Trams in Portugal

Trains 3 - Regua to Vila Real

2008-10-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

1. Vila Real station at siesta time.
2. The line must have continued beyond Vila Real in the past.
3. Curtains drawn against the October sun.
4. The depot just outside Regua. The broad gauge tracks can be seen on the right and also a semaphore signal on the left.
5. Mixed gauge track. All trains in both directions cross this bridge.

Trains 2 - Regua to Vila Real

2008-10-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

1. A two car set at Regua.
2. Coupling two cars at Vila Real.
3. Departing Vila Real.
4. Outside Vila Real station.

Trains 1 - Livracao to Amarante

2008-10-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

There are three narrow gauge railways in the Douro Valley; each running southwards from the hills to join the main line to Oporto. The are not tourist railways but are part of the national network. Trains are infrequent but timetables can easily be found on the CP website. Fares are cheap and tickets can be bought from the conductor.
Sadly the longest line from Tua to Mirandela is closed at present following an accident in August. The replacement service is operated by taxis.
1. Amarante station.
2. Disused rolling stock at Livracao.
3. Livracao station at kilometre zero with a broad gauge train the back ground.
4. Very open train interior.

Second hand buses

2008-10-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

1. This bus was new in 1977. My question for Christoph is which German town does it come from?

2. This Routemaster came from London and dates back to 1967.

Tourist trams & interiors

2008-10-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

In addition to the three traditional tram services there are City Tours for 15 Euros.
1 & 2. City Tour cars.
3 & 4. Interiors of service cars. As in Lisbon all trams are one person operated with only the front doors being used.

The bridge

2008-10-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Oporto Metro

2008-10-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

Four of the 5 Oporto Metro routes are based on a former railway with the addition of some French style street running and underground sections in the city centre. It is operated by 72 Strasbourg style low floor cars.
1. All tickets for the metro, trams and buses use the 'andante' smart card. These can be bought and reloaded by machines at metro stations. There are several fare zones and most metro routes run beyond the central zones. Tram drivers sell single rides for 1.45 Euros (95 cents plus 50 cents for the card).
2. A typical metro tram stop.
3. Street running in a pedestrianised street in Matosinhos.
4. Underground station.

Oporto trams

2008-10-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

There are three traditional tram routes in Oporto:
1 Infante to Passeio Alegre 12:30 - 18:00 every 30 mins operated by 2 trams
18 Massarelos to Carmo 9:30 - 19:00 every 30 mins operated by 1 tram
22 Carmo to Batalha 9:30 - 19:00 operated by 1 tram.
1. Service 1 Infante with a service car, a tourist sightseeing car and a stationar booking office.
2. Service 1 Passeio Alegre. The riverside line is now a roadside single track with several passing loops where the trams keep left.
3. Service 18 Massarelos with a 1 in the background.
4. Service 18 Carmo.
5. Service 22 Carmo.
6. Service 22 Batalha.

Coimbra

2008-10-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know if there are any trolleybuses left in Coimbra. We arrived early Saturday afternoon and left mid-morning Sunday and only saw overhead wiring which looked intact.

Sintra 3

2008-10-17T02:07:00.000-07:00

1. The interior of car 4.
2 & 3. The temporary terminus at Ribeiera.
4. Back to Sintra.

Sintra 2

2008-10-17T02:02:00.000-07:00

1. The temporary timetable advertising a service on Fri, Sat and Sun afternoons. Only one tram is required.
2. An urban regeneration poster.
3. Our first glimpse of the tram.
4. Number 4 approaching Sintra terminus. The whole length of the line now has modern overhead wiring which reminded us of the Vicinal in La Louviere.

Sintra 1

2008-10-17T01:56:00.000-07:00

The Sintra tramway has only operated a limited service between the outskirts of Sintra and Ribeira during 2008 due to flood damage to parts of the line.
1. The outer terminus at Praia das Macas.
2. The closure notice.
3 & 4. The depot at Ribeira.

Goodbye Lisbon

2008-10-17T00:33:00.000-07:00

1. Parked cars and vans often delay the tram service.
2. In 1978 route 12 operated on this street in both directions. Now it is only in the uphill direction returning to Martim Moniz via the Catherdral and Praca Figheira.
3. The junction of routes 12 and 28.
4. Goodbye Lisbon.

