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Monday 13 April 2015

Tight Turns & Trams Part 3

Well not so many tight turns this time to be honest, but thanks to Paulo I can bring you trams from another part of Portugal, this time from the city of Porto. The first thing that strikes me about these trams is the unbelievable condition they are kept in. Just shows with a bit of dedication and love anything still in daily use can be kept in great nick for all using them. Looking at them though one thing does spring to mind - how do they cope with the Portuguese version of DDA? Many thanks, Paulo, and there will be a lot more from him over the coming days.

One of Porto's trams
The cab area, looking traditional apart from modern radio on the left
Not sure driver would be that exposed in London!
Two of Porto's vintage trams.
On the Porto City Tour - don't obstruct this tram!
Just look at that interior - how well looked after?
Trams in the park anyone?

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3 comments:

  1. Andrew Kleissner13 April 2015 at 22:38

    I haven't been on the Oporto trams, but I "saw" some of them when I visited for a day in 1979. The standard gauge looked so wide after Lisbon's narrow gauge! In those days the system was larger than today - indeed it was down to one short line a few years ago, but then some tracks were relaid. It is primarily a tourist system today and this may possibly give some exemption from DDA. There is at least one car preserved at Crich in Derbyshire.

    Portugal has/had two other tram systems. One was in the old city of Coimbra, it had lovely old cars like Lisbon on, I think, a metre gauge. I travelled on it once but the final line closed in 1980. On the other hand the Sintra-Atlantico, derelict when I knew it in the 70s, has been gloriously restored. It doesn't operate in the winter (and only Fridays-Sundays in the summer), but I passed the depot just last month and several cars were standing outside, looking gorgeous!

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    Replies
    1. Steve W13 April 2015 at 22:59

      Andrew, thank you for your comments on this and the other tram posts. I know trams aren't everyone's cup of tea so it's good to see it has brought back memories for a few people. As and when I get more pics sent in I'll publish them.

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    2. Andrew Kleissner13 April 2015 at 23:32

      I love them - and of course you can actually ride on trams (not to mention buses and a little train) here in Suffolk at the East Anglian Transport Museum! By the way, the beautifully restore Ipswich tram in the Ipswich Transport Museum rides on a Lisbon truck.

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