The Website
Having been born in Lisbon Trams have always been part of my life ... my childhood. The smooth swings, the squeaking wheels on metal rails, the smell of wood and leather. I remember that at that time trams went anywhere ...went to the whole city and it was always a party to ride the Tram.
Then I grew up and forgot about them, the city almost forgot ... almost lost them.
Fortunately I'm getting older and when you get older you became a child again...childhood memories return, nicest,brighter and happier.It was perhaps for this reason that I remembered the Trams and they were still there, few less indeed, but there ...modernized,but still with the same smooth swings, screeching wheels and the smell of the wood.It was perhaps for this reason that I decided to do build this site ... hope you enjoy.
Rui Santos
New Videos: Updated 18-09-2015
Articulated Trams:
Historic Trams: 550; 554; 556; 560; 573; 575; 578 and 579 Colombo Shoping Center advertising, 541 and 574 Monkey 47 advertising, 572 and 576 Carhartt advertising , 552 and 564 Sephora advertising, 544 Vigor advertising, 551 Amoreiras Shoping Center advertising, 565 El Corte Ingles Shoping Center advertising, 571 7º Festival ao Largo advertising, 571 Exposição 1915 o ano do Orpheu advertising..
Turistic Trams: T9 Hills Tramcar Tour.
Withdrawn Trams:
Elevators:
Find out all updates Follow us on twitter just click on the icon above.
If you have any question,sugestion or feedback please e-mail me on: [email protected]
Then I grew up and forgot about them, the city almost forgot ... almost lost them.
Fortunately I'm getting older and when you get older you became a child again...childhood memories return, nicest,brighter and happier.It was perhaps for this reason that I remembered the Trams and they were still there, few less indeed, but there ...modernized,but still with the same smooth swings, screeching wheels and the smell of the wood.It was perhaps for this reason that I decided to do build this site ... hope you enjoy.
Rui Santos
New Videos: Updated 18-09-2015
Articulated Trams:
Historic Trams: 550; 554; 556; 560; 573; 575; 578 and 579 Colombo Shoping Center advertising, 541 and 574 Monkey 47 advertising, 572 and 576 Carhartt advertising , 552 and 564 Sephora advertising, 544 Vigor advertising, 551 Amoreiras Shoping Center advertising, 565 El Corte Ingles Shoping Center advertising, 571 7º Festival ao Largo advertising, 571 Exposição 1915 o ano do Orpheu advertising..
Turistic Trams: T9 Hills Tramcar Tour.
Withdrawn Trams:
Elevators:
Find out all updates Follow us on twitter just click on the icon above.
If you have any question,sugestion or feedback please e-mail me on: [email protected]
Tram History
The very first tram was on the Swansea and Mumbles Railway in south Wales, UK; it was horse-drawn at first, and later moved by steam and electric power. The Mumbles Railway Act was passed by the British Parliament in 1804, and the first passenger railway (similar to streetcars in the US some 30 years later) started operating in 1807.The first streetcars, also known as horsecars in North America, were built in the United States and developed from city stagecoach lines and omnibus lines that picked up and dropped off passengers on a regular route without the need to be pre-hired. These trams were an animal railway, usually using teams of horses and sometimes mules to haul the cars, usually two as a team. Occasionally other animals were put to use, or humans in emergencies. The first streetcar line, developed by Irish-American John Stephenson, was the
New York and Harlem Railroad's Fourth Avenue Line which ran along the Bowery and Fourth Avenue in New York City. Service began in 1832. It was followed in 1835 by New Orleans, Louisiana, which has the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world, according to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes or from the omnibus that first ran on public streets, using the newly invented iron or steel rail or 'tramway'. These were local versions of the stagecoach lines and picked up and dropped off passengers on a regular route, without the need to be pre-hired. Horsecars on tramlines were an improvement over the omnibus as the low rolling resistance of metal wheels on iron or steel rails (usually grooved from 1852 on), allowed the animals to haul a greater load for a given effort than the omnibus and gave a smoother ride. The horse-drawn streetcar combined the low cost, flexibility, and safety of animal power with the efficiency, smoothness, and all-weather capability of a rail right-of-way.
New York and Harlem Railroad's Fourth Avenue Line which ran along the Bowery and Fourth Avenue in New York City. Service began in 1832. It was followed in 1835 by New Orleans, Louisiana, which has the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world, according to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes or from the omnibus that first ran on public streets, using the newly invented iron or steel rail or 'tramway'. These were local versions of the stagecoach lines and picked up and dropped off passengers on a regular route, without the need to be pre-hired. Horsecars on tramlines were an improvement over the omnibus as the low rolling resistance of metal wheels on iron or steel rails (usually grooved from 1852 on), allowed the animals to haul a greater load for a given effort than the omnibus and gave a smoother ride. The horse-drawn streetcar combined the low cost, flexibility, and safety of animal power with the efficiency, smoothness, and all-weather capability of a rail right-of-way.
