As it derives from the chassis, body and electric equipment manufacturers, the more or less precise name is Bussing NAG 550 N/Uerdingen-Schumann/SSW-AEG. It's quite complicated, but such an "equation" is better than "Bussing/AEG".

The chassis was borrowed from Büssing-NAG 550N diesel bus. The trolleybus body is probably a relative of Mettmann-Gruiten trolleybuses. No. 101's body was made by Uerdingen and the others (No. 102-105) by Schumann Werdau. They are identical by dimensions. The overall length is 9,65m with a 4,75m wheelbase and a slightly tapered front overhang. The body is made out of light-alloy steel with riveted side-panel sheathing beneath the molding.

Most trolleybuses were equipped by a standard, Siemens D602a (~90kw) compound motor, and one vehicle (No. 103) initially possessed an experimental transmission featuring two AEG 226f (44kw) motors with the driveshafts being coupled by a planetary reducer. After that, the torque was thereby delivered by a conventional driveshaft. This transmission evoked severe vibrations and was considered abortive. Therefore, the driveline was replaced by an ordinary Siemens motor.

The trolleybuses were very robust and worked for 29 years having undergone a capital reparation in 1956-57. There are lots of technical details to tell about, so do not hesitate to ask me.

All the best,
Serious Sam

Really complicated.

Цитата (Serious Sam, 18.12.2016):
> having undergone a capital reparation in 1956-57

What's happened after reparation? And where are they now?

Цитата (Malaheenee, 19.12.2016):
> What's happened after reparation? And where are they now?

They went on rolling, and in 1964 all the Bussing trolleybuses were sold to Zwenkau, where they worked for about 3 years. The last of the five Bussing trolleybuses was belayed from exploitation in August 1967. All trolleybuses were scrapped except No. 104 whose body was bought and preserved by a private owner as a sort of a summer cottage. The trolleybus was redeemed in 2003 and is now under reassemblage in Leipzig. A local tram museum (Straßenbahnmuseum Leipzig) is going to regain the trolleybus as a museum vehicle.

Best regards,
Serious Sam

So, in Germany, people also likes to build a summer cottages from trolleybus bodies :) Thank you for photo & info. Hope, we'll see here the new-born '104'.
If Bussing NAG 550N were robust, why only 5 vehicles were manufactured? The War?

Цитата (Malaheenee, 19.12.2016):
> If Bussing NAG 550N were robust, why only 5 vehicles were manufactured?

It is a basic principle of oldstyle trolleybus manufacturing in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It goes as follows: the municipal authorities purchased trolleybuses which precisely fit the town roads and passenger flows. They were free to choose manufacturers. It was quite often, that the company which made the trolleybus infrastructure, supplied the equipment for trolleybuses in that town and tested them. What as to capacity - e.g. Berlin mostly exploited 3-axle trolleybuses with 60-80 passenger capacity. But e.g. Insterburg, Greiz, Oldenburg or Flensburg didn't need such big machines, so they ordered smaller ones, which carried 40-50 people. Since there were lots of body manufacturers, there was a diversity. One standard Henschel or MAN trolleybus chassis could be equipped with different bodies, which were interchangable. That's why there could be so few "original" trolleybuses with various bodies but actually the same chassis. It's all matter in the bodies. What as to electric equipment and driveline - it also could be different in only one (!) trolleybus party. This factor also depended on the order.

Цитата (Malaheenee, 19.12.2016):
> The War?

No. The German wartime program for trolleybuses (according to my documents, half-officially named "KEO") is a completely different story. I can tell more about it if you like, since there is nearly no information regarding it in the Internet, it's described in German and Polish books. I'm going to write articles about all this techniques someday (actually, I have already written some stuff).

Best wishes,
Serious Sam

Цитата (Serious Sam, 19.12.2016):
> The German wartime program for trolleybuses ... I can tell more about it

Yes, it would be great! Because it's very interesting - we thinks it's a first time here, when somebody can tell more about old German trolleybuses (and not information from Wikipedia or rumours).

