Repairfacilities,garages,andstations

It may seem irrelevant, at first glance. But in the history of our cities, this type of building is among those that often survive, undergoing renovations and adaptations that may leave few visible traces of their origins... but they're still there. Do you remember any building in Rio where a streetcar workshop or garage once operated?

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an industrial setting, possibly a repair workshop. On the left, we see a white wall with a closed door and some objects hanging. In the center, there are metal structures under construction, supported by pillars. On the right, there are more similar structures and work equipment. In the background, we see a person standing, looking at the structures. In the lower right, there is legible text that reads "RIO - OCT.27.08 10-BENCH CAR CONSTRUCTION VILLA ISABEL SHOPS C-359".

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Imagem 1 de 4: Bench Car Construction – Villa Isabel Shops – 27/10/1908 – Fotógrafo não identificado

The garages and stations were spread throughout the city. Many of them originated in the period before Light entered this business, dating back to a time when many other companies were operating concessions on different stretches of the routes. Starting in 1907, Light began carrying out renovations at the garage of Companhia Ferro Carril de Vila Isabel, one of the recently acquired companies whose facilities were located at the end of what is now Avenida Presidente Vargas – where there is today a housing complex, near the access to the Paulo de Frontin elevated roadway. But it soon moved on to another project, on an extensive plot of land between Boulevard 28 de Setembro and Rua Torres Homem in Vila Isabel, where it set up a garage and a workshop to manufacture streetcars, among other activities, thus reducing the need to import those cars. Photograph of the former workshops of Brasilianische Elektricitäts Gesellschaft, the owner of the Vila Isabel streetcar system prior to Light.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of an industrial area. On the left side, we see several building structures with sloped roofs and regularly spaced windows. In front of these buildings, there is a large pile of pieces of wood or other materials. In the center, there is a horse-drawn carriage, and people walking through the area. On the right, there is a factory with a tall tower and smoke coming out of it. In the lower right, we see another carriage and some workers.

Here, a photograph of the streetcar depot at Largo dos Leões, in Humaitá, Botafogo. This façade faced Rua Voluntários da Pátria. Today, this lot is home to Cobal – a market for fruits, vegetables, and other farm products opened in 1971, which also houses other shops, as well as bars, cafés, and restaurants – and the Joaquim Abílio Borges municipal school, on the corner of Rua Marquês with Humaitá.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph showing a street with several structures and a hill in the background. On the left side, there is a streetcar line and people walking. In the central area, there is a series of buildings with open gates, possibly streetcar garages. On the right, there is a structure covered with metal sheeting, where several vehicles are parked. In the background, a large hill covered with vegetation is visible. Power lines cut across the sky, and the text on the image reads "Est. dos bondes de Botafogo no Largo dos Leões Rio C-75".

In detail, one can better grasp that instant... there are so many elements, both movable and immovable... and on the left, you can see the corner of Capitão Salomão street. To the right of the road and next to the wall, near the streetlight, there is a sign that reads: "Used rails for sale. [illegible] at Largo do Machado from 11 to 2 o'clock."

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph showing a street with streetcar tracks. On the left, we see a light post and electrical wires crossing the image. In the center, there is a building with arches and a sign on top. On the right, there is a structure with two open gates, where people are walking. In the background, there is a hill with vegetation and a small structure on top.

View of the São Cristóvão station and depot. The Construction Department office was also located there.

Image description: The image is an old black-and-white photograph. In the center, there is a building with a light-colored façade and arched windows. To the left, a lower structure is visible, possibly a garage or warehouse. In the upper part of the image, overhead wires are suspended, indicating the presence of a public transport network. In the background, there is a building with a sloped roof. The street corner is marked by a light post. At the bottom of the image, there is an inscription mentioning "RIO. São Christovão Station, car barn and headquarters of construction Department".

View of the Copacabana tram garage, next to the Hotel Malvino Reis, located on the square of the same name, now Praça Serzedelo Corrêa, in Copacabana.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a public transportation vehicle garage, possibly for urban transit. The image shows a structure with a large open central gate, revealing a vehicle inside. To the left, there is a two-story building with windows and a balcony. To the right, there is a simpler structure with a sloped roof and windows. In the background, there is another building and a few people walking along the street. Transit tracks are visible on the ground, indicating the presence of vehicles.

The Largo do Machado station was housed in the former headquarters building of the Companhia Ferro Carril do Jardim Botânico.

Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph of a building with classical architecture, possibly from the 19th century. On the left side, there is a large tree with dense branches extending over the image. In front of the building, there is a strip of sidewalk with people walking and other urban elements. At the center, the building has three floors, with balconies and decorative windows. On the right, there is a sign with the name "Rembrandt" and the number "2381". In the lower right corner, there is a street lamp.

In this photograph, we see an aspect of the facilities on Arquias Cordeiro street, Méier, where there once was a tram station whose depot was located at the back. Today, at the front of the plot is a branch of the Regional Inspection Office, and, in the background, is the Américo Ayres bus terminal. In the background and to the right, the Dendê hill, in Madureira. In the background and to the left, Monte do Cardoso Fontes, which is part of the Floresta dos Pretos Forros, an area of Tijuca National Park – a natural divider between the neighborhoods of the West Zone and Grande Méier.

Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph showing an urban landscape with houses and buildings arranged in a valley, surrounded by mountains on the horizon. On the left side, there are trees and dense vegetation. In the center, several buildings stand out, including a white building with rectangular windows. On the right, there is a structure with a sloped roof and other smaller houses. In the upper right, a palm tree is partially visible. In the lower left corner, there is a signature and number that are not legible.

