Thursday doors – 7 July 2022

Doors 189 – Porto doors (Part 3)

I was inspired by Dan Anton’s post last week in which he showed off doors from fire and rescue service vehicles which provided an opportunity to enjoy both the doors and the vehicles, many of which are so incredibly different to the ones we have here in the UK.

The highlight of my trip to Porto with my daughter at the beginning of June, turned out to be our trips in the old trams, three routes of which continue to run today, Lines 1, 18 and 22. Work on the tram network began in 1872, with lines running throughout the city, but these were reduced to only three in the 1960s and 1970s. The three ‘heritage’ lines run all-day services and Line 1 runs from the city centre waterfront along the river to the seaside district of Foz.

There was something very comforting about riding on these rickety old trams with their wooden double-ended single carriages finished with beautiful fittings. The driver’s consoles with a wooden dashboard and brass handles were a sight to behold. Anyone who is interested in ‘old stuff'”, would have been in heaven – I certainly was. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to visit the old tram museum, but it is something to look forward to if ever I return to this beautiful city.

These pictures of the trams, most but not all, with doors – the compartment doors are open, but they are there if you look carefully – should give you a sense of how special they are. I hope you enjoy them, if even only a fraction as much as I did:

So on a momentous day when our dreadful Prime Minister at last decides to resign, I will love you and leave you and raise a glass to better fortunes.

If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors  from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.

by Scooj