Steam
The first mechanical trams were powered by steam. Generally, there were two types of steam tram. The first and most common had a small steam locomotive (called a tram engine in the UK) at the head of a line of one or more carriages, similar to a small train. Systems with such steam trams included Christchurch, New Zealand; Sydney, Australia; other city systems in New South Wales; Munich, Germany (from August 1883 on) and the Dublin & Blessington Steam Tramway in Ireland. Steam tramways also were used on the suburban tramway lines around Milan; the last Gamba de Legno ("Wooden Leg") tramway ran on the Milan-Magenta-Castano Primo route in late 1958.Tram engines usually had modifications to make them suitable for street running in residential areas. The wheels, and other moving parts of the machinery, were usually enclosed for safety reasons and to make the engines quieter. Measures were often taken to prevent the engines from emitting visible smoke or steam. Usually the engines used coke rather than coal as fuel to avoid emitting smoke. And condensers or superheating were used to avoid emitting visible steam.The other style of steam tram had the steam engine in the body of the tram, referred to as a tram engine or steam dummy. The most notable system to adopt such trams was in Paris. French-designed steam trams also operated in Rockhampton, in the Australian state of Queensland between 1909 and 1939. Stockholm, Sweden, had a steam tram line at the island of Södermalm between 1887 and 1901. A major drawback of this style of tram was the limited space for the engine, so that these trams were usually underpowered.
Cable-hauled
The next type of tram was the cable car, pulled along a track by a moving cable. The power to move the cable is normally provided at a site away from the actual operation. The first cable car line was tested in San Francisco, California, in 1873. The second city to operate cable trams was Dunedin in New Zealand, from 1881 to 1957. A large cable system operated in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 1885 to 1940. There were also two isolated cable lines in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. A line in Washington DC ran to Georgetown (where some of the vaults can still be seen today.) Los Angeles also had several cable car lines, including the Second Street Cable Railroad, which operated from 1885 to 1889, and the Temple Street Cable Railway, which operated from 1886 to 1898. In Dresden, Germany, in 1901 an elevated suspended cable car following the Eugen Langen one-railed floating tram system started operating.Cable Cars operated on Highgate Hill in North London and Kennington to Brixton Hill In South London.They also worked around "Upper Douglas" in the Isle of Man, Cable Car 72/73 being the sole survivor of the fleet.Cable cars suffered from high infrastructure costs, since an expensive system of cables, pulleys, stationary engines and vault structures between the rails had to be provided. They also require strength and skill to operate, to avoid obstructions and other cable cars. The cable had to be dropped at particular locations and the cars coast, for example when crossing another cable line. Breaks and frays in the cable, which occurred frequently, required the complete cessation of services over a cable route, while the cable was repaired. After the development of electrically powered trams, the more costly cable car systems declined rapidly. Cable cars were especially effective in hilly cities as their undriven wheels cannot slip on the rails as they climb a steep hill. The cable physically pulls the car up the hill at a steady pace, unlike a low-powered steam or horse-drawn car. Cable cars do have wheel brakes, but the cable can also hold the car going downhill at a constant speed. This concept partially explains their survival in San Francisco. However, the most extensive cable system in the U.S. was in Chicago, a much flatter city. The largest cable system in the world, in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, had at its peak 592 trams running on 74 kilometres of track.The San Francisco cable cars, though significantly reduced in number, continue to perform a regular transportation function, in addition to being a tourist attraction. A single line also survives in Wellington, New Zealand (rebuilt in 1979 as a funicular but still called the "Wellington Cable Car").
Electric (trolley cars)
Electric trams (known as streetcars or trolleys in North America) were first experimentally installed in Saint Petersburg, Russia, invented and tested by Fyodor Pirotsky as early as 1880. These trams, like virtually all others mentioned in this section, used either a trolley pole or a pantograph, to feed power from electric wires strung above the tram route. Nevertheless, there were early experiments with battery-powered trams but these appear to have all been unsuccessful. The first trams in Bendigo, Australia, in 1892, were battery-powered but within as little as three months they were replaced with horse-drawn trams. In New York City some minor lines also used storage batteries. Then, comparatively recently, during the 1950s, a longer battery-operated tramway line ran from Milan to Bergamo.The first regular electric tram service using pantographs or trolley poles, the Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway, went into service in Lichterfelde, a suburb of Berlin, Germany, by Siemens & Halske AG, in May 1881. The company Siemens still exists.Another was by John Joseph Wright, brother of the famous mining entrepreneur Whitaker Wright, in Toronto in 1883. Earlier installations proved difficult or unreliable. Siemens' line, for example, provided power through a live rail and a return rail, like a model train, limiting the voltage that could be used, and providing electric shocks to people and animals crossing the tracks. Siemens later designed his own method of current collection, from an overhead wire, called the bow collector.In 1883, Magnus Volk constructed his 2 feet (610 mm) gauge Volk's Electric Railway along the eastern seafront at Brighton,England. This two kilometer line, re-gauged to 2 feet 9 inches (840 mm) in 1884, remains in service to this day, and is the oldest operating electric tramway in the world. The first tram for permanent service with overhead lines was the Mödling and Hinterbrühl Tram in Austria. It began operating in October 1883, but was closed in 1932.Multiple functioning experimental electric trams were exhibited at the 1884 World Cotton Centennial World's Fair in New Orleans, Louisiana, but they were not deemed good enough to replace the Lamm fireless engines that then propelled the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar in that city.Electric trams were first tested in service in the United States in Richmond, Virginia, in 1888, in the Richmond Union Passenger Railway built by Frank J. Sprague, though the first commercial installation of an electric streetcar in the United States was built in 1884 in Cleveland, Ohio and operated for a period of one year by the East Cleveland Street Railway Company.The first electric street tramway in Britain, the Blackpool Tramway, was opened on 29 September 1885 using conduit collection along Blackpool Promenade. Since the closure of the Glasgow Corporation Tramways in 1962, this has been the only first-generation operational tramway in the UK.Sarajevo had the first electric trams on the continent of Europe, with a city-wide system in 1885. Budapest established its tramway system in 1887, and this line has grown to be the busiest tram line in Europe, with a tram running every 60 seconds at rush hour (however Istanbul's line T1, with a minimum headway of two minutes, probably carries more passengers - 265,000 per day). Bucharest and Belgrade ran a regular service from 1894.Ljubljana introduced its tram system in 1901 - it closed in 1958. In Australia there were electric systems in Sydney, Newcastle, Broken Hill, Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Kalgoorlie, Laverton, Hobart and Launceston. By the 1970s, the only trams remaining in Australia were the Melbourne system and a single line connecting Adelaide to the beachside suburb of Glenelg. An unusual line that operated from 1889 to 1896 connected Box Hill, then an outer suburb of Melbourne, to Doncaster, then a favoured picnic spot but now a dormitory suburb. In recent years the Melbourne system, generally recognised as one of the largest in the world, has been considerably moderrnised and expanded. The Adelaide line has also been extended to the Entertainment Centre, and there are plans to expand further In 1904 trams were put into operation in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Tramway is still in operation today and uses double-decker trams exclusively.