View of one of the buildings of the Méier station yard. In the background and to the left, the imposing relief of the Tijuca National Park. Taking the previous image as a reference, this photograph was taken facing left of that shot, where the end of a shed appears beneath the larger tree, on the left. That is what we see in the image.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a streetcar repair and garage area. On the left side, we see a series of smaller buildings, possibly warehouses or workshops. In the center, there is a large building with several lines of tracks running out of it, where two streetcars are parked. One of the streetcars is numbered "571" and the other "407". On the right, there is another streetcar and two people walking near it. In the background, we see mountains covered with vegetation. The sky is cloudy, and several power lines cut across the sky.

We have already covered the garages – some of which had the dual function of stations. Next, we will see images of facilities that served exclusively as stations. Light acquired the Hotel Avenida from the Companhia Ferro Carril do Jardim Botânico, together with the tram lines, and completed its construction in 1910. It was one of the first buildings with electric elevators, as well as telephones on every floor. At street level, the famous Galeria Cruzeiro ran through the building in both directions; from Avenida Central (present-day Rio Branco) to Largo da Carioca, at the back. And laterally, from Rua São José to Bittencourt Silva, where there is now an access to the Carioca metro station. A tram station serving the Zona Sul also operated there.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of a large building with neoclassical architecture. The image shows the front of the building angled toward the left, along with part of the right side. In the foreground, there is a street with a stopped tram and a few people walking. On the right, there are vintage cars parked. The building has several windows and decorative balconies. At the top, there is a roof with ornamental details.

Throughout the city, along the tram lines there were duly marked stops. But on some streets there were stations – spaces for gathering, for socializing. In this image, the tram station on Real Grandeza street, in Botafogo, at the corner with Pinheiro Guimarães street, with the São João hill visible in the background on the left, and the Saudade hill on the right.

Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph of a small building with a sign that reads "ESTACAO REAL GRANDEZA." The structure is located in a spot with a vegetation-covered hill in the background. In front of the building, there is a person standing in the doorway, looking outward. To the right, two children are peering through the window. To the left of the building, there is a low fence and a ladder leaning against the wall.

A baggage station of the Companhia Ferro Carril do Jardim Botânico on Rua São Gonçalo, today Avenida Almirante Barroso, in Centro. On the left, part of the Clube Naval building, on Rua Vieira Fazenda, and a detail of the rear of the Teatro Municipal.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of a corner building, possibly from the mid-19th century. The image shows a three-story building built of stone, with decorative balconies on the windows of the second and third floors. On the left, there is a wooden structure apparently under construction or renovation. In the foreground, we see a street with a handcart and a few people walking. In front of the building, there is a sign reading "ESTAÇÃO DE BAGAGENS." To the right, other smaller buildings are partially visible.

In the detail of the photograph, one can observe that everyone present at the station poses for the photographer. Right in the center of the image, in the foreground, a street food vendor. To the right, the "caradura" or "taioba" streetcar, which headed toward Humaitá and Gávea, carrying passengers and luggage for a modest price.

Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph showing an urban scene with people and a passenger train. On the left side, there is a building with columns and a sign that reads "Estação de Bagagem" (Baggage Station). People are gathered at the entrance to the station, some inside it, others outside. In the center, there is a stationary passenger train, with a few people near it. On the right, there is another passenger train. A lamppost stands in the center of the image, and the ground appears to be packed dirt.

In this photograph, the façade of a tram station in Engenho Novo, probably on Rua Barão do Bom Retiro. The caption reads "passenger waiting station," meaning that this was one of the waiting areas and, therefore, a space for sociability, in addition to housing a Companhia Telefônica Brasileira point, as indicated by the sign above the door on the left. The photograph contains a great deal of information and raises many questions; it is worth examining it closely. Besides being served by the tram that came through Vila Isabel, Engenho Novo was, and still is, served by the train coming from Estação Central do Brasil.

Image description: The image is an old black-and-white photograph of a two-story building. On the left side, there is an open door with a person standing at the entrance. On the right, there are three barred windows and a balcony with a balustrade. At the bottom, three doors with decorative arches are open, revealing empty interiors. At the top, several barred windows are visible. The facade is made of brick and features classic architectural details. In the bottom left corner, there is a lamppost with electrical wires. In the bottom right corner, there is a shop with objects hanging. The caption at the bottom reads "Rio. Passenger waiting station at Engenho Novo. c-91".

We could not close this section without mentioning this old tram station still in operation in the city, originally named Estrada de Ferro Carril Corcovado. Light secured for itself the transfer of that concession, originally under the responsibility of an English group, which had operated the steam-powered trains between Cosme Velho and the top of Corcovado since 1884 – where there had been a lookout point, the Chapéu do Sol, since 1885. The old Hotel Paineiras also entered into the negotiation. Light renovated it and electrified the train line. Starting in 1931, with the inauguration of the Corcovado statue, the fame of that route became consolidated internationally.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph showing a street with a historic building on the left. The structure has two floors, with arched windows and a sign that reads "E. de F. de CORCOVADO." In front of the house, there is a small area with plants and a fence. On the right, there is a railway track curve and people walking or standing near an old car. There are trees along the street and a mountain in the background. On the right side, there are more people and a parked car.

In the detail, taken from the previous photograph, is our tribute to Rio's taxi drivers. There they were, the ‘choferes de praça’ (‘square drivers’), ready to serve the users of the Corcovado Railway. Before them, there were coachmen and their carriages. Starting in 1908, automobiles would have begun using taximeters and competing in that market.

Image description: This is a black and white photograph of a group of men on a street. On the left side, a man in uniform is leaning against a stone column. Beside him, other men are standing, some wearing hats and suits. On the right, two men are talking near an old car. In the background, there are more people and a parked vehicle.