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Place Dumon and the 39 tram (Brussels)

Part of my childhood, going back to 1979, are Place Dumon (Stockel, Brussels) and the number 39 tram.

Between 1979 and 1983, our family lived on a street in Woluwe-St-Pierre off avenue Grandchamp called avenue de Wavrans. I recently discovered that the the street didn't have any houses built on it until between 1953 and 1961. Within walking distance of our home was