Author: Ernst Kers

In the 1980’s Carris changed to one-man operation of the trams. That meant that the driver had to do the conductor job too, assisted by ticket validation machines. The trams also needed driver operated doors. Although the fleet was still much larger than needed, not all trams could be modified for one-man operation. Above that…

These were standard four-wheel cars built by the workshops for the hilly routes. They had Maley built type 21E swing link trucks, air brakes on the wheels, electro pneumatic brakes on the rails and manual brakes on both the wheels and rails. They were built in 1935 (613-617), 1936/7 (701-725), 1938 (726-730) and 1940 (731-735).

These trams were built with the use of reconditioned Brill 21E trucks and GE59 motors of withdrawn older trams. They had air brakes and English Electric K3 or BTH B510 controllers. Their platforms were 149 mm lower as the saloons and the wheel ø 851 mm.

These trams were built by Carris in 1931. Their platforms were 108 mm lower as the saloons and the wheel ø 787 mm.Four were withdrawn in or before 1980 (552, 567, 569, 570). The other sixteen were about 1986 converted to single-end and upgraded for hilly-route service. 568 got the truck of 740 and the…

These trams were built by Carris in 1927-8. They were the first of what was to become the Standard Carris car body, having domed roofs and lifting widows which do not fit into roof-pockets. Like the Estrela cars the platforms are level with the saloon floors and they had 737 mm ø wheels. In the…

While over time many different types of trams ran trough the Lisbon streets, there is one that is emblematic and can be considered as “The Lisbon Tram”. The late John Price introduced in the first edition of the book series “The Tramways of Portugal” for this type the indication “Standard”. This indication was never used…

These domed-roof trams with seats for 28 were buiIt by Brill in 1927 for the Estrela line. The 21ESL trucks came from Maley & Taunton. They had large sliding side windows, which made that only half of the windows could be opened. It made these cars unpopular. 601 and 612 (at least) were reposted as…

These tramcars were built by Carris in 1924-26. They were true semi-convertibles, with clerestory roofs containing window pockets, although when built Carris considered this type already as closed. Four cars (524, 525, 527 & 531) were later fitted with Metrovick motors, and Dick, Kerr controllers.

Brill built these closed tramcars with drop windows and 26-seats. The bodies were a longer version of the small closed Brill trams that Brill delivered to Lisbon in the same period.

These closed tramcars were built by Brill. They had 20 seats and drop windows similar to the São Luís trams 400-474, but with more rounded ends and windscreens. 476-482 entered service in 1912, the others in 1914.

Tram no.475 was a semi-convertible car built in 1909 by the Carris workshops on a Brill 21E truck. No photos are known of this car, but drawings show a typical Brill semi-convertible car with six windows. Because of its width and height, both more than the São Luís cars, it was nicknamed “O Cruzador” (The…

These 1907 Brill built bogie cars were for the low-fare Carros do Povo service between Santo Amaro and Intendente. The windows had originally no glass but only vertically-striped canvas shades. The large platforms were at the same height as the saloon floor and they had two steps at each entrance. The interiors were fitted with…

These saloon bogie cars were the first Lisboa cars of the patented Brill “grooveless post” semi-convertible design which proved very suitable in Lisboa’s sunny climate. The window sashes slid upwards into the coving of the clerestory roof. Of these forty tramcars twenty bodies were made by Brill and the other twenty by John Stephenson of…

The bodies of these tramcars were ordered from the St Louis Car Company in November 1899, and had full-drop windows. The trucks were ordered in September 1900 from Brill. They arrived in May and June 1901 and entered service the same year. These trams were indicated as “pequenos fechados” (small closed) but also known as…

These large open cars were built by Brill. Like usual they were sent “knocked down” to save on the shipping costs, and had to be assembled by the Carris workshops in Lisboa. The first batch of ten cars arrived early January 1902 and the first of these cars was tested on the 27th of that…

From 1900 to 1914 the tram company Carris de Ferro de Lisboa imported trams from America in dismantled form and assembled them locally in the workshops. Since 1925 Carris built cars to its own design, using trucks and equipment purchased in Britain and reconditioned trucks and equipment of older cars. From 1947 to 1963 the…