Virtual Railfan Tour of Paraguay - The Asuncion Trams
A tram turning in front of the Asuncion railway station in 1984.
On my first visit to Paraguay in 1984 there was an active tramway system in Asuncion.
The trams were obtained second hand from Belgium
The doors were left open, either to have a flow of air through the car or, more likely because the mechanism was broken
The four wheel single truck cars could easily negotiate the narrow streets
There was some private right of way
Congestion in the city streets
Delays were inevitable at busy times.
Conditions were very bad when I went back in October 1985. This is one of the two remaining operable tram cars
We went for a ride over the system in the second remaining operable car. The traffic system had been altered so that we had to run wrong way along a very busy one way road. We came across this abandoned taxi with a flat tire which was blocking our way. A bunch of us bounced the taxi and moved it on to the sidewalk so that we could pass. I don't know why we didn't leave the taxi on the side walk but we bounced it back on to the street after our tram had passed
Our journey through town was punctuated by frequent stops because the electrical system was getting very poor. When this happened a man with a steel bar and rubber gloves would get out and flash the bar around the wheels to make contact. There would be a flash and the tram would start with a jerk and we would all pile in until the next stop. This car was specially painted as it was the last car to operate later in the month (October 1985)
Here is a very good history of the Asuncion streetcars
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