47.France 2009 – Views of Amitram Museum near Lille Sunday, May 31, 2009 After a pleasant visit to Valenciennes (to be recorded in part 48) we drove to Wambrechies, which is about 5 miles north of Lille. A volunteer organization, the Association du Musee International des Transports Metropolitains (Amitram), see http://www.amitram.fr/, operates the Tramway Touristque de la Vallee de la Deule, a 2-mile long meter-gauge streetcar line. It is similar to many trolley museums in the U. S., and has a nice collection of equipment in various states of rehabilitation in its storage barns. Included is one of the former St. Etienne PCC cars. The line runs along the scenic Canal de la Deule and its towpath south to Marquette-lez-Lille. A road bridge crossing the line and the canal about halfway along the route presents the opportunity for overhead and panoramic photos. Next page: The old city hall is Wambrechies claim to fame. Built in 1868, it now houses the town's tourist office. We had lunch at a pleasant outdoor cafe nearby. Above and top of next page: 1909-built No. 420 is one of a series of suburban cars that provided the bulk of the service on the ELRT for almost 50 years, through both World Wars, during which Lille was occupied by German troops. Retired from passenger-carrying duties in 1955 and operating in work service until 1982, the restored car now regularly carries visitors to the museum's tourist line. A closeup view of the intricate ELRT's (L'Electricque Lille Roubaix Tourcoing) emblem is shown below. The company also ran local lines in both Roubaix and Tourcoing. The 300-series was among the first to constructed for the new ELRT system. This beautiful 4-wheeler was built in 1906, placed in work car service in 1951 and totally retired in 1985 (22). Next page top: This lovely single trucker operated in Fribourg Switzerland, from 1900 to 1965. It was among the first cars to be restored by Amitram. I did not get to ride it, as when we arrived it was just pulling into the carhouse after a public run. But I successfully got the kind railfans on the museum's to pull it back out for a photo. Ex-ELRT car 420 changes direction at the bumper pole that marks the southern end of the line in Marquette-lez-Lille. Note the residential neighborhood traversed by the line. No. 307 bounces along the canal towpath between Wambrechies and Marquette-lez-Lille. The lane attracts many bikers and hikers. Above and below: The narrow, flower-bedecked bridge at Wambrechies offers a good vantage point for panoramic views of the scenic museum tramway. .