The urban tramway system of Sorocaba
was operated by three closed cars, numbers 1, 2 and 3, built by the J. G. Brill Co. in Philadelphia; and three open cars, numbers 50, 52 and 54, acquired from (and probably built by) the tramway company in nearby São Paulo. Click on the thumbnails below to see larger images. Click here to return to the Introduction.
Brill closed car 2 traveling east on Rua Dr. Alvaro Soares, in the central part of the city [see map]. The photograph was taken in 1924. [Pedro Neves dos Santos, col. Adolfo Frioli]
Car 2 going south on Rua Souza Pereira, near Praça Ferreira Braga [see map]. Sorocaba's Brills were unusual: they had only two front windows (most trams have three), were unidirectional (ran only one way) and therefore had doors on only one side. [col. Adolfo Frioli]
All Sorocaba trams were rebuilt in 1954: the closed cars, such as number 2 shown here, were widened and remodeled with three front windows. This photograph was taken on Rua Padre Luís [see map] on 31 December 1955. [col. Adolfo Frioli]
São Paulo-built open car 50 traveling east on Rua São Bento in 1924. The track that passes between the two buildings on the left leads to the carbarn on Rua Leite Penteado [see map]. [Pedro Neves dos Santos, col. Adolfo Frioli]
Tram 50 in front of a fábrica de chapéus (hat factory) on the west side of Praça Artur Fajardo [see map]. Rua Souza Pereira is behind the photographer. [col. Adolfo Frioli]
This photograph shows remodeled open tram 50 in 1955. The white-haired man in the foreground is local tramway historian Antônio Francisco Gaspar [see BIBLIOGRAPHY]. [col. AM]
Car 54 on the trestle over the Sorocaba River in 1954 [see map]. The bridge was dismanteled and replaced in 1957 – and was unfortunately closed when William Janssen visited Sorocaba and took most of the color pictures on this page. [Porfírio Rogich Vieira, col. Adolfo Frioli]
Tram 50 photographed in January 1957 at the "Y" on Rua Humberto de Campos in the Cerrado district [see map]. A "Y" wasn't needed for this open car, which had controls at both ends and went both ways. [William Janssen]
Two unidentified trams – one open, one closed – climbing the hill on Av. General Carneiro in Cerrado [see map]. [William Janssen]
Closed car 1 turning from Av. General Carneiro into the "Y" on Rua Humberto de Campos [see map]. Note the lack of doors on the car's "off" side. [William Janssen]
On its next trip, signed this time for Praça Vera Cruz, tram 1 continues beyond the Cerrado "Y". [William Janssen]
At Praça Vera Cruz, the motorman resigns the car for Praça Ferreira Braga back in the city [see map], and throws the switch for the loop. [William Janssen]
Car 1 on the loop at Praça Vera Cruz, waiting for passengers to board. It's Sunday. [William Janssen]
The tram pulls up to the road and stops. Another tram approaches on the single track? All these color pictures were taken on Sunday 27 January 1957. [William Janssen]
The motorman confers with passengers at the rear of the tram. Av. General Carneiro and the rails that lead back to the city loom beyond. [William Janssen]
Interior view of tram 1 as it sits on the loop at Praça Vera Cruz. It is sad to think that this vehicle was burned in a scrapyard a short time later. [William Janssen]
Car 1 on Rua São Bento, near Rua Padre Luís, in the city center [see map]. The trees on the right are in a park that is also visible in the fourth photograph on this page. [William Janssen]

Car 1 going east on Rua 15 de Novembro, preparing to turn north onto the west side of Praça Artur Fajardo. [William Janssen]

Car 54 on the center reservation of Av. São Paulo on the east side of the river [see map]. [William Janssen]
Car 52 on Av. São Paulo in January 1957. While the bridge was closed, this part of the tram system operated as a separate division, with its own crew and carbarn [see map]. [William Janssen]
The Sorocaba tramway closed at the end of February 1959. Here is a view of the carbarn in April 1963. Open cars 54 and 50 are abandoned and forgotten. [tra.ms]
In 1986 São Paulo tram 1779, which originally ran on Broadway in New York (but never ran in Sorocaba), was displayed at the Sorocaba Zoo. It is still there today and has recently been restored. [AM]
The cover of the book about Sorocaba's electric trams that was written by Sorocaba resident Antônio Francisco Gaspar and published in January 1956, three years before the system closed. [col. AM]
A model built by Aparício Tarcitani of Sorocaba open car 50, in its original form with clerestory. [col. Stênio Gimenez]
A model by Aparício Tarcitani of Sorocaba tram 3, the way it looked after reconstruction in 1954. [col. Stênio Gimenez]

Return to Introduction

See pictures of Votorantim suburban trams

Go to map