Staff and tickets

2008-10-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

1 - 3. In 1978 all the trams had both a driver and a conductor and the trailers also had their own conductors, now there are no conductors. In 1978 all the drivers and conductors were men, now there are a lot of women drivers and they have their own smart uniform with a yellow shirt and cravat whereas the drivers have blue shirts and ties.
In 1978 fares were paid in cash. There were two fares - one or two stages and all the way. The conductors issued simple flimsey paper tickets which were clipped with very British looking hand nippers.
4. Nowadays there is flat fare a single ticket issued by driver for 1.40 Euros (Tarifa de Bordo). All other tickets use some form of smart card which itself costs 50 cents. Multi-journey and day tickets can be bought from machines in metro stations. A day ticket costs 3.70 Euros (Bilhete 1 Dia (24h) Rede) plus 50 cents for the smart card. However the next day the smart card can be re-validated for only 3.70 Euros using one of the same machines.

5. Two designs of smart card were in use and as far as I could make out they were interchangeable. The blue one came from a Fertagus booking office and the green from a Metro machine.

6. Having got your smart ticket you now have to persuade the electronic conductor that it is valid. There is nothing on the ticket to indicate its validity. The smart card reader simply has green light with benign beep and a red light with a raucious sod off beep.

Evening

2008-10-09T10:18:00.001-07:00

I think that it is easier to take night shots with digital cameras. These were taken on 1st and 2nd Oct.

Praca dos Camoes

2008-10-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

There was some disruption to public services on 1st October. A good old fashioned day of action. Most of the buses at Cacilhas were parked in the bus station and some of the commuter trains were not running. For their part the Carris trams staged a pantomime at Praca dos Cameos.

1. When we arrived (on foot), it appeared that the trams were turning short rather than continuing to Prazeres - the point is set for the curve.

2. But it wasn't that simple. The next tram pulled into the loop, allowed another to pass it and then reversed back out again. To avoid pushing the fixed head trolley, the pantograph was used for this. Here it is back on the main line with both collectors on the wire. It moved forwards about two tram lengths like this before the pantograph was lowered.

3. All this shunting was in a busy square surrounded by impatient cars and vans.

4. Here are 5 trams wating enter Praca dos Camoes.

5. Here are 5 trams queueing on the far side.

The first of these pictures was taken at 13:41 and the last at 14:33 during which time there were no trams in the opposite direction. Shortly afterwards the 5 trams simply set off. We therefore suspect that it was some form of token strike by some drivers.

Lisbon's new tramways

2008-10-08T14:29:00.001-07:00

A completely new standard gauge tramway is being constructed on the south side of the Tagus in areas that were open countryside in 1978. It is not operated by Carris but by MTS (Metro Transportes do Sul). When complete it will be a 'Y' shaped network with services from Corroios or Universidade to Cacilhas. Corroios can be reached by the new cross river Fertagus commuter train service and Cacilhas by frequent ferry services from Cais do Sodre.
1 - 3. At present a service is provided between Corroios and Universidade but loadings are light whilst the buses to Cacilhas are heaving. The trams are new style Combinos.
4 - 6. Construction at Cacilhas.

More Lisbon

2008-10-08T14:00:00.001-07:00

1. Prazeres with a pantograph fitted 25 and a trolley equiped 28.
2. There is only a 20 min tram service and a 20 min bus service to Adjuda and lots of buses to Boa Hora.
3. Santo Amaro is now the only tram depot.
4. Trams on service 15 to Alges are turning short at Belem because of road works.

Graca - 30th September 2008

2008-10-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Route 28 runs from Martim Moniz via Graca and Baixa to Estrella and Prazeres. There are also red tourist specials throughout the day. These pictures were all taken on the Graca section.

Lisbon 29th Sept 2008

2008-10-04T10:49:00.001-07:00

'Carris' still operates bus and tram services in Lisbon. In 1978 there was an extensive tram network and lots of different types of trams. Now there are 5 routes and two types of tram.
1. This bogie car is a static booking office.
2. There are 45 of these rebuilt 4-wheelers with traditional wooden bodies but new German trucks and electrical equipment. This is one of ten used for tourist serivces.
3. There are 10 of these artics which provide an 11 minute service on route 15 to Alges.
4. The remaining 35 4-wheelers operate services 12, 18, 25 and 28. Trolley poles are used on the 12 and 28. Pantographs elsewhere including depot journeys.

Porto 3

2008-09-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

1. Leyland Atlanteans with additional standing room outside.
2. 273?
3. Definately 273.
We then drove northwards into Spain spending one night near Coruna before arriving in Santander for an afternoon sailing to Plymouth. This journey took longer than expected so I only saw one ex-London trolleybus in the distance in Coruna. The ferry had been built for the shorter crossings to France so my lasting recollection is of queues at mealtimes.

Porto 2

2008-09-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

1. One of these Italian built trolleybuses is now at Sandtoft.
2. 204 built between 1938 and 1945.
3. 273 now at Crich in the mist at Castelo.
4. Side view of 219 built between 1938 and 1945.

