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SNCV Andenne Autorail-Tracteur #ART 300
6 september 1997 - Rue de Moustier, Thuin: The ASVi transport museum in Thuin, near Charleroi, has an excellent collection of trams and other items once owned by the Belgian secondary railways (SNVC/NMBS). They are very unusual in having permission to run their operations in public roads, where the original SNCV tracks were often laid. Here is a "whoops" moment on the way down from the ASVi depot to the centre of Thuin village - ASVi drivers have to be extremely careful in several places, not to collide with non-too-careful drivers. ART 300 was one of the last vehicles built for the SNCV - the "T" suffix designates a tractor, rather than just a motor car, being more powerful and with added ballast weight to help traction. It was the mainstay of ASVI operations for the first few years of the museum`s existence.Baume & Marpent Standard Metallique #10308
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE) – Cimetiere. Standard tram #10308 stands at the current limit of live electrification. Although more is planned, it must be very difficult for an amateur group to run electric trams on public roads, with all the problems of safety, insurance, cable theft etc.Autorail - SNCV Brabant #AR 86
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE) – depot/zajezdnia ASVI. The ASVi group has taken over the former railway station yard and built an excellent museum building, in which their trams are stored and displayed. The running line has recently been extended some distance to the right of this photo, along a trackbed once used by the main line railway (this was never Vicinal territory). Further electrification is now planned.Baume & Marpent Standard Metallique #10308
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE) – Ville Bas. The ASVi line joins the road near the depot and runs down the main street to a terminus in the village square. Parked cars are a problem here! This section of line is electrified, but now used only for special events.Autorail - SNCV Brabant #AR 86
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE) – Entreville. Deep in the woods, a typical SNCV diesel tram and open trailer descend towards Thuin. Cross-country running between villages, remote from any roads, was a common Vicinal feature.Baume & Marpent Standard Metallique #10308
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE) – Cimetiere. Another quick visit to the beautiful ASVi museum line near Charleroi. The aim of the ASVi group is to authentically recreate the atmosphere of the former SNCV metre-gauge lines which ran all over Belgium until quite recently. This they have succeeded in doing by operating diesel and electric trams along a former Vicinal line which closed in the 1980s. Here, an SNCV ‘Standard’ tram passes the local cemetery on typical roadside track.Autorail - SNCV Brabant #AR 86
10 june 2009 - Thuin (BE) – museum ASVi. A general scene in front of the museum. If you can visit Belgium, there is much to see here, just a short distance from Charleroi.Comments: 3
Baume & Marpent Standard Metallique #10308
10 june 2009 - Thuin (BE) – Avenue de la Couture. Nearly a Lipton Moment here! British Health and Safety people would have heart failure and say this wasn’t safe……but the car got through OK in front of the tram, of course. Scary, though.Comments: 4
Baume & Marpent Standard Metallique #10308
10 june 2009 - Thuin (BE) – Cimitiere. A view on the ASVi running line. There seems to be no great difficulty here in volunteers operating a museum tramway along public streets – in the UK, it would be almost impossible to get official permission for this.Comments: 3
Ateliers de Roeulx #A9515
10 june 2009 - Thuin (BE) – museum ASVi. The ASVi museum was created so that equipment from the former SNCV could be preserved – it has certainly done that, and has a very impressive collection, with more trams in store waiting for restoration. This 1918 motor tram operated in the Charleroi area – the attractive blue colour was normal in the 1920s, changing later to red and eventually to cream.Électricité et Hydraulique #A9073
12 june 2009 - Thuin (BE) – museum ASVi. An original SNCV motor tram from 1901 in the ASVi museum, which also acts as a running depot – nearly all trams here can be operated. Note the bow collector, used for the first few years. They also sell very nice beer here – a perfect place for a visit!La Brugeoise PCC tram #10409
10 june 2009 - Thuin (BE) – zajezdnia/depot ASVi. I can’t resist another view of that lovely PCC. Because they were single-ended and slow to board passengers, the SNCV soon placed them on quiet routes, then took them out of service altogether. This is the only survivor.Autorail - SNCV Brabant #AR 86
10 june 2009 - Lobbes(BE) – Quatre Bras. An ASVi diesel autorail and trailer at the present limit of museum working. This line is very scenic, but with extremely steep gradients, so these trams have to work really hard to pull a loaded trailer car to this point. Electric trams will eventually return here.La Brugeoise PCC tram #10409
