Horse Tram 8853

The authentic horse trams have all but disappeared. This open summer carriage was first used in 1912 in the region around Brussels. It is a vehicle that was not originally used in Ghent but bears some similarities with it. A fairground operator bought the tram with the aim of creating a tram line in the Bokrijk open-air museum. After restoration, the tram moved to the coast in 1989. Some might recognize this tram: it also operated during the Ghent Festivities in 1984 and 1987, between the Belfry and St. Jacob's. 

 

Steam Locomotive HL 303

 The first rural railway in Belgium operated in 1885. Back then, trams were pulled by steam locomotives like this HL 303. The locomotive belongs to type 7, dates from 1888, and was designed to pull heavy convoys. It is the oldest still-operating steam locomotive in Belgium! 

 
The locomotive served in the province of Liège, on the Hoei-Borgworm lines, and later Liège-Warsage. In 1958, the locomotive ended up with the Charbonnages d'Argenteau in Blegny. 
 
The appearance of the locomotive is very streamlined. Remarkable features are the driver's stations at both ends, providing the driver with a clear view of the track at all times. The fireman, responsible for the boiler and supplying coal and water, remained on the side of the firebox. 
 
In 1965, the tram was taken over to be displayed in the Rural Railway Museum in Schepdaal. It was then entrusted to ASVI and put back into operation. 

Trailer Carriage 50

 This trailer car - a rare representative of Ghent's public transport before the First World War - was specifically built to be pulled by the battery tram on the line to Merelbeke. The battery tram appeared in Ghent in 1899 but failed to meet expectations. Despite the lightweight design of the trailer, the tram could not pull it. Just a few years later, Ghent saw the arrival of its first overhead electric tram, which gave the trailer a new lease on life. A remarkable feature of this trailer is that it had a small luggage compartment alongside the passenger compartment. 

Trailer A 11501

This trailer was designed to be pulled by a steam tram. Passengers could travel in either first or second class. The trailer dates from 1908 and served on the Hoei-Burdinne line. After its active career, the A 11501 found a new use as a work cabin in the Andenne quarry. ASVI acquired the vehicle in 2011 and fully restored it. 

 
The 'A' in the numbering indicates that the tram was built for meter gauge. Most of the rural tram network was laid out in meter gauge. From 1885 until after the First World War, the lines in the northern part of the Antwerp province — connecting to the Dutch tram network — had a track gauge of 1067 mm (Cape gauge). The NMVB also had a few lines on standard gauge (track gauge 1435 mm). Carriages on Cape gauge were given a 'B' prefix, while those on standard gauge had a 'C' prefix. 

Goods Wagon A 15858

This open goods wagon was used between 1914 and 1982 in West Flanders, particularly at the coast and the Yser front. After its decommissioning, the wagon moved between various sites: Diegem depot, the Brussels tram museum in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, and finally the storage space in the Leopold Tunnel in Laken. The wagon was ultimately purchased in 2017 by the heritage association TTO-North Sea to commemorate the end of the First World War and the role of tram freight during the war. 

Open Summer Tram 216

 For the 1913 World Exhibition, the Ghent tram company ordered three series of open summer trams and a matching series of trailers. This allowed the well-to-do citizens to view the refreshed historic city center during the exhibition. 

 
After the exhibition, these summer trams were rarely used due to the unpredictable Belgian weather. When there was a need for more and larger vehicles, the summer trams were converted into closed carriages in 1924. This particular tram was given a specific role as a repair tram for the rail service with a built-in workshop. It was painted gray with white stripes. 
 
In the 1980s, the vehicle was restored to its original condition, eventually finding a new home first at the tram museum in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe and then at the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum in Berchem-Antwerp. In 2004, it made a brief appearance in Ghent during the 100th-anniversary celebration of the electric tram. 

Pipe Ladder Wagon

The Pipe Ladder Wagon is the latest restored gem of tram heritage in Flanders. 

 
It is a service vehicle used for working on the overhead electric lines. The ladder wagon was built in 1920-1922 and remained in service on the Ghent tram network until the 1970s. It runs on gasoline; during the Second World War, it was equipped with a gas generator. 
 
At the end of the 1990s, the ladder wagon was purchased and housed in the Musée de l’Auto - Mahymobiles in Leuze-en-Hainaut. In 2018, this ladder wagon was auctioned and purchased by vzw META. In the following years, numerous volunteers from various heritage associations worked on restoring it, resulting in this beautiful heritage piece. 
 
