Today, thanks to “Blois Insolite et Secret” by Pascal Nourisson and Jean-Paul Sauvage (Editions Sutton 2013), we discovered that there used to be an electric tram between Blois and Amboise that opened in 1913. Unfortunately, due to the many technical difficulties with this type of tram, it was abandoned in 1933. A couple of buildings still remain, one in Rue Dupré in Vienne, “Blois Electrique”, now a meeting room, and the other further along the line at the intersection between Rue Bas Rivière and Rue Béjun. Maybe Stuart from Amboise Daily Photo can tell us if there are any in Amboise.
Aujourd’hui, grâce à “Blois Insolite et Secret” de Pascal Nourrisson et Jean-Paul Sauvage (Editions Sutton 2013), nous avons appris qu’il y avait une tramway électrique entre Blois et Amboise ouvert en 1913. Malheureusement, à cause de beaucoup de difficultés techniques avec ce type de tram, il a été abandonné en 1933. Deux bâtiments de l’époque ont survécu, l’un dans la rue Dupré en Vienne, “Blois Electrique”, désormais une salle de réunion, et l’autre plus en aval au carrefour de la rue Bas Rivière et la rue Béjun. Peut-être que Stuart de Amboise Daily Photo pourra nous dire s’il en existe à Amboise.
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8 replies on “A Tram in Blois – Un tramway dans Blois”
I do like both buildings! The first one in particular really stands out well.
Yes, it’s a very attractive building
There were tram systems all over the place in the first half of the 20thC, generally ripped out in the 60s and many in cities reinstated in the 21stC (eg Tours). Those are serious tram stations though. I’ve not encountered that sort of thing before. It must have operated like a commuter train to warrant that much building space. Normally all you get is fixings on the wall to show where the trams went. Have you been to Oradour sur Glane? One of the many things that surprised us about that place was there had been a tram from there to Limoges.
I’m waiting to see whether Stuart finds anything in Amboise! No, I haven’t been to Oradour sur Glane, although it’s high on my list.
I’d love to live in the ‘meeting room’ Blois Electrique, but suspect that it would need (for me) to be transferred to another position on the outskirts of the town.
Is that because you like to live in the country?
I wouldn’t want to live too close to a tramway! Yes, much prefer a bit more grass rather than concrete.
No, neither would I! Surprisingly, we have a train track behind our house (not right next to it) and it doesn’t bother us at all.