La Brugeoise cars (Buenos Aires Underground)

La Brugeoise cars
La Brugeoise train at Plaza de Mayo station.
In service1913 – 2013
ManufacturerLa Brugeoise, et Nicaise, et Delcuve
Built atBruges, Belgium
Constructed1911–1919, 1944
Refurbished1927
Number built125 cars
Number in service100 cars
Number preserved1 car (number 10)
Number scrapped21 cars (By 2012)
FormationMaximum 6 cars per trainset (limited by platform length)
Capacity42 sitting + 120 standing
OperatorsMetrovías
DepotsPolvorín workshop
Lines servedLine A
Specifications
Car body constructionWood
Car length15,800 mm (51 ft 10 in)
Width2,600 mm (8 ft 6 in)
Height3,380 mm (11 ft 1 in)
Doors3 pairs per side
Maximum speed50 km/h (31 mph)
Weight27 tonnes (27 long tons; 30 short tons) per car
Traction motorsTwo "U 109" (one per bogie)
Power output115 hp (86 kW)
Electric system(s)550/1,100 V DC Overhead
Current collector(s)one double-arm pantograph per car
BogiesTwo per car
Braking system(s)Air brakes (regular and emergency purposes); manual mechanical brakes (emergency only)
Safety system(s)Mechanical ATS; overhead lever (one per cab)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge

La Brugeoise cars were Buenos Aires Underground (Subte) Line A rolling stock since its inauguration in 1913 till 2013 when replaced by new Chinese stock. They were built by the Belgian railway rolling stock manufacturer La Brugeoise et Nivelles between 1911 and 1919 for the Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company's (Compañía de Tranvías Anglo-Argentina (CTAA) in Spanish) first underground line. They were originally designed to run both as metro and tramway cars, but they were refurbished in 1927 for underground use only. They became the oldest underground rolling stock in commercial service in the world [1] as well as a tourist attraction and part of Buenos Aires cultural heritage.

  1. ^ "La línea A avanza hasta los años ochenta". enelSubte (in Spanish). 30 November 2001.