The ladder wagon will be displayed at the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum. 

Motor Carriage 9888

 Of this type of two-axle tram, also known as Braine-le-Comte, 159 units were built by five different Belgian manufacturers. Motor Carriage 9888 rolled out in 1932 from the Ateliers Anglo-Franco-Belge in La Croyère (La Louvière). 

 
The tram was designed to pull heavy loads and was used in Flanders, in and around Kortrijk, and later in the early 1950s in the Ghent area. But this tram ended its career as a service vehicle for the breakdown service at the Quaregnon depot. ASVI rescued the vehicle in 1973 and restored it to its late 1930s state with a Pieper electro-hydro-pneumatic braking system. 

Three-axle Tram 378 and 339

The three-axle trams, a typical Ghent tram type, were built to meet the increasing number of passengers. Therefore, old two-axle trams were converted into larger three-axle trams. This allowed for more capacity without requiring additional staff (driver and conductor). 

 
These trams ran on the Ghent city tram network from 1930 to 1971. The conversion was done in-house, which was common at the time. 
 
Between 1950 and 1954, all three-axle trams were modernized with the aim of maximizing standardization across all subseries. The class division partitions were removed, rubber flooring was installed, fluorescent lighting was added, and film boxes for the destination film were introduced. 
 
On three-axle 378 in its original form, you can clearly see that it consists of different types of trams converted into a vehicle with a similar appearance. The placement of windows and doors varies slightly between them. In 2015, the tram was restored to its original state. Since the tram was stored outdoors before restoration, weather conditions had taken their toll, so it was decided to convert this tram to a 1930 to 1950 three-axle tram. This is noticeable by the lengthwise seats (longitudinal seats) and two large and two small side windows. 
 
Three-axle 339 was restored in its final configuration. The tram remained in service until March 31, 1974, when the PCC took over the entire tram service in Ghent. The vehicle received a few extra years of life as a service vehicle, notably for pulling flatbed work wagons for rail service. 

Autorail AR 86

In the quest for a cheaper, faster, and more efficient means of transportation, the diesel tram, autorail, or railcar appeared on many rural tramway lines starting in 1935. It replaced the steam tram on lines with limited traffic that weren't suitable for electrification. The diesel tram was initially equipped with a gasoline engine from the Belgian brand Brossel, also known for its buses. 

 
In Ghent, the autorail, for example, served on the tramline to Sint-Lievens-Houtem and Geraardsbergen. 
 
AR 86 dates back to 1934 and was built by the NMVB in the workshops at Kuregem (Anderlecht). The railcar entered service on the Waver-Geldenaken line. During the Second World War, the engine was removed, and it became a trailer, later converted to an ART (with the T for Tractor) to pull heavy trains during the sugar beet harvest. 
 
The tram came into the possession of ASVI in the early 1980s, which restored it to its original condition. 

Tram 9985

In the 1930s, new, modern tram equipment appeared on the NMVB network. This standard type was built in hundreds of units. The first ones even had a wooden frame and signboards. This tram is the only one of its kind to have survived in this form. 

 
Tram 9985 initially served in 1931 on the Hamme-Antwerp line as a trailer. In 1932, it was converted into an electric vehicle and mainly served on the Kortrijk lines. 
 
In 1963, this tram was moved to the coast to serve on shorter routes. By the 1970s, it was still used as a work vehicle. Since 1978, the tram has been used solely for tourist purposes. 

Three-Axle Tram 328

Three-axle tram 328 was part of the 316-330 sub-series, which was equipped with more powerful motors and Sécheron brakes (with the connector on the front in the shape of a smiling mouth) to pull trailers. This tram was typical for the suburban line 20 to Melle College, which operated with trailers during rush hours. 

 
With the arrival of the PCC trams, four three-axle trams, including 339, were temporarily kept. These were equipped with a pantograph and used to reinforce busy times in Ghent. This tram later became a museum tram in Ghent and is used for historical and tourist rides. 
 

Trailer 55

During the World Exhibition of 1913, the Ghent tram network underwent many changes. To accommodate this, the vehicle fleet was significantly expanded: 42 motor trams and 10 trailers were purchased, including the closed trailers numbered 55-64. 
These trams were closed and much more modern in appearance compared to their predecessors. The seats in these trailers were also installed sideways. 

