Posted on April 8, 2021 at 7:07 p.m.
Culture. It was in 1874 that the people of Le Havre began to circulate aboard a horse-drawn tram. A means of locomotion that existed until 1894.
The horse-drawn tram in rue d’Étretat in Le Havre in 1887.
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The horse-drawn tram was called the “American railway”. Because a first line had been created in 1842 in New York. Its designer, the French Loubat, then built a similar tramway in Paris in the 1850s. It was from 1874 that the people of Le Havre could travel on board a horse-drawn tram. A means of locomotion that will last until 1894.
To get on, a sign to the driver
In 1873, the municipality accepted a project presented by the Banque Française et Italienne. Belgian companies supply rails and cars. We start with twenty-five cars. These are of three types: closed with an open air platform at the front and rear, double decker, or open on both sides.
In his writings, Jean Legoy gives us these other details: “ Animal traction is provided by a hundred horses (two hundred from 1880) whose stables are located rue Kléber and rue Dubocage-de-Bléville […] The average speed is twelve kilometers per hour. However, the progress of the trams is often slowed down because there are no fixed stations, users get on or off anywhere, all you have to do is give a sign to the driver. »
We will quickly give up the double-decker car: “ Travelers preferred the imperial to see the street from above, leaving the interior spaces empty: the car, thus unbalanced, was difficult to maneuver in curves. »
Cars taken by storm
The first line, from the pier to the Barrière d’Or (at the top of Boulevard de Graville), opened on February 1, 1874. L’Illustration : « The inauguration, favored by magnificent weather, took place amidst a huge crowd. The whole population was on the route, from Frascati to Graville. From the start of the day, the cars were stormed in a veritable crush. At around 5:00 p.m., the horses were very tired and the service should be stopped.
The “American tram” has already won over many European cities, and now it is very popular with the people of Le Havre. During the first two weeks of operation, recalls Jean Legoy, “ eighty thousand Havres are transported ».
A second line was inaugurated on February 15; it connects the town hall and the Rond-Point and will then be extended towards Sainte-Adresse. In 1879, the people of Le Havre were happy to discover a third; it was traced between Graville and Les Abattoirs (Eure).
In 1895, it was the end of this horse-drawn tramway: the Le Havre tram network was indeed electrified and a steam tram was also inaugurated which linked rue Clovis to Sainte-Marie cemetery. The history of Le Havre trams will see many further developments …
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