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