Grease Tram Slides into Prague Hearts

Have you caught a glimpse of the red “M” tram that looks like it has had half of its top cabin sheared off?

That’s the Mazací tramvaj, or Grease Tram, a special vehicle that travels Prague’s streets daily and lubricates the tracks to ensure a comfortable – and quiet – journey for its passenger-carrying brethren.

The grease tram went into commission earlier this year with relatively little fanfare, even though it’s the first of its kind in the Czech Republic.

Rail fans, however, soon become enamored by the odd-looking vehicle, and its popularity has surged.

The Grease Tram has its own Facebook page, which currently has over 5,000 fans – a tally that has more than doubled in the past few weeks.

iDnes, Lidovky, and other local media outlets have recently reported on the Tram’s increasing presence.

Now, the Mazací tramvaj even has its own song: Mazací, a folk ballad from the band 2MS, even includes samples from the tram PA system:

Local thrillseekers follow the tram’s journey to get snapshots or highly sought-after selfies with the vehicle, which are shared on the Grease Tram’s Facebook page.

Want to get your very own selfie with the Mazací tramvaj? You can follow its journey through Prague’s streets through user-submitted sightings at mazacitramvaji.cz; some fans have even put together timetables using the data.

Or you can head out to the tramways and hope you get lucky.

Posted by Mazací tramvaj on Wednesday, August 19, 2015