lived out their lives, and the last ones delivered were with thyristor control, which produced the loud copper “hum” that earned them their nickname. The trolleybuses originally arrived in Sofia with their traditional red and cream livery, and were subsequently painted in many variations. The official Sofia livery – blue with a yellow stripe on the front and back appeared on them in the 1980s. The last delivery was made in 1981 , and together with the Sofia, 85 pieces arrived for Plovdiv. After their official stop in Sofia the last units – between 1988 and 1990 – were handed over to Plovdiv, Kazanlak and Varna (possibly to other cities), with one unit sitting indefinitely in the depot in Pernik.
Pazardzhik, as the last city to open its trolleybus transport in June 1993, could no longer rely on a centralised state supply of new trolleybuses and therefore purchased 10 second-hand Skoda 9TrHT28 trolleybuses from Zlín and Ostrava, manufactured in 1979-1980 and similar to the last ones delivered to Sofia. They ran in the city until 2014 when they were replaced by new Ukrainian LAZ trolleybuses. They were subsequently sold to a scrap company.
The trolleybus we bought back has inventory number 5027 and is the former training trolleybus of the city of Plovdiv. It was part of the last delivery to the city in 1981 and has the serial number 7921. Originally the trolleybus was operated with passengers, but very soon after it was declared a training trolleybus. It was first given the inventory number 227 and in 1995 was renumbered 5027. It was kept as a training trolley until 2014, when it was sold for scrap to a company from the town of Pazardzhik. It was scrapped in 2014. In early 2018, with the help of over 40 individual donors, we were able to buy it back for a museum exhibit. Because it was a training trolleybus for a long time, its chassis is in very good condition (low mileage) and its interior is completely original. The condition of the body is poor, but this is a consequence of many years of outdoor use and poor quality repainting.
| Пълно име на модела | SKODA 9ТrHT |
| Дължина | 11 метра |
| Ширина | 2,5 метра |
| Височина | 3,25 метра |
| Тегло | 9,2 тона |
| Места за сядане | 24 бр. |
| Максимален брой пътници | 100 |
| Максимална скорост | 60 км/ч |
| Врати | 3 бр. двукрили |
| Управление | тиристорно, със собствено охлаждане |
| Захранване | от 400 до 720 V (Номинално: 600 V) |
| Номинален ток | 182 А |
| Мощност на двигателя | 110 kW |
| Шаси и салон | от заварени стоманени профили, облицовани с ламарина |
| Задвижващ мост | заден – марка „Skoda“ |
| Окачване | пневматично, плюс амортисьори |
| Спирачки | основна – въздушна, двуконтурна; спомагателна – електродинамична; паркинг спирачка – механична |
| Минимален радиус на завиване | 22 метра |
| Година на производство | 1981 г. |
