Tram line 25 with car number 5999, destination Schöneberg, stops at a busy intersection in the western part of Berlin; a young woman with a handbag waits at the curb. In the background, modern commercial buildings with large shop windows and several Volkswagen Beetles in flowing traffic are visible – signs of the emerging economic miracle (Wirtschaftswunder). The image conveys everyday life in West Berlin in 1955: functioning public transit, growing automobile traffic, and a regenerating cityscape. As a half-city under Western Allied protection, West Berlin was keen to demonstrate normalcy and prosperity – evident also in the well-maintained infrastructure and commercial activity along this tram line.