Car No.3 - Palace Car

Car No. 3, Underground Tramway "Palace Car"

This is one of two survivors of an unique series of the Anglo Argentine. This company owned along it history some cars assigned to luxury services, dubbed as "Palace Cars". They were destinated for the ride of very important persons, kings, state`s chiefs and also to those who were wishing to rent one of these cars to take a ride around the city. It also belonged to the first series of underground cars from Buenos Aires (and Southamerica). Built by the United Electric Car of Great Britain, the model shows its very special purpose, because it was not so common to have seats covered with rattan from Indonesia, a hanmade wooden cab and first class brass fittings.

Upon the closure of the surface service, (and with the end of its service as "palace car") it joined the all underground service with their brothers No. 2 and 4. It was that way until 1977/78.

Its first restoration, after ending a regular duty happened in 1983, being used by the argentine congress` authorities at the returning of democracy in argentina, recovering, in some extent, its character of "Palace Car".

This car goes out to the street only in special ocassions, and when another patch of the extending underground system in the city is opened to the public.

A very early photo of the Car No. 3, at the front of the "Polvorín" workshops, circa 1912. Click on the image to see it bigger.

The car No. 4, dressed for a special ocassion, when the prince of Wales came to argentina in 1919. Please note the shields and badgers of the United Kingdom.

The last picture of Car No. 3 with the lightblue colors of its 1983 restoration. More to come.

After the successful restoration of Car No. 3361, it was decided to restore also Car No. 3 to its original condition of 1913, bringing the original light blue sky color scheme, adopted for these cars when they were also used in the surface service. In order to achieve this the original pigmentation was taken from an original part of one of the disassembled cabs. Also all the paint was removed from windows and doors, turning them to their wooden appearance that had in the beginning. Sidesteps were also placed again at the original, tramway like platform. The original system for the whole opening of windows that enables the tram to become a semi opened one was also restored. The car was ready again by March 2001.

Car No. 3 with its current restoration, and behind Car No 2, which was also restored in the first half of year 2002

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