Цитата (Malaheenee, 20.12.2016):
> Because it's very interesting - we thinks it's a first time here, when somebody can tell more about old German trolleybuses

Okay! I'm pleased that somebody is interested in this topic. In 1940, a so-called Technical Committee for Trolleybuses (called "Technischer Obus Ausschuß Fahrzeuge" in German) gave a command to make 150 trolleybuses within a "Kriegsprogramm" (which stands for Wartime Program in English) for Henschel, Daimler, MAN and Düwag. It was the first wartime trolleybus program ever mentioned, so I can conclude that the program started in 1940. This program was tentatively named "KEO" and "Obus-Schnell Programm" (A fast-way-to-assemble-a-trolleybus). This program lasted probably until 1944, though the trolleybuses in a wartime style were assembled up to around 1948-52 owing to miserable trolleybus system conditions in different towns.

The KEO abbreviation stands for "Kriegs Einheits Obus" which means "Wartime United Trolleybus". The word "United" hereby means that the trolleybus could work with a trailer (Anhanger in German). The wartime design is primitive:
- a frame-based trolleybus with boxy shape body, single round headlights and no parking lights;
- all KEO trolleybuses had camouflage reflectors on headlights and the interior light was very weak;
- the interior decoration was absent or made out of plywood; the doors were hand-operated on runners;
- the interior lights circuit was high-voltage (600V);
- the seats were usually plain wooden stools;
- the voltage in high-voltage circuit could rise up to 1200V (I don't know if the insulation was constrained, though);
- some sources state there was no heating on the vehicles but I guess it could vary;
- a source of Eberswalde trolleybus network stated some Henschel KEOs had an opening compartment in the rear overhang which could be potentially used to load wounded combatants;
- other, unofficial sources also state that some KEO trolleybuses had traction batteries;
- I also swear to have seen a picture of an armored KEO trolleybus. Maybe Leipzig? Not sure...

The exact quantity of KEO trolleybuses is not clear as well as their exact complectation. Henschel used 6000 and 6500 chassis, MAN - the 4500 and occasionally 6500, Daimler used original chassis, what as to Düwag, I never saw any of their trolleybuses except a few trailers. One source states, that Henschel made 273 trolleybuses by the KEO program. It's not known whether other trolleybuses (e.g. Bussing 400T) could be considered as KEO if they were not originally included in the program. Obusse in Deutschland also displayed a 1940 Uerdingen trolleybus for "KEO" with a dimension sketch, but I never saw it on other photos.

To sum up, KEO is not a trolleybus model, but a program. The so-called Kriegsaufbau (Wartime-body assemblage) was used after the war ended for several more years.

Regards, Serious Sam

Цитата (Serious Sam, 21.12.2016):
> The word "United" hereby means that the trolleybus could work with a trailer

Frankly, that's not true. "Einheits-Obus" means only that the design is unified for whoever would produce them. If there would be a special word in the model name to mention an ability to operate with a trailer, it would be something like "Zugmaschine" or "Triebfahrzeug". As far as I know, there haven't been that many trolleybus trailers in Germany.

Цитата (Serious Sam, 21.12.2016):
> no parking lights

This has little to do with wartime material shortages. The contemporary traffic laws just didn't require having rear red lights on trams and trolleybuses, I guess. Trams (and probably trolleybuses as well) in other countries did neither have those, in some cases long after the war was over.

Цитата (Славик, 22.12.2016):
> it would be something like "Zugmaschine" or "Triebfahrzeug".

It might be so, but my sources state the name Einheit meant exactly the possibility to drag a trailer, since the coupling had to be welded onto the carrying frame.

Цитата (Славик, 22.12.2016):
> Einheits-Obus" means only that the design is unified for whoever would produce them

Actually, it's not true :) I bet you saw only Henschel trolleybuses made by the KEO program. Daimler-Benz or MAN trolleybuses within KEO were not the same in design. However, some aggregates could be the same. The chassis were different. HS 6500 II and MAN 4500 didn't possess absolutely the same aggregates. Henschel and MAN used their own drive axle; MAN used Knorr air brakes while Henschel often utilized Westinghouse and ZF. And Daimler used only their own air brakes. Henschel always used a ZF pneumatic drivewheel booster since most (but not all) of 40s Henschel trolleybuses had double tires fitted on stub axles. MAN had Roß and also ZF boosters. Even some early 50s UHIIIs and 564E had them albeit the 6500 II chassis wasn't used on UHIIIs, since this vehicle was frameless.

What as to electric equipment, it also varied. The driveline could feature a usual non-automatic rheostat control as well as automatic (e.g. Oldenburg, Flensburg). It was quite costly to purchase a trolleybus with an automatic master controller in the 40s, but Flensburg bought vehicles with the automatic one.