Gas trams and Other power sources
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries a number of systems in various parts of the world employed trams powered by gas, naphtha gas or coal gas in particular. Gas trams are known to have operated between Alphington and Clifton Hill in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia (1886–1888); in Berlin
and Dresden, Germany; in Estonia (1920s–1930); between Jelenia Góra, Cieplice,
and obieszów in Poland (from 1897); and in the UK at Lytham St Annes, Neath
(1896–1920), and Trafford Park, Manchester (1897–1908).Comparatively little has been published about gas trams. However, research on the subject was carried
out for an article in the October 2011 edition of "The Times", the historical journal of the Australian Association of Timetable Collectors.A tram system powered by compressed gas is due to open in Malaysia in 2012.In some places, other forms of power were used to power the tram. Hastings and some other tramways, for example Stockholms Spårvägar in Sweden and some lines in Karachi, used petrol trams. Paris operated trams that were powered by compressed air using the Mekarski system.Galveston Island Trolley in Texas operates diesel trams due to the city's hurricane-prone location, which would result in frequent damage to an electrical supply system.Although Portland, Victoria promotes its tourist tram as being a cable car it actually operates using a hidden diesel motor. The tram, which runs on a circular route around the town of Portland, uses dummies and salons formerly used on the extensive Melbourne cable tramway system and now beautifully restored.
out for an article in the October 2011 edition of "The Times", the historical journal of the Australian Association of Timetable Collectors.A tram system powered by compressed gas is due to open in Malaysia in 2012.In some places, other forms of power were used to power the tram. Hastings and some other tramways, for example Stockholms Spårvägar in Sweden and some lines in Karachi, used petrol trams. Paris operated trams that were powered by compressed air using the Mekarski system.Galveston Island Trolley in Texas operates diesel trams due to the city's hurricane-prone location, which would result in frequent damage to an electrical supply system.Although Portland, Victoria promotes its tourist tram as being a cable car it actually operates using a hidden diesel motor. The tram, which runs on a circular route around the town of Portland, uses dummies and salons formerly used on the extensive Melbourne cable tramway system and now beautifully restored.
Design-Low floor
The latest generation of light rail vehicles is of partial or fully low-floor design, with the floor 300 to 360 mm (11.8 to 14.2 in) above top of rail, a capability not found in older vehicles. This allows them to load passengers, including those in wheelchairs, directly from low-rise platforms that are not much more than raised footpaths/sidewalks. This satisfies requirements to provide access to disabled passengers without using expensive wheelchair lifts, while at the same time making boarding faster and easier for other passengers. Various companies have developed particular low-floor designs, varying from part-low-floor (with internal steps between the low-floor section and the high-floor sections over the bogies), e.g. Citytram and Siemens S70, to 100% Low-floor, where the floor passes through a corridor between the drive wheels, thus maintaining a relatively constant (stepless) level from end to end of the tram. However, prior to the introduction of the Škoda ForCity, this carried the mechanical penalty of requiring bogies to be fixed and unable to pivot (except for less than 5 degrees in some trams) and thus reducing curve negotiation. This creates undue wear on the tracks and wheels. However, passengers appreciate the ease of boarding and alighting from low-floor trams and moving about inside 100% low-floor trams. Passenger satisfaction with low-floor trams is high. Low-floor trams are now running in many cities around the world, including Amsterdam, Dublin, Hiroshima, Houston, Istanbul, Melbourne, Milan, Prague, Riga, Strasbourg, Vienna, Zagreb, and Zürich.
Articulated
Articulated trams, invented and first used by the Boston Elevated Railway in 1912-13 at a total length of about twelve meters long (40 ft) for each pioneering example of twin-section articulated tram car, have two or more body sections, connected by flexible joints and a round platform at their pivoting midsection(s). Like articulated buses, they have increased passenger capacity.in practice, these trams can be up to 53 metres (174 ft) long (such as in Budapest, Hungary), while a regular tram has to be much shorter. With this type, the articulation is normally suspended between carbody sections. In the Škoda ForCity, which is the world's first 100% low floor tram with pivoting bogies, a Jacobs bogie supports the articulation between the two or more carbody sections.An articulated tram may be low-floor variety or high (regular) floor variety. Newer model trams may be up to 72 metres (236 ft) long and carry 510 passengers at a comfortable 4 passengers/m2. At crush loadings this would be even higher.