10 june 2009 - Thuin (BE) – Cimetiere. The Jewel in the Crown. The fabulous Vicinal PCC tram passes Thuin cemetery. After a prototype PCC car was obtained from USA and tested on both the Bruxelles and SNCV networks, many were built in Belgium under licence, becoming the first European-style PCCs. As we know, some of these early PCCs are still running in Bruxelles, 50 years later. The SNCV batch were unusual in retaining the classic American body design. Introduced in 1949, they didn’t last long in Vicinal service and were sold to Belgrade – this one was brought back by ASVi.Comments: 2
Ateliers de la Dyle #9924
10 june 2009 - Thuin (BE) – Cimetiere. 4-wheeled Vicinal car 9924 runs down past Thuin cemetery, closely followed by #10308. This 1932 tram was once a trailer but was converted into a motor car by the SNCV.Baume & Marpent Standard Metallique #10308
10 june 2009 - Thuin (BE) – ASVi museum. I showed a few pictures before of this nice working Vicinal museum near Charleroi. Here is a typical SNCV ‘Standard’ bogie tram which runs on the line.Baume & Marpent Standard Metallique #10308
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE) – Cimetiere. A typical scene that could once be found all over Belgium on the SNCV tramways. Electric “Standard” car #10308 drops a lone passenger at the cemetery entrance in Thuin.Comments: 1
La Brugeoise PCC tram #10409
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE) – depot/zajezdnia ASVi. PCC #10409 is pushed from its shed as far as the entrance doors, where the live overhead wire begins. Note the very distinctive, American-style streamlined bodywork. A fabulous tram – and VERY fast!La Brugeoise PCC tram #10409
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE) – depot/zajezdnia ASVi. The pride of the ASVi collection is this PCC tram, identical in all respects to the classic American PCC design, but built in Belgium for the metre gauge. The SNCV tried these in several areas for a few years, but decided they were a little too complicated. They were too wide for some places and single-ended, too, so they sold them on to Belgrade. This one has been brought back to Thuin and beautifully restored. Note the date of construction – very advanced for the time and before the famous Brussels PCCs were even thought of!Comments: 1
Autorail - SNCV Brabant #AR 86
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE) – depot/zajezdnia ASVi. It is easy to forget that many Belgian country tram lines carried merchandise as well as passengers. Diesel autorail #86 is here drawing a Vicinal goods van.Autorail - SNCV Brabant #AR 86
28 march 2009 - Lobbes (BE) – Entreville. Autorail #86 from the ASVi collection, running along a typical roadside line. The open trailer is of a type very common in the early days of electric tramways. ASVi exists to preserve the atmosphere and some of the vehicles from the huge Belgian Vicinal network and runs this museum line near Charleroi.Baume & Marpent Standard Metallique #10308
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE)- Cimetiere/Cemetery. Tram 10308 squeezes under the railway line through the smallest imaginable space – this is a public road with traffic in both directions!Comments: 3
Baume & Marpent Standard Metallique #10308
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE) – Cimetiere/Cemetery. SNCV ‘Standard’ electric car 10308 running on the ASVi museum line. Almost everything here is typical of the Vicinal network as it was until the 1970s, although newer trams were used on some parts of the system.Autorail - SNCV Brabant #AR 86
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE). Another typical Vicinal scene as AR 86 runs past back gardens on its way into Thuin village.Autorail - SNCV Brabant #AR 86
28 march 2009 - Thuin (BE). The ASVi museum line operates a mixture of diesel and electric trams along an old SNCV metre-gauge tram line which is a very typical Vicinal route – partly on the road and partly on private track. Here, a diesel tram pulls an open ‘baladeuse’ trailer of the type seen on many systems in the early days (even Katowice had them), crossing a river alongside the local railway.SNCV Andenne Autorail-Tracteur #ART 300
17 august 1999 - Thuin, Belgium. One of the difficulties with occasional street running is that drivers aren’t always expecting a tram to come along at that precise moment!SNCV Andenne Autorail-Tracteur #ART 300
17 august 1999 - Thuin, Belgium. The ASVi tramway museum features street running, which is unusual for an enthusiast-run operation. The line was once an electrified route of the extensive Vicinal system but was closed and de-electrified in the 1990s. ASVi have worked very hard to restore electric operation, but for some years could only run with diesel powered trams, like ART300 shown here.Found: 27, RSS Channel