Цитата (Славик, 22.12.2016):
> As far as I know, there haven't been that many trolleybus trailers in Germany.

There were lots of them!

Цитата (Славик, 22.12.2016):
> The contemporary traffic laws just didn't require having rear red lights on trams and trolleybuses, I guess

The issue regarding the lights was explicitly stated in Obusse in Deutschland Band 1 and briefly in Band 2, so it's a question to Ludger Kenning, I guess.

Цитата (Славик, 22.12.2016):
> This has little to do with wartime material shortages.

Ditto. And regarding the shortages. Take a look on Crede bodies of Henschel HS 6500 trolleybuses in Kassel. They were quite futuristic. Since Kassel trolleybuses were assembled by Crede on HS 6500 II chassis, I guess the KEO program was spread only on some poor towns, as Kassel vehicles looked too handsome to be rough KEOs as Henschel did. Moreover, keep in mind that the chassis-based trolleybuses had interchangable bodies, therefore, any conjectural body could be placed on it.

Nevertheless, it's pleasant to discuss it with you, mate.

Regards,
Serious Sam

Цитата (Serious Sam, 21.12.2016):
> KEO is not a trolleybus model, but a program

Thank you for informative lecture about. With all warlike shortcomings, Germany has thought about the population. Manufacturing of cheap & robust trolleybuses, at that time all materials were worth its weight in gold - it is called "the perfect planning".

Цитата (Serious Sam, 22.12.2016):
> There were lots of them!
Some examples, please :)

Well, they also took some YaTB trolleybuses from Kiev in order to start a trolleybus operation in Königsberg. I suppose, the care about the population was not the only cause (and probably not the main one) for such a state-wide program of manufacturing trolleybuses. It's just the first logical thing to do, when one faces a serious gasoline shortage. Electricity couldn't be transferred across Europe with no losses like oil or gasoline, so it was better to use it wherever it could be produced.

Цитата (Славик, 23.12.2016):
> faces a serious gasoline shortage

Yes, you're right. But look at ex-USSR cities now. No war, no petrol shortages (yet) - but where is tramways & trolleybuses? Nobody thinks about peoples. So, it's worth to learn "a good planning".

Цитата (Malaheenee, 23.12.2016):
> Thank you for informative lecture about.

You're welcome! :) Follow my comments on rare trolleybuses and you'll know much more :)

Цитата (Славик, 23.12.2016):
> I suppose, the care about the population was not the only cause (and probably not the main one) for such a state-wide program of manufacturing trolleybuses.

Yes, you are right. Check out the luxurious complectation of MAN MPE 4500 in Salzburg (October 1940): https://www.stadt-salzburg.at/pdf/stadtverkehr_1940.pdf. And it was already wartime. You'd better check out the first trolleybuses Sofia (Bulgaria), too. It was the same model.

Цитата (Malaheenee, 23.12.2016):
> Manufacturing of cheap & robust trolleybuses, at that time all materials were worth its weight in gold - it is called "the perfect planning".

Exactly. I can tell you that in mid 40s, an Italian Alfa Romeo 110AF was delivered to Berlin and the technicians were surprised that it had no heating at all! Therefore, the heating system was installed already in Berlin. I doubt KEO trolleybuses had completely no heating. I read in a Polish book, that the first (ca. 1943) Henschel trolleybuses in Gdynia (Poland) didn't have it, but these Henschels were assembled in Gdanska Fabryka Wagonow - a Henschel HS 6000 chassis, a self-made body and AEG equipment with USC323A motor taken from a tram. So, these vehicles were made not in Hesnchel or any other German factory. By the way, Gdynia had authentic Henschels, too.

Цитата (Malaheenee, 23.12.2016):
> Some examples, please :)

Berlin http://www.berliner-verkehrsseiten.de/ob...01-008.jpg
Munich: https://www.wochenanzeiger-muenchen.de/i...55__xl.jpg
Oldenburg: http://www.trollibus-oldenburg.eu/mediac...144221.jpg (Pekol - extremely rare trolleybus)
Nurnberg: http://666kb.com/i/csjtqff5o3i6qes14.jpg
Eberswalde: http://www.obus-ew.de/pew_lowa_w600w06_01.jpg (I chose a very rare LOWA trolleybus)

All the best,
Serious Sam