April 6, 2014.
Back in 1996 a European friend said to me, ‘you ought to visit Lisbon, they’ve got some wonderful old trams there.’ Some 18 years later, I finally ticked off that box in my notebook. Better late, than not at all.
Lisbon is famous for its narrow gauge trams that crawl up narrow and steeply graded streets. This track work is amazing. It’s amazing that it was ever built, and even more so that some of the lines are still worked in 2014!
The old trams are of course a tourist attraction, but like San Francisco’s cable cars, these function as part of the transit system.
Visitors queue to board, much to the delight of local pickpockets. I was forewarned about light-fingered activities, so I took precautionary measures. And, also made a sport of spotting the picks. Not to point fingers, I saw nothing lifted, but I saw some suspicious characters in the queue (who didn’t seem to have any interest in riding a tram).
The quirky old cars are enhanced by the colorful tapestry that makes up Lisbon’s old city. Sunny skies were delivered as ordered.
Route number 15 is populated by modern LRV style cars, but passes through some interesting areas and runs parallel to an old heavy-rail commuter rail route.
Lumix LX3 photo; Lisbon April 6, 2014.
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Didn’t know the Sprague-Richmond history. Will look for that. I’ll be making a business trip to Richmond in June, so (as I usually do before traveling) I’ll do a little research to see whether there are RR sites–active or historical–I can fit into the trip.
Some of my colleagues in higher ed call that “Ferroequinology.” If you work on campus you get away with being a railfan if you insist it the history that interests you, just as you can get away with being a baseball fan if you insist the Red Sox are your team.
TW
Glad to have helped! As you may know, Frank Sprague’s early wiring of Richmond, VA featured some very steep gradients. Conditions that probably helped sell the electric streetcar in its common form.
All the best,
BS
Outstanding photos! Nice proof, too, that short-radius railed vehicles and electric traction are the perfect answer for inclines and tight clearances.I guess we know that in the US, but mostly as elevators hidden away inside buildings.
I was born in Cincinnati, but by that time (1952) the inclined railways and the trams were gone.
I’m putting Portugal on my must-see list. Your scenes in Porto and Lisbon have sold me.
TW