10 – Eurocruise - Porto Part 4 - Heritage Streetcar Operations

10 – Eurocruise - Porto Part 4 - Heritage Streetcar Operations On Wednesday morning Luis joined us at breakfast in our hotel, and we walked a couple of blocks in a light fog to a stop on the 22 line. The STCP heritage system consists of three routes, numbered 1, 18 and 22. The first two are similar to corresponding services from the days when standard- gauge streetcars were the most important element in Porto’s transit system. See http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/pt/porto/porto-tram.htm. The three connecting heritage lines run every half-hour, 7 days per week, starting a little after the morning rush hour. Routes 1 and 18 are single track with passing sidings, while the 22 is a one-way loop, with a short single-track stub at its outer end. At its Carmo end the 18 also traverses a one-way loop through various streets. Like Lisbon, the tramway operated a combination of single- and double- truck Brill-type cars in its heyday, but now regular service consists of only the deck-roofed 4-wheelers, which have been equipped with magnetic track brakes. Four such units are operated each day, as the 1 line is sufficiently long to need two cars. The cars on the road on Wednesday were 131, 205, 213 and 220. All were built by the CCFP (Porto’s Carris) from Brill blueprints. The 131 was completed in 1910, while the others came out of the shops in the late 1930s-early 1940s. Porto also has an excellent tram museum, which is adjacent to the Massarelos carhouse, where the rolling stock for the heritage operation is maintained. But the collection has been moved into the carbarn while the museum’s roof is undergoing replacement. We rode the 22 to Carmo loop, but did not stop for photos as it was still foggy. We bought a 24-hour pass on the car, which also allows entry to the museum (moot now that the museum is temporarily closed), as Metro do Porto Andante passes are not good on the heritage system (they are valid for travel on the STCP bus system, however). We continued on the 22 to the Batalha end, where we transferred to the funicular for a round- trip, pausing at the foot for photos at the entrance to the lower level of the Dom Luis I bridge, which also has walking space for pedestrians. We then rode the 22, 18 and 1 to Infante, where we stopped for photos, as by now the fog had lifted and the sun was shining brightly. We rode the 1 to its other end at Passeio Alegre and then back to Massarelos depot, where we boarded the route 18 car for a round trip. We then bade farewell to Luis, as he had an appointment. We enjoyed his company and his knowledgeable commentary about the operation very much. We took some more photos, and then saw a green and white four wheeler, No. 191, coming from Infante on what appeared to be a school charter. We snapped it passing, thinking it would continue out to the other end of the 1, where we had already been. While waiting for its return we visited the museum store, as it was open for the sale of souvenirs and also supplied some convenient and necessary facilities to “freshen up.” But when we came back out, we found out we had been fooled, as the 191 had changed ends after our photo and had gone back into the carhouse. Our last jaunt on the heritage lines was back up the hill on the 18 to Carmo, where we stopped for some final photos. We then walked to the Sao Bento stop of the light rail system, to ride and photograph the D line. It was fun riding the Porto 4-wheelers again. Of course one does not have to go to Porto to accomplish this, as cars of this type can be found operating in Memphis, on McKinney Avenue in Dallas, in Yakima, at Rockhill, Pa., and one is also in the Market Street Railway collection in San Francisco. Later in the day, we alit from the D line at Aliados station to pick up the luggage we had left at our hotel, and then went on to Campanha for our 16:47 train back to Lisbon. The train ride was speedy and comfortable, and we arrived at Santa Apolonia on time at 19:52. Phil and I parted here. He would grab a bite and wait for his overnight train to Bilbao (Spain), while I would ride the Lisbon Metro to the elevated Campo Grande station, where I had booked an overnight stay at a Raddison. I chose this hotel because it is only a 10-minute cab ride from the airport, where I would be joining Clare the following morning for our flight to Rome en route to our cruise. It was a quick half-hour subway ride, via the Blue line to Marques de Pombal (5 stations) and then the Yellow line (6 stations). I enjoyed a roast duck dinner at this 4-star hotel, which for some reason had been available on the internet at only a 2-star rate. They made it up on the food and drink. Our Porto visit was indeed enjoyable, especially because of the great weather, fine food and the time we spent we Luis. The STCP (Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos do Porto) operates Porto’s bus system and its heritage streetcars. The company succeeded the Carris in 1946. The emblem shown in the photo on the next page can be seen on the seats of a number of former Porto cars that operate here in the United States. No bumper block at end of the 22 line at Batalha. Brill-type car 205 is flanked by a stairway and elevator to the underground station of the Funicular dos Guindais. Route 1 parallels the Douro River and at places runs pretty close to the water. This view of car 220 was taken between Massarelos and Infante. Unlike Lisbon, the 4-wheelers in Porto are not equipped with pantographs. Car 131 has just changed ends and will proceed to the car stop in front of Masserelos depot to wait for its scheduled departure time for Carmo. The Arrabida bridge over the Douro is in the background. Routes 18 and 22 stop and lay over side by side at Carmo. The baroque church was built in 1756. Upon leaving Carmo the 22 operates along the side of an attractive downtown park. The single-truck cars share the right-of-way with railfans and bicyclists. A view of the building that houses the Museu do Carro Electrico. Masserelos depot is alongside. Deck-roof single-truck car 191 shown as it looked sometime after its construction in 1929--with a cow-catcher and the green and white livery used by the STCP’s predecessor, the CCFP (Carris), which operated the tramway until 1946, Another view of the 191 as it passed us en route to Passeio Alegre (we thought). .

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