The last day in the life of...

The previous posting reported on the end of the Brussels PCC and noted that the oldest car provided the last working. Car 7008 was one of the first batch of PCCs and arrived in January 1952. It has had a lengthy working life, celebrating its 58th birthday a few weeks ago. Retirement then beckoned, but it was not the traditional quiet last day for the time served veteran but an arduous duty of about 214 miles and over 20 hours. Route 39 and 44 beckoned - as they had done since PCC operation on the city network ceased in 2007.

The day started at Ixelles depot and the car used the depot access only track along Avenue de l'Hippodrome to take up service on route 81 at Flagey at 0522. This journey took the car to Montgomery to take up the 0537 departure on route 44 to Tervuren. Service 81 terminates on the street, unloading at Boulevard Brand Whitlock and while the 39/44 normally use the subway terminus, cars coming from Ixelles start at the 81 terminus.

 

Two further round trips on the 44 followed at 0630 and 0722 from Montgomery Subway. In the morning peak a six minute frequency is provided on both the 39 and 44 and cars swap routes at Montgomery - 7008 working the 0820 39 to Ban Eik and back and the 0926 44 departure. The off peak service varies between 7 and 10 minutes and 7008 settled down to operate on service 39 with six round trips to Ban Eik starting with the 1040 from Montgomery and finishing with the 1712 from Ban Eik.

The evening peak was now in full flow and the full allocation of 21 trams was in place. 7008 was due into Montgomery at 1735 to operate the 1740 service 44 trip. Two early evening trips on the 39 followed before the later evening 20 minute frequencies started.

As retirement beckoned, 7008 worked the 2058 44 to Tervuren with a generous 27 minutes layover before leaving at 2144 back to Montgomery. The 2008 39 to Ban Eik followed, photographers enjoying the 24 minutes lay-over it had there to capture its last hours.

Its final trip to Tervuren started at 2318 from Montgomery with a 0004 from Tervuren becoming the last PCC in the subway terminus for the 0031 39 to Ban Eik. Arriving there at 0052 it turned on the triangle and formed the 0106 back to Montgomery - eschewing the subway for Avenue Brand Whitlock. It duplicated by car 7036 which posed alongside it at the layover point in Montgomery Square - both showing 81 Flagey as the PCCs cannot display the correct 83 service number for the evening workings -7008 was due off at 0126. The ten minute run to Flagey was the end of 7008's scheduled working career but it was not the end of its long day. It carried along the 81 route to Janson, joining the 92 route via Louise, the Royal Palaces, Santa Maria, Shaarbeek Depot to Verboekhoven and then as service 55 to Bordet to turn into the new Haren depot and join its sisters in store.

A video of this last journey is at the end of the following film:
http://www.wat.tv/video/adieu7000-27q1p_1vm2n_.html

My photographic tribute to the PCCs can be found at
http://paul-turner.fotopic.net/c1814918.html

PCC Farewell

The oldest (7008 of Jan 1952) and the youngest (7171 of July 1971) at a cold Tervuren on 12 Feb

Friday 12 February was the last day in service for the single car PCCs of STIB in Brussels. Investment in new rolling stock had seen the fleet dwindle to just 21 from a peak of 171, however a number had fallen by the wayside in the final months such that only eight were available for the 21 workings on the final day - the remainder used two section articulated PCC derivatives including the prototype car 7500 - due to continue in use until the summer and the double ended 77xx and 78xx series cars. A ninth car - 7036 - appeared as a duplicate to the last journey. The service cars were:

7008 - duty 405 from Ixelles depot 0521 Flagey-0136 Flagey
7156 - duty 727 from Woluwe 0652 -0954 and duty 736 1406 -1832
7158 - duty 728 from Woluwe 0653 - 1847
7161 - duty 409 from Ixelles depot 1107 Flagey-0117 Flagey (this may have worked duty 407 in the morning peak)
7166 - duty 733 from Woluwe 1118-1823 (this may have worked another morning peak duty)
7168 - duty 722 from Woluwe 0607-0113 Flagey
7169 - duty 725 from Woluwe 0642-0944 and duty 738 1536 - 1835
7171 - duty 726 from Woluwe 0647-1835

This was a well thought out allocation is it meant:
7008 - the oldest car was the first into service (0521 service 81 from Flagey) and the operated the last journey (Service 39 0106 Ban Eik to Montgomery then 0126 81 to Flagey) and was the last to serve the underground terminus at Montgomery departing at 0031.

7008's penultimate round trip - the 44 2318 Montgomery to Tervuren packed with enthusiasts

7161 - the only car of the 1971 batch to retain its original frontal appearance with large headlamp provided the last departure from Tervuren

7169 and 7171 - both returned to depot at 1835 where they were handed over to the tram museum for preservation in a ceremony - with the museum's 7065, sister cars 7156, 7166 and (at the end) 7158 also in the depot yard for photos.

7169 stands in front of its new home at the Musee du Tram with sister car 7171 behind in the depot during the hand over ceremony.

7169 was the last to leave the depot on a scheduled service route - the 1536 service 44 to Tervuren 7158 was the last to return to Woluwe at 1847 - the depot routinely closes after the last evening run in car arrives c2015.

7169 leaves Woluwe Depot to as the last PCC to enter service for the afternoon peak - 1536 44 to Tervuren.

7158 was the last service car to return to Woluwe (three more remained in use after the depot closed for the night)

The withdrawn PCCs are moving to storage at Haren depot. 7008 - its duplicate 7036, 7161 and 7168 went straight to Haren from Flagey - the normal terminus for depot workings from Montgomery. Photographs on line show 7021, 7022, 7156, 7160, 7164, 7165, 7166 and 7170 at least also there. What the future holds for these cars is unknown.

Preserved 7065 has recently been repainted in its late 1980s/early 1990s version of the fleet livery and was displayed outside the museum before and during the hand-over ceremony for 7169 and 7171. The museum also has 7016 which was inside the depot, 7047 under major overhaul and 7093 currently under repaint.

7156 and 7166 stand outside the museum awaiting transfer to Haren depot for storage

7171's last working was the 1819 39 from Ban Eik to Woluwe and it was reversed into the museum running shed for handover to MTUB

Tervuren terminus has for many years been associated with the PCC - future appearances will be by the museum's preserved fleet. Here 7166 leaves for Montgomery.