Double decker
Double decker trams were commonplace in Great Britain and Dublin Ireland before most tramways were torn up in the 1950s and 1960s.Hobart, Tasmania, Australia made extensive use of double decker trams. Arguably the most unusual double decker tram used to run between the isolated Western Australian outback village of Laverton and its small suburb of Gwalia.Double decker trams still operate in Alexandria, Blackpool and Hong Kong.
Cargo trams
Goods have been carried on rail vehicles through the streets, particularly near docks and steelworks, since the 19th century (most evident on the Weymouth Harbour Tramway in Weymouth, Dorset), and Belgian vicinal tramway routes were used to haul timber and coal from Blégny colliery. Several of the US interurbans carried freight. At the turn of the 21st century, a new interest has arisen in using urban tramway systems to transport goods. The motivation now is to reduce air pollution, traffic congestion and damage to road surfaces in city centres. Dresden has a regular CarGoTram service, run by the world's longest tram trainsets (59.4 metres (195 ft)), carrying car parts across the city centre to its Volkswagen factory. Vienna and Zürich use trams as mobile recycling depots. Kislovodsk had a freight-only tram system comprising one line which was used exclusively to deliver bottled Narzan mineral water to the railway station.In the spring of 2007, Amsterdam piloted a cargo tram operation, aiming to reduce particulate pollution by 20% by halving the number of lorries—currently 5,000—unloading in the inner city during the permitted timeframe from 07:00 till 10:30. The pilot, operated by City Cargo Amsterdam, involved two cargo trams, operating from a distribution centre and delivering to a "hub" where electric trucks delivered to the final destination.The trial was successful, releasing an intended investment of €100 million in a fleet of 52 cargo trams distributing from four peripheral "cross docks" to 15 inner-city hubs by 2012. These specially built vehicles would be 30 feet (9.14 m) long with 12 axles and a payload of 30 tonnes (33.1 short tons; 29.5 long tons). On weekdays, trams are planned to make 4 deliveries per hour between 7 a.m. and 11
a.m. and two per hour between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. With each unloading operation taking on average 10 minutes, this means that each site would be active for 40 minutes out of each hour during the morning rush hour. In early 2009 the scheme was suspended owing to the financial crisis impeding fund-raising.Between 1927 and 1977, three different Freight Cars operated in Melbourne.
a.m. and two per hour between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. With each unloading operation taking on average 10 minutes, this means that each site would be active for 40 minutes out of each hour during the morning rush hour. In early 2009 the scheme was suspended owing to the financial crisis impeding fund-raising.Between 1927 and 1977, three different Freight Cars operated in Melbourne.
Other Design
Tram-train
Tram-train operation uses vehicles such as the Flexity Link and Regio-Citadis, which are suited for use on urban tram lines and also meet the necessary indication, power, and strength requirements for operation on main-line railways. This allows passengers to travel from suburban areas into city-centre
destinations without having to change from a train to a tram.It has been primarily developed in Germanic countries, in particular Germany and Switzerland. Karlsruhe is a notable pioneer of the tram-train.
Hearse-tram
Specially appointed hearse trams were used for funerals in Milan, Italy, from the 1880s (initially horse-drawn) to the 1920s. the main cemeteries, Cimitero Monumentale and Cimitero Maggiore, included funeral tram stations. Additional funeral stations were located at Piazza Firenze and at Porta Romana.In the mid-1940s at least one special hearse tram was used in Turin, Italy. It was introduced due to the wartime shortage of automotive fuel.Newcastle, NSW, Australia also operated two hearse trams between 1896 and 1948.
Dog car
In Melbourne a "dog car" was used between 1937 and 1955 for transporting dogs and their owners to the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.
Contractors' mobile offices
Two former passenger cars from the Melbourne system were converted and used as mobile offices within the Preston Workshops between 1969 and 1974, by personnel from Commonwealth Engineering and ASEA who were connected with the construction of Melbourne's Z Class cars.
Restaurant trams
A number of systems have introduced restaurant trams, particularly as a tourist attraction. This is specifically a modern trend. Inter alia, tram systems which have or have had restaurant trams include: Adelaide, Australia; Bendigo, Australia; Brussels, Belgium, Christchurch, New Zealand, (currently suspended pending post earthquake infrastructure assessment); Melbourne, Australia; Milan, Italy; Moscow, Russia; Turin, Italy; Zürich, Switzerland.
These type of vehicles are particularly popular in Melbourne where three of the iconic "W" class trams have been converted to restaurant trams. All three often run in tandem and there are usually different sittings for meals. Bookings often close months in advance.Bistro trams with buffets operate between Krefeld and Düsseldorf in Germany, while Helsinki in Finland has a pub tram.
Other
Most systems had cars that were converted to specific uses on the system, other than simply the carriage of passengers. As just one example, the Melbourne system used or uses the following: a Ballast Motor, Ballast Trailers, a Blow Car, Breakdown Cars, Conductors and/or Drivers' Instruction Cars, a Laboratory Testing Car, a Line Marking Car, a Pantograph Testing Car, Per Way Locomotives, Rail Grinders, a Rail Hardner Loco., a Scrapper Car, Scrubbers, Sleeper Carriers, Track Cleaners, a Welding Car, a Wheel Transport Car and a Workshops Locomotive.Many systems have passenger carrying vehicles with all-over advertising on the exterior and/or the interior.
Tram-train operation uses vehicles such as the Flexity Link and Regio-Citadis, which are suited for use on urban tram lines and also meet the necessary indication, power, and strength requirements for operation on main-line railways. This allows passengers to travel from suburban areas into city-centre
destinations without having to change from a train to a tram.It has been primarily developed in Germanic countries, in particular Germany and Switzerland. Karlsruhe is a notable pioneer of the tram-train.