Trailer 70

In 1941, it was decided to convert eight motor trams from the World Exhibition type into trailers. Trailer 70 was created from motor car 187, with the removal of engines and other electrical equipment. The trailer received the same brakes as the pulling motor car. It was used on the city network, but mainly on the suburban line 20 to Melle College. In 1972, the trailer was sold. After many changes and a restoration at the beginning of this century, the trailer ended up with TTO-North Sea in De Panne in 2014. 

S-Motor Car 9093

This electric motor vehicle with bogies is typical of the electrified rural rail lines in the 1950s to early 1980s. They were used in various cities and regions, including suburban lines around Ghent to Evergem, Lochristi, Nevele, Oostakker, and Wetteren. However, tram 9093 served in and around Brussels. 

 
In tram circles, it is known as the "S" type, characterized by its rounded and more aerodynamic shape. The tram resulted from the conversion of older series but retained the bogies, motors, and brakes. It was often seen with one or more trailers, even on the coastlines until the early 1980s

Trailer 19537

This trailer ran from 1952 to 1982. In the early years, it operated on the Kortrijk lines. In 1956, it was transferred to Ghent, but after the last rural railway lines were abolished in Ghent, it continued to operate on the coast for many years. In 1977/8, it received an interior renovation with new lighting and green faux leather seat coverings. 

PCC Trams 6208, 01, 25, and 6215

 The PCC tram, first in the typical blue with the doors and framework in yellow during the time of the Intercommunal Transport Company of Ghent (MIVG) and since 1991 also in the colors of De Lijn, is a very recognizable tram for many people in Ghent. Between 1971 and 1974, a total of 54 were put into service on all then-existing tram lines: successively on lines 4 (from May 1, 1971), 1 (November 2, 1971), 2 (December 4, 1972), and 10 (February 8, 1974). These were the first new trams for Ghent since 1913! 

 
PCC refers to the Presidents' Conference Committee: to ensure the future of the tram in American cities, the managements of the American tram companies met in 1929 to develop a modern standard tram. The PCC tram was a revolutionary design at the time with very smooth driving characteristics and foot control. But most striking was the very streamlined design and the rounded body. 
 
Tram manufacturer (the later) BN from Bruges and ACEC (from Charleroi) acquired the license in Europe to build PCC trams. PCC trams were produced for The Hague and Marseille, but especially for the NMVB, Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent. 
 
The Ghent PCC is a bidirectional version that, compared to the three-axle trams it replaced, had a very large capacity and could carry up to 100 passengers. For more than 25 years, they dominated the Ghent tram network until the arrival of the first articulated Hermelijn in 1999. From then on, their deployment began to decrease; since the arrival of the Albatross trams, the PCC is no longer seen in regular service. Seven trams moved to Antwerp in 2018 because there was a need for bidirectional trams on tram line 12 due to the elimination of a turning loop. 
 
Between 1999 and 2003, 22 PCC trams were thoroughly renovated to the so-called PCC2 type. The most notable changes were a fully enclosed cab for the tram driver, air conditioning, and the installation of outward-swinging pivot doors. 
 
PCC 01 is in the original MIVG version and colors. 
 
PCC 25 is also adorned in the MIVG colors but presents itself in a version from 1999. 
 
PCCs 6208 and 6215 (the trams were renumbered upon acquisition by De Lijn and were placed in the 62xx series in Ghent) were converted to the PCC2 type and therefore carry the De Lijn livery. 

Hermelijn

 With the Hermelijn, the low-floor tram made its debut in Ghent in the late 1990s. In addition to the low floor, the soft bumpers, large doors, folding bellows - "accordions" - and the large length of the vehicle (about 30 meters) were particularly noticeable. Because of its graceful movements and plastic bumpers, a De Lijn employee from Ghent came up with the original name 'Hermelijn'. The Hermelijnen were also the first Ghent trams with electronic control. Meanwhile, the Hermelijnen have been weaving through Ghent's traffic for a quarter of a century. 

 

Albatros

As successors to the Hermelijn trams, the Albatrosses first appeared in Ghent in May 2015. It concerned the Flexity 2 tram type, built by Bombardier. The name of the low-floor tram was conceived by Ghent resident Gunther Govaert. He referred to the large length and energy efficiency of the tram at the same time: "The albatross is one of the largest flying birds and can fly very far with little energy." On the Ghent tram network, there are 26 seven-piece (43 meters long) Albatrosses with a driver's cab at both ends and doors on both sides. The smaller five-piece brother only operates in Antwerp and measures 32 meters. 

 
© 2025 Meta vzw
Website by KMOSites