Жалко конечно, что он сейчас не ездит(

Цитата (focus1965, 19.04.2020):
> I don't know the name (anymore) of this gentleman. In any case, I am still grateful to him for the great ride, his patience and kindness. Even 20 years after taking these pictures.

http://www.kubtransport.info/photos/retro5.jpg

He was a driver of a museum tram from 1987 till 2000-2001. I didn't know him because in 2002 was another driver, Oleg Shaposhnikov ( https://transphoto.org/author/12044 ):
http://www.kubtransport.info/photos/021107.jpg
https://transphoto.org/photo/286321
https://transphoto.org/photo/907864
https://transphoto.org/photo/958718

Цитата (Олег Бодня, 19.04.2020):
> http://www.kubtransport.info/photos/retro5.jpg

Могу ошибаться, но по моему Валентин Андреевич Цукахин его имя. Примерно в этот период видел фото с ним, не помню где, но точно помню что был водителем этого трамвая, он ещё называл его "трамвайчик - старичок" - когда объявлял следующую остановку.

Его фото есть на 6-й странице брошюры 2000 года:
http://www.kubtransport.info/literature/krasnodar2000.pdf
(see page 6)

Цитата (Олег Бодня, 19.04.2020):
> Его фото есть на 6-й странице брошюры 2000 года:
> http://www.kubtransport.info/literature/krasnodar2000.pdf

Да, он в этой же форме был на фото, только в кабине, за управлением.

Of course, it's all been a long time ago.
With the publication of the pictures, some nice details come back.
We (small group) managed to visit the depot on 6 April, where both this tram and (coincidentally) the driver were present.
A ride was of course on the wish list, but getting it by official way was not an easy task. In the end, the driver offered to "coincidentally" drive the tram to the central workshop the next day (7 April) and pick us up on the way.
The term "tram enthusiast" was totally unknown in 2000, let alone if "they" still came from Europe.
Nevertheless, the man fulfilled our wishes, as here with this picture, where he immediately stopped to immortalize the horse cart with his tram at our request.
Спасибо большое, товарищ!

Цитата (focus1965, 19.04.2020):
> A ride was of course on the wish list, but getting it by official way was not an easy task.

Krasnodar was a bit of an exception in this regard for some local traditional bureaucratic reasons. I had trouble accessing the depot in Krasnodar in 2003, while foreign visitors in all other cities were practically always welcomed at depots.

In those early days of Russia's openness and country's natural hospitality foreign enthusiasts were still welcomed precisely because they were totally unknown, and considered a wonder. Not to mention that foreign visitors anywhere outside Moscow and St. Petersburg were still a wonder )

This changed beginning from the early 2006 with Russia's official change of policy. Incidentally I was visiting the Urals during the first anti-western speech by the Russian president. The next day during the visit to the depot in the city that shall remain unnamed, the management of the tramway company still allowed access, but disappeared themselves and informed the KGB. Hence, I was consequently followed during the visit to the city. From there on things took a downturn. By now a visit by the foreigner, yet along from the US, is considered as an unwanted plague by the local authorities and transit companies. A very-very sad and unfortunate reality. Hence most of my visits in the 2010s were to Ukraine.

If it's any consolation, it's impossible to visit depots almost anywhere in the world. Even in Antwerp (my hometown) it has been impossible in recent years to enter a depot without connections. In the old days: "permission is necessary, but nobody sees it...". Now "security / dangerous...". The strangest thing I've ever come across in Spain: there employees of the tram company controlled the private security and vice versa: they were both afraid of each other and neither of them dared to let me into the depot.

Цитата (focus1965, 19.04.2020):
> If it's any consolation, it's impossible to visit depots almost anywhere in the world. Even in Antwerp (my hometown) it has been impossible in recent years to enter a depot without connections. In the old days: "permission is necessary, but nobody sees it...". Now "security / dangerous...".

Unfortunately I second that. The reasons are different everywhere, but the world often is missing common sense these days. Especially with the vague "security" excuse. If its any consolation, advance notice to the transport management of a local company almost always leads to access to depots, but the process is complex, and one has to be tide up by specific dates, times and appointments. It takes out an element of fan out of railfaning )

> The strangest thing I've ever come across in Spain: there employees of the tram company controlled the private security and vice versa: they were both afraid of each other and neither of them dared to let me into the depot.

In Italy, the strangest countries of all, one of many strange episodes that 'tops them all' was - when the depot's director standing next to me (!) had trouble convincing the security guard at the entrance to his depot to let me in. The director had to go back to the office for a paper copy of a fax from the security company's management allowing access )

Телега и старый трамвай хорошо сочетаются) Если не машины то прям фото времен молодости вагона будет