Oporto Tram Museum

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Massarelos Tram Museum: Museu da STCP

The Oporto tram museum is located at Massarelos, near the river front, to the west of the city centre. It is housed in over 1940 sq. metres of covered accommodation adjacent to the operational tram shed on the site of the former STCP generating station, built in 1915. The main tram shed was at Boavista but this has now been converted into a music venue. The tram museum opened in 1992 and is well laid out with a wide range of trams, auxiliary vehicles and artefacts.

The site was owned by the Companhia de Viação Eléctrica do Porto (Oporto Electric Traction Company) from 1907. In 1908 this company merged with the CCFP -Companhia de Carris de Ferro do Porto (Oporto Tramway Company), which had been established since 1873. Mule cars had run in the city since 1874 and electric trams from 1895.

STCP

Museum Stock

• Atrelado (trailer) nos. 1.
  Built by A Construtora (Porto) c 1907. It was rebuilt and altered both in the 1920s and 1947-49. It operated in service till 1959. It has two Brill bogies and seats 32. Restored in 1990-91 to its 1920s' state.
• Carro americano (mule car) no.8
  Purchased from Starbuck of Birkenhead, England, in 1874 this was a two-mule car which later became a trailer to both steam and electric trams. It remained in service into the 1960s. It has 12 places on longitudinal central benches.
• Atrelado (trailer) no. 18.
  Built by CCFP in 1934 and in service till the 1960s on line 1. Seats 20 on a Brill chassis. restored 1991.
• Carro eléctrico (electric tram) no. 22.
  This is a mulecar, built by Starbuck of Birkenhead but transformed into a motorised car by A Construtora in 1895-98. Built on a Brill 21E chassis its motor was removed in the 1930s and the car became a trailer. As part of its restoration in 1990-91, it was remotorised. It seats 18 on longitudinal benches.
• Atrelado (trailer) no. 25.
  This trailer dates from 1946-47 and was built by STCP. It ran as a motor car from the 1950s till 1967. Originally it seated 20 but widening of its gangway reduced this to 15. It was restored to its trailer state in 1991-92.
• Carro oficina (works car) no.49
  
• Vagoneta (fishwagon) no.80
  A survivor from a fleet of more than 30 non-passenger vehicles in the Oporto tram fleet. Fish were transported between the river-front and the canning works at Matosinhos, as well as to the Mercado do Anjo (fish-market). It was built by CCFP in the 1920s and from the 1930s was used for carrying STCP materials.
• Carro eléctrico (electric tram) no. 315.
  Built by CCFP in 1929, this car remained in service till the early 1980s. Known as a "fumista"or "smokers' car", the type is characterised by very large opening windows. Orignally they seated 28, but latterly only 22. It has a Brill chassis and 2 x 55hp motors. In length it is 9.57m and its width is 2.47m. Restored 1990-91.
• Carro eléctrico (electric tram) no. 373.
  Built by STCP in 1949, this is a single-ended car which utilised parts from earlier vehicles. It has Brill chassis and 55hp motors. It seated 21 passengers.
• Carro eléctrico (electric tram) no. 500.
  Constructed by STCP in 1951 this car was intended to be the model for the future Oporto tram fleet. However, although 500 ran until 1967 no others of its class followed. It seated 22, ran on a Brill chassis and had two 68hp motors. It is 9.69m long, 2.27m wide and weighs 12,150kg.
• Carro-torre automóvel (Motor-car tower vehicle)
  This German-built Hansa tower vehicle was used for repairs to the overhead catenary of Oporto. It was bought in 1929 and ran till the 1950s. The vehicle was restored to its original form between 1989 and 1991. The vehicle could carry five staff and has a 3970cc engine. The tower is raised manually.

• Zorra de transporte de carvão (Coal wagon) no. 66.
  Built c.1915 by Carris to bring coal from São Pedro da Cova and to return ashes from the Massarelos power station. Although subsequently used as a covered wagon for repair work by STCP, it has been restored (1992/93) to its coal-carrying state.
• Carro eléctrico (electric tram) no.163
  Acquired from Brill of the USA c.1905-08, this is a 22-seater which ran as no.107 and was withdrawn from service in 1967. Although it had headlights and an illuminated destination board, its seating still comprised longitudinal benches.
• Carro eléctrico (electric tram)269
  Built by Carris in 1930, this 40-seater was designed to run without windows in summer and was known as a "fumista" or "smokers' car". An eight-wheel bogie car, 269 ran until 1990 and was restored in 1993.

Retired Oporto Trams

• Numbers 252 & 258 (Italianos)- Buenos Aires(Argentina).
• 199 (Brill 28) and 206 (Brill 28) - Bologna (Italy)
• 9 (Mule-car) and Brill bogie car 273 - National Tramway Museum, Crich, Derbyshire (UK).
• 196 (Brill-28) - McKinney Avenue Trolley Authority -Dallas (Texas, USA).
• 114, 156, 164, 180, 187, 194, 204, 266, 268 - Memphis, Tennessee (USA)
• 154? (Brill 28) - California Trolley Railroad (San José) (California, USA)
• 172 (Brill 28) and 249 (Brill bogie) - Rockhill, Pennsylvania (USA)
• 189 (Brill 28) - San Francisco, California, (USA)
• 254, 260 (Italianos) - Yakima, Washington (USA) numbered as 1976 and 1776 respectively.

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