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July 31, 2006 was the last day on which UVs have been running on South-Pest tram lines 42 and 52. They were replaced the next day by Ganz articulated cars coming off the Grand Boulevard lines due to the introduction of the Combinos. A number of enthusiastic drivers from Remise Száva have perepared for the last night of the UVs. And so have the enthustastic passengers :) Both tram 42 and 52 had "full houses" on their last few courses. Every stop became a photo stop!

Let's start with route 52, seen here at the Határ út terminus.

Unfortunately I did not have a tripod with me, so in the first half of the night I only sat and enjoyed the ride, and took a few short videos underway, like here in the bend from Nagysándor József utca to Vörösmarty utca.

Inside the "giant loop of Pesterzsébet".

Arriving to the terminus at Pacsirtatelep...

... and leaving it. Note the silence after the tram goes away, with the ocassional dog barking. This place is really like a small village!

I got a tripod loaned underway, but unfortunately I blew the settings of my camera. I dialed one notch further that I had supposed to...

... so all the photos got fuzzy :(

I had more luck on route 42 though. Note the black destination board on the tram: this was made by one of the drivers for this night!

And this was indeed an end of a long era: the UV was introduced to route 42 around 1961 or 62!

A sort-of artistic shot in the dark.

Another UV double-set taking a pause on the connecting track to route 50.

This was my favorite shot that night, it reflects the strange atmosphere of the terminus, being located right on the border between a housing area and an industrial area.

Another of the last UVs: note the letters U and V instead of the route number :)

At the end of the day, the four last UV double-sets of route 42 and 52 started out... but not for home. Instead of their depot, Száva, they headed for Remise Zugló.

The four trams had made a few photo stops for the surprisingly high number of tram enthusiasts present.

And after a long way, they arrived to Örs vezér tere well after midnight. This was not the end of the trip yet, but probably the last well-lit place underway :)

Then they arrived to Bosnyák tér, where Remise Zugló is located. Here they turned onto the remaining tracks of "lost" route 44, and reversed into the depot.

While the trams were waiting for their entrance, we took a few last photos of them. After all maybe they won't ever be seen "alive": currently they are stored as a reserve, until the final decision about their fate takes place.

One of the last UVs of South-Pest entering the depot. Note the small sheets ("last UV in South-Pest" and signs like that) of paper glued onto the front, below the window. It was so nice to see tram drivers being so enthusiastic for their "instruments"!