Porto

2008-09-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

All too soon it was time to start the journey home via Oporto and then into Spain and broadly following to coast to Santander where we had reservations on the new Brittany Ferries service to Plymouth.
1. 221 built between 1938 and 1945 to 1912 Brill design.
2. Matosinhos.
3. Belgian built bogie car 280 of 1929 and Brill 4-wheel 123 of 1910.
4. Boavista depot.

buses

2008-09-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

In 1987 Lisbon had a large fleet of AEC buses, most of which should have been replaced years ago.
1. Regent V 632 in Praca do Comercio.
2. Regent III 490.
3. Regal III 129.

Alcantara

2008-09-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

It was very hot in August 1978. We used to get up at 6:30 and have breakfast before the butter melted. We then drove over the suspension bridge to a free car park near Alcantara tram terminus. By early afternoon it was just too hot in the city and we returned to the beach adjacent to the camping site.
1. 323? outside the headquarters of the communist party at Alcantara.
2. Semi-convertible 323 of 1906.
3. 298? on route 18 from Adjuda to Praca do Comercio. These cars were built in 1954-7 using second hand equipment.
4. 737 at Largo do Rato on circular service 22. Built new in 1947 using Maley & Taunton equipment.

Bogie cars

2008-09-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

1. The bogie cars only ran on a limited number of routes. 323, a Brill semi-convertable car of 1906, on route 19 from Alcantara to Arco do Cego.
2. 910 was built in 1947 using Maley & Taunton equal bogies. It is passing through Belem on route 15 from Cruz Quebrada to Prcac do Comercio. It is now in Kochi (Japan).
3. 803 was built in 1939 using Maley & Taunton bogies. Again it is seen in Belem but on route 17 from Belem to Alto de Sao Joao.
4. 4-wheeler 547 of 1928-29 at Estrella in the circular service 25.

Graca

2008-09-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

These four pictures were taken on the famous Graca route in Lisbon.
1. 723 - these trams were built in the late 1930s for hilly routes.
2. 430? The 400 series cars were built between 1952-63 using trucks and equipment from withdrawn cars dating back to 1901.
3. This tram has no visible fleet number.
4. 480.

Coimbra & Lisbon

2008-08-28T02:44:00.000-07:00

From Coimbra we drove southwards to Lisbon. I remember it was on a Sunday and that we got lost somwhere near Sintra. Eventually we saw the Sintra trams standing forlornly in the depot before reaching our goal - Lisbon. We stayed at a rather informal camping site in sand dunes near to the beach at the far side of the suspension bridge.
1. Another view of tram 11.
2. Sunbeam trollybus 32 of 1958.
3. 703 at Prazeres terminus of route 28 in Lisbon.
4. Santo Amaro depot yard with concrete supports for the suspension bridge in the background.

Coimbra

2008-08-28T02:38:00.000-07:00

By 1978 there were just two tram routes (3 & 4) in Coimbra.
1. Number 11 built by J G Brill and rebodied in 1967. The communist party slogan painted on the wall was typical of Portugal at that time.
2.
3. Sunbeam trolleybus 41 of 1963 with locally built bodywork.
4. Brill number 1 of 1910 was rebodied in 1961.

Spain & Coimbra

2008-08-28T02:34:00.000-07:00

We left Andorra at 7:00 in the morning to avoid the traffic and drove down into Spain. I don't remember the exact route we took but we kept well north of Madrid and crossed into Portugal between Salamanca and Guarda. The standards of both the roads and the drivers deteriorated. The Spanish roads had well marked lanes. The Portuguese roads were just a strip of tarmac. Coimbra was the first Portuguese tramway we visited.
1. Lunch stop somewhere in Spain. We had never seen an arid landscape such as this before.
2. Pee break?
3 & 4. Coimbra 15 built by J G Brill in 1928.

Introduction

2008-08-28T01:44:00.000-07:00

In August 1978 the Lomas family travelled to Lisbon and back on a camping holiday.
We left Ripley on a Saturday morning and caught an over night ferry to Normandy. On Sunday we drove south through France to the well known resort of St Etienne. The idea was to go round Paris on the Boulevard Peripherique but when we saw the Arc de Triomphe we realised we had taken a wrong turn and it was raining.
It rained all day, all night and next morning so we had to pack up a wet tent in the rain. We didn't see the St Etienne trams - it was just too wet. We pressed on southwards and fortunately the sun came out at Aviginion and we hardly saw any more rain.
1. The south coast of France and the first time we had seen the Mediterranean Sea.

2. The next day we headed inland to Andorra which seemed like one long traffic jam.

3 & 4. The following day we explored Andorra finding snow.