Hearse-tram
Specially appointed hearse trams were used for funerals in Milan, Italy, from the 1880s (initially horse-drawn) to the 1920s. the main cemeteries, Cimitero Monumentale and Cimitero Maggiore, included funeral tram stations. Additional funeral stations were located at Piazza Firenze and at Porta Romana.In the mid-1940s at least one special hearse tram was used in Turin, Italy. It was introduced due to the wartime shortage of automotive fuel.Newcastle, NSW, Australia also operated two hearse trams between 1896 and 1948.
Dog car
In Melbourne a "dog car" was used between 1937 and 1955 for transporting dogs and their owners to the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.
Contractors' mobile offices
Two former passenger cars from the Melbourne system were converted and used as mobile offices within the Preston Workshops between 1969 and 1974, by personnel from Commonwealth Engineering and ASEA who were connected with the construction of Melbourne's Z Class cars.
Restaurant trams
A number of systems have introduced restaurant trams, particularly as a tourist attraction. This is specifically a modern trend. Inter alia, tram systems which have or have had restaurant trams include: Adelaide, Australia; Bendigo, Australia; Brussels, Belgium, Christchurch, New Zealand, (currently suspended pending post earthquake infrastructure assessment); Melbourne, Australia; Milan, Italy; Moscow, Russia; Turin, Italy; Zürich, Switzerland.
These type of vehicles are particularly popular in Melbourne where three of the iconic "W" class trams have been converted to restaurant trams. All three often run in tandem and there are usually different sittings for meals. Bookings often close months in advance.Bistro trams with buffets operate between Krefeld and Düsseldorf in Germany, while Helsinki in Finland has a pub tram.
Other
Most systems had cars that were converted to specific uses on the system, other than simply the carriage of passengers. As just one example, the Melbourne system used or uses the following: a Ballast Motor, Ballast Trailers, a Blow Car, Breakdown Cars, Conductors and/or Drivers' Instruction Cars, a Laboratory Testing Car, a Line Marking Car, a Pantograph Testing Car, Per Way Locomotives, Rail Grinders, a Rail Hardner Loco., a Scrapper Car, Scrubbers, Sleeper Carriers, Track Cleaners, a Welding Car, a Wheel Transport Car and a Workshops Locomotive.Many systems have passenger carrying vehicles with all-over advertising on the exterior and/or the interior.
Trams in Portugal-Oporto
The tram system of Porto, Portugal is operated by the Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos do Porto (STCP) and currently has three regular routes and one tourist route. All are heritage tram routes, as they use vintage
tramcars exclusively.In 1872 the Companhia Carril Americano do Porto à Foz e Mattosinhos opened the first mule tram line in Porto, connecting Rua dos Ingleses (nowadays Infante) with Foz (Castelo) and Matosinhos. In the next year, a branch line from Massarelos to Cordoaria was opened. A second company, the Companhia Carris de Ferro do Porto (CCFP) (the Porto Tramways Company), was established in 1873, and it opened a line from Praça Carlos Alberto via Boavista to Foz (Cadouços) in 1874. More lines were added through the 1870s until the 1890s. In 1878 the CCFP line from Foz to Boavista was converted to steam traction. At Boavista was the change of traction between mules and steam engines. Four years later, the interurban line of the CCFP was extended from Foz (Cadouços) to Matosinhos. CCAPFM and CCFP merged on 13 January 1893, using the latter's name for the resulting company.Electric traction was introduced in 1895. The last mule-drawn car was retired in 1904, and electrification was complete with the elimination of urban steam engines in 1914.In 1946, the city purchased the tram system from CCFP and took over its operation, with a new municipal company, Serviço de Transportes Colectivos do Porto (STCP). By 1949, it reached its maximum length of 81 kilometers with 150 kilometers track length. The 1960s and the 1970s were marked by a continuous dismantling of tram tracks and a preference for cheaper bus transport. The system shrank from 81 kilometers with 192 cars in 1958 via 38 kilometers with 127 cars in 1968 and 21 kilometers with 84 cars in 1978 to 14 kilometers with 16 cars in 1996. The last line (Line 18) was the start of the current heritage system. Lines 1, 22 and T were gradually re-introduced in the 2000s.Tram fares are paid with a customized ticket that can be bought on board of the vehicle, on the Museum and in some hotels. The fare for a single trip is 2.5 Euro.
Line 1: Passeio Alegre-Infante follows the northern bank of the Douro River from Infante, via Alfândega and Massarelos, to Passeio Alegre in Foz do Douro. This line is heavily used by tourists.
Line 18: Massarelos-Carmo: connects Massarelos (site of the Tram Museum) via Rua da Restauração with Carmo (Praça Parada Leitão) next to the Rectory of the University of Porto.
