Keeping Technical Heritage Alive

The "Historisches Straßenbahndepot St. Peter" hosts an almost complete collection of streetcars from 1881 up until today. In close cooperation with "VAG Nürnberg", the local transit company, we, the "Freunde der Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn" restore and take care of numerous historic streetcars which are operated for the public on scheduled and special occasions as well as on private charters, keeping the local transit history alive.

With currently more than 530 members, our society documents the history of local transit through a wide range of activities. Ranging from archiving documents and pictures, restoration work, publishing books and magazines, creating and maintaining the exhibits at the "Historisches Straßenbahndepot St. Peter" to proving the conductors on board. All this is achieved with countless hours of volunteer work by our dedicated members, making us the largest association of its kind in Germany.

The collection of historic streetcars is unique in Germany, with the first cars being set aside for historic preservation as early as 1906. Today these cars, with many of them in operating condition, document the 145-year history of streetcars in Nuremberg.

With the reconstruction of motor car 137, a present gap in early streetcar history can finally be closed. In 1931 two cars from this series were designated for preservation, but unfortunately, they were scrapped just after World War 2 ended.

This project is more than just rebuilding a lost streetcar. Dating back to the beginnings of electric operation, it also documents the beginnings of the car-building history in the city of Nuremberg. Built by "Maschinenbau-Actiengesellschaft Nürnberg" (later MAN) and "Elektrizitäts-AG vorm. Schuckert & Co." (later part of Siemens), this series of streetcars was the first of many built in cooperation by these two major local companies. This established a local manufacturing base that lasted for many decades.

A colored postcard from around 1900 showing one of the “small 100 series cars” leaving the old town at the Spittlertor.
(Collection FdNFS)

The year 2012 marked the beginning of a project to recreate a car of this historically important series, with a preserved set of powered trucks as the starting point for reconstruction. After the successful restoration of car 144 ("Zeppelinwagen") in Krakow, Poland (see the project pages for more information), in March of 2026 our members voted in favor of starting the reconstruction of car 137.