> I asked if the trams that were inside could not be driven a bit forward. The result was exactly what I had hoped for.

These were clearly the golden years - when the Eastern systems were still opening up, and visitors with genuine interest were truly appreciated by the locals. Guest reception stories like that were common for many cities in the former Eastern bloc at the time.

During the 2008 visit to the Halberstadt depot I've still gotten a welcoming reception. I was shown around the depot and could photograph anything I wanted, while conversing with the staff who explained everything about the system.

Upon my 2019 visit I was 'greeted' by an employee who basically barked at me. He called for an operations manager on duty who proceeded to be all suspicious and practically barked out orders as well. Both characters looked straight out of 1989. We settled on me quickly taking photos from outside the barn, but into the barn itself, as the gates were open. I was given 2 minutes, and then had to leave. Moreover, some other employees attempted to talk to me an welcome me inside the barn, but the manager barked at them too, so they stopped. And all of the above after I introduced myself not just as a fan, but as a co-worker from the other transit system.

Frankly, this was one of the worst receptions I've gotten anywhere in the world. Reminiscent perhaps of the latest events in the Russian cities, behind the newly established 'curtain', where people are told to hate the West via local propaganda, and local transit companies now look at every visitor with suspicion.

During my last visit (apparently in 2017) I had to search quite a long time before I saw someone: the workshop was completely deserted except for one or two men.
I asked that person if the director was present: he was there, walked to his office and had a chat there.
I was allowed to photograph everything, with the exception of a tram covered with graffiti. However, hardly anyone was there so it was impossible to have trams moved.

An update following the recent visit in 2024:
https://transphoto.org/photo/1935761/#3259177