Line 22: Circular Carmo-Batalha: connects Carmo and Praça da Batalha with the Funicular dos Guindais operated by Porto Metro. Has a convenient connection to three stations the Porto Metro.
tramcars exclusively.In 1872 the Companhia Carril Americano do Porto à Foz e Mattosinhos opened the first mule tram line in Porto, connecting Rua dos Ingleses (nowadays Infante) with Foz (Castelo) and Matosinhos. In the next year, a branch line from Massarelos to Cordoaria was opened. A second company, the Companhia Carris de Ferro do Porto (CCFP) (the Porto Tramways Company), was established in 1873, and it opened a line from Praça Carlos Alberto via Boavista to Foz (Cadouços) in 1874. More lines were added through the 1870s until the 1890s. In 1878 the CCFP line from Foz to Boavista was converted to steam traction. At Boavista was the change of traction between mules and steam engines. Four years later, the interurban line of the CCFP was extended from Foz (Cadouços) to Matosinhos. CCAPFM and CCFP merged on 13 January 1893, using the latter's name for the resulting company.Electric traction was introduced in 1895. The last mule-drawn car was retired in 1904, and electrification was complete with the elimination of urban steam engines in 1914.In 1946, the city purchased the tram system from CCFP and took over its operation, with a new municipal company, Serviço de Transportes Colectivos do Porto (STCP). By 1949, it reached its maximum length of 81 kilometers with 150 kilometers track length. The 1960s and the 1970s were marked by a continuous dismantling of tram tracks and a preference for cheaper bus transport. The system shrank from 81 kilometers with 192 cars in 1958 via 38 kilometers with 127 cars in 1968 and 21 kilometers with 84 cars in 1978 to 14 kilometers with 16 cars in 1996. The last line (Line 18) was the start of the current heritage system. Lines 1, 22 and T were gradually re-introduced in the 2000s.Tram fares are paid with a customized ticket that can be bought on board of the vehicle, on the Museum and in some hotels. The fare for a single trip is 2.5 Euro.
Line 1: Passeio Alegre-Infante follows the northern bank of the Douro River from Infante, via Alfândega and Massarelos, to Passeio Alegre in Foz do Douro. This line is heavily used by tourists.
Line 18: Massarelos-Carmo: connects Massarelos (site of the Tram Museum) via Rua da Restauração with Carmo (Praça Parada Leitão) next to the Rectory of the University of Porto.
Line 22: Circular Carmo-Batalha: connects Carmo and Praça da Batalha with the Funicular dos Guindais operated by Porto Metro. Has a convenient connection to three stations the Porto Metro.
Lisbon
The Lisbon tramway network (Portuguese: Rede de eléctricos de Lisboa) serves the municipality of Lisbon, capital city of Portugal. In operation since 1873, it presently comprises five urban lines, and is primarily a tourist attraction.The first tramway in Lisbon entered service on 17 November 1873, as a horsecar line. On 30 August 1901, Lisbon's first electric tramway commenced operations. Within a year, all of the city's tramways had been converted to electric traction.Up until 1959, the network of lines was further developed, and in that year it reached its greatest extent. At that time, there was a total of 27 tram lines in Lisbon, of which six operated as circle lines. As the circle lines operated in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions, each with its own route number, it is more correct to speak of a total of 24 tram routes, all of them running on 900 mm (2 ft 11 1/2 in) narrow gauge tram lines.The construction of the Lisbon Metro began the slow decline of the network. Although reports prepared by both the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and the Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich concluded that the network should be retained and even extended, the process of decline has continued. However, some work has recently been done on preparing the Carmo–Campolide line for reopening.
Line 12: This is the shortest route on the system and is a circular route from Praça da Figueira via Martim Moniz to the hilly Alfama district. This includes one of the steepest sections in the city, at S.Tomé. Formerly route 12 operated an even shorter route, wholly within the Alfama.
Line 15: P. Figueira to Algés (Jardim), which is a distance of about 10km. The terminus moved temporarily from P. Figueira to Alfândega in 2009 due to works in P do Comércio but has reverted to P. Figueira now. At Algés, there is a major bus station and a train station on the line to Estoril and Cascais, the latter accessible via a subway from the bus station. Shortly beyond the bus station, the tram terminates at a turning loop in Algés Jardim (Algés Garden), which is a short walk from the interesting Vasco da Gama aquarium at Dafundo. Formerly the route extended to the west via Dafundo to Cruz Quebrada, with a branch beyond to the national football stadium (Jamor). The 15 route runs from the city largely parallel to the river Tagus estuary in a westerly direction and is the only service operated by the new Siemens articulated trams which have capacity for 210 passengers. It has a useful interchange with the rail services on the Cascais Line, with city buses and with river ferries at Cais do Sodré. As well as the Siemens articulated trams, route 15 is supplemented by services operated by smaller "remodelados" trams. In 2002, this route was being half-heartedly marketed as the Linha dos Museus (Museums' Line) as it runs reasonably close to 18 museums between the Aquarium at Dafundo (Algés) and the Museu das Comunicações, near Cais do Sodré. Some short-workings to Belém operate (using the Remodelados trams) and turn in a loop just short of the Jerónimos monastery and these were formerly designated as route 15A.
Line 18:This route ran from central Lisbon to Ajuda cemetery, north west of the city, until 3 March 2012, when it was cut back to run from Cais do Sodré, to Ajuda cemetery. CARRIS temporary suspends this line between July 28 and September 2 due to the usual demand reduction recorded in this period.
Line 25: This route runs Rua da Alfândega, via Estrela basilica, to the Prazeres cemetery in western Lisbon. A 10-15 minute frequency of service is operated. This is an interesting route via the hilly Lapa district, past numerous embassies, an area which is otherwise off the tourist track. Line 25E has no service at all In the evenings and Saturday, Sunday and Holidays and is replaced by bus line 774.
Line 28: Martim Moniz to Prazeres. This is the classic tram route of Lisbon with extensive hilly and narrow streets in the Alfama district. There is also a steep, twisting section as the route leaves Lisbon centre towards Prazeres, up the Calçada de S. Francisco. Services operate about every seven minutes, though short-workings to Estrela are included in these timings. Eastbound trams for the Alfama are invariably crowded by the time they reach the Rua da Conceição in central Lisbon, so it can be wise to board in the opposite direction (towards Estrela and Prazeres) and return to the Alfama from that end of the route. Prazeres cemetery is itself an interesting spot and has good views across the Alcântara valley which include the Tagus bridge, the docks and Alcântara-Terra station of Portuguese Railways. Heading out of central Lisbon towards Prazeres, there is an impressively steep curve at the west end of the Rua da Conceição as the line leaves the city centre, heading west. The Estrela Park, which is 3/4 of the way to Prazeres is a pleasant spot, opposite the basilica, to break the journey.
Line 12: This is the shortest route on the system and is a circular route from Praça da Figueira via Martim Moniz to the hilly Alfama district. This includes one of the steepest sections in the city, at S.Tomé. Formerly route 12 operated an even shorter route, wholly within the Alfama.
Line 15: P. Figueira to Algés (Jardim), which is a distance of about 10km. The terminus moved temporarily from P. Figueira to Alfândega in 2009 due to works in P do Comércio but has reverted to P. Figueira now. At Algés, there is a major bus station and a train station on the line to Estoril and Cascais, the latter accessible via a subway from the bus station. Shortly beyond the bus station, the tram terminates at a turning loop in Algés Jardim (Algés Garden), which is a short walk from the interesting Vasco da Gama aquarium at Dafundo. Formerly the route extended to the west via Dafundo to Cruz Quebrada, with a branch beyond to the national football stadium (Jamor). The 15 route runs from the city largely parallel to the river Tagus estuary in a westerly direction and is the only service operated by the new Siemens articulated trams which have capacity for 210 passengers. It has a useful interchange with the rail services on the Cascais Line, with city buses and with river ferries at Cais do Sodré. As well as the Siemens articulated trams, route 15 is supplemented by services operated by smaller "remodelados" trams. In 2002, this route was being half-heartedly marketed as the Linha dos Museus (Museums' Line) as it runs reasonably close to 18 museums between the Aquarium at Dafundo (Algés) and the Museu das Comunicações, near Cais do Sodré. Some short-workings to Belém operate (using the Remodelados trams) and turn in a loop just short of the Jerónimos monastery and these were formerly designated as route 15A.
Line 18:This route ran from central Lisbon to Ajuda cemetery, north west of the city, until 3 March 2012, when it was cut back to run from Cais do Sodré, to Ajuda cemetery. CARRIS temporary suspends this line between July 28 and September 2 due to the usual demand reduction recorded in this period.
Line 25: This route runs Rua da Alfândega, via Estrela basilica, to the Prazeres cemetery in western Lisbon. A 10-15 minute frequency of service is operated. This is an interesting route via the hilly Lapa district, past numerous embassies, an area which is otherwise off the tourist track. Line 25E has no service at all In the evenings and Saturday, Sunday and Holidays and is replaced by bus line 774.
Line 28: Martim Moniz to Prazeres. This is the classic tram route of Lisbon with extensive hilly and narrow streets in the Alfama district. There is also a steep, twisting section as the route leaves Lisbon centre towards Prazeres, up the Calçada de S. Francisco. Services operate about every seven minutes, though short-workings to Estrela are included in these timings. Eastbound trams for the Alfama are invariably crowded by the time they reach the Rua da Conceição in central Lisbon, so it can be wise to board in the opposite direction (towards Estrela and Prazeres) and return to the Alfama from that end of the route. Prazeres cemetery is itself an interesting spot and has good views across the Alcântara valley which include the Tagus bridge, the docks and Alcântara-Terra station of Portuguese Railways. Heading out of central Lisbon towards Prazeres, there is an impressively steep curve at the west end of the Rua da Conceição as the line leaves the city centre, heading west. The Estrela Park, which is 3/4 of the way to Prazeres is a pleasant spot, opposite the basilica, to break the journey.
Sintra
The Sintra tramway is a seasonal narrow gauge tourist line linking the town of Sintra with Praia das Maçãs, Portugal, over a distance of less than 13 km (8.1 mi), passing through Colares and close to the Praia Grande.Following denationalisation of Portugal's provincial bus services in the 1990s, ownership of the line was assumed by Stagecoach Portugal, but the tram services - operated during the peak tourist season - passed later to the Municipality of Sintra, who re-extended the line over its long-abandoned formation from Ribeira towards central Sintra.Damage to the infrastructure occurred in late 2011 - a 1km strech of overhead copper wires were stolen. The city council has since then replaced the wires at a cost of €160.000 and the tramway has now reopened for the 2012 season.The tramways operates public service on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the trams are available for private hire (Council Tourism Office - Tel.: 21 923 69 20/1). On Mondays the tramway is closed.
MTS-Metro Transportes do Sul
Metro Transportes do Sul (MTS), better known as Metro Sul do Tejo, is a public transportation system provided by the so-called light metro area, the municipalities of Almada and Seixal, Portugal, with projected expansion to neighboring counties Barreiro and Moita. The first section was opened in 2007 from Corroios to Cova da Piedade.It was expanded from Cova da Piedade to Universidade(FCT)in November 2007 .The first stage was completed in December 2008, when Cacilhas started working.The rolling stock consists of 24 trams from
Siemens ( model Combino Plus).
MTS has three lines:
Line 1: Cacilhas — Corroios
Line 2: Corroios — Pragal
Line 3: Cacilhas — Universidade
Siemens ( model Combino Plus).
MTS has three lines:
Line 1: Cacilhas — Corroios
Line 2: Corroios — Pragal
Line 3: Cacilhas — Universidade
Coimbra
Coimbra saw its first tram circulating in the streets on 10 November 1911. For decades, with more or fewer lines, the tram was an efficient way to move citizens around Coimbra.Although in this period there was not environmental awareness in its present form, trams were a means of non-polluting transport that allowed Coimbra have an air quality unmatched today.Nevertheless, in the late 1970s the trams were considered to be old fashioned, noisy and uncomfortable. Politicians and others were then promoting their rapid decline
with the closing of the different lines. The last tram circulated in Coimbra on 9 January 1980.
with the closing of the different lines. The last tram circulated in Coimbra on 9 January 1980.
Braga
The Braga tramway network opened on 5 October 1914, replacing the old Braga horsecar network. It consisted of two routes:
Line 1: Estação caminho de ferro (English: Railway station) to Elevador do Bom Jesus;
Line 2: Largo do Monte de Arcos to Parque da Ponte.
The network was finally closed in 1963, and replaced by the Braga trolleybus system. The tracks remained
in place until the 1980s.
Line 1: Estação caminho de ferro (English: Railway station) to Elevador do Bom Jesus;
Line 2: Largo do Monte de Arcos to Parque da Ponte.
The network was finally closed in 1963, and replaced by the Braga trolleybus system. The tracks remained
in place until the 1980s.
Credits and Contacts
Text:
From Tram History to Other Design in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram
Trams in Portugal: Oporto adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Porto
Lisbon adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Lisbon
Sintra adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Portugal
MTS-Metro Transportes do Sul adapted from Wikipedia: http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Transportes_do_Sul
Coimbra adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Portugal
Braga adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Portugal
All network Description adapted from: http://www.personal.u-net.com/~luso/index.htm
All Tram types Description adapted from: http://www.personal.u-net.com/~luso/index.htm
service trams in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram
Carris Museum in Carris museum website (see link page)
Other texts by Rui Santos
Photos:
Tram History: Horse-powered train on the en:Swansea and Mumbles Railway, Wales.Public domain
Steam: Molenvliet:Postspaarbank gelegen aan de Molenvliet in het centrum van Batavia met druk tramverkeer. Author Unknown
Cable-hauled: San Francisco cable car number 11 heading south on Powell St, near the corner of Post St alongside Union Square Park. San
Francisco, California, USA By John O'Neill
Electric (trolley cars): A Peter Witt streetcar in the 1921 livery of the Toronto Transit Commission, at the Halton County Radial Railway museum By
DavidArthur
Gas trams and Other power sources: Combustion engine powered tram. In service 1924-1929 at the tram line between Karlaplan and Frihamnen
in Stockholm, Sweden.Author Unknown
Design-Low floor: Strešovice, Prague, the Czech Republic. Open Doors Day in Strešovice tram depot and transport museum. Tram Škoda 15T By cs:ŠJu
Articulated: By Barreirista.
Double decker: Double decker tram at Blackpool by Mark S Jobling.
Cargo trams: The Volkswagen CarGoTram of the Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe delivers parts to the VW Transparent Factory in Dresden by Marco Präg.
Trams in Portugal: Oporto: Electrico Porto by Paulo Homem de Melo.
Trams in Portugal: Lisbon,Sintra ,MTS-Metro Transportes do Sul and Coimbra by Barreirista.
Trams in Portugal: Braga from F.Pimentel collection.
700 series: By Barreirista
Other photos by Rui Santos (Video frames)
From Tram History to Other Design in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram
Trams in Portugal: Oporto adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Porto
Lisbon adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Lisbon
Sintra adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Portugal
MTS-Metro Transportes do Sul adapted from Wikipedia: http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Transportes_do_Sul
Coimbra adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Portugal
Braga adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Portugal
All network Description adapted from: http://www.personal.u-net.com/~luso/index.htm
All Tram types Description adapted from: http://www.personal.u-net.com/~luso/index.htm
service trams in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram
Carris Museum in Carris museum website (see link page)
Other texts by Rui Santos
Photos:
Tram History: Horse-powered train on the en:Swansea and Mumbles Railway, Wales.Public domain
Steam: Molenvliet:Postspaarbank gelegen aan de Molenvliet in het centrum van Batavia met druk tramverkeer. Author Unknown
Cable-hauled: San Francisco cable car number 11 heading south on Powell St, near the corner of Post St alongside Union Square Park. San
Francisco, California, USA By John O'Neill
Electric (trolley cars): A Peter Witt streetcar in the 1921 livery of the Toronto Transit Commission, at the Halton County Radial Railway museum By
DavidArthur
Gas trams and Other power sources: Combustion engine powered tram. In service 1924-1929 at the tram line between Karlaplan and Frihamnen
in Stockholm, Sweden.Author Unknown
Design-Low floor: Strešovice, Prague, the Czech Republic. Open Doors Day in Strešovice tram depot and transport museum. Tram Škoda 15T By cs:ŠJu
Articulated: By Barreirista.
Double decker: Double decker tram at Blackpool by Mark S Jobling.
Cargo trams: The Volkswagen CarGoTram of the Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe delivers parts to the VW Transparent Factory in Dresden by Marco Präg.
Trams in Portugal: Oporto: Electrico Porto by Paulo Homem de Melo.
Trams in Portugal: Lisbon,Sintra ,MTS-Metro Transportes do Sul and Coimbra by Barreirista.
Trams in Portugal: Braga from F.Pimentel collection.
700 series: By Barreirista
Other photos by Rui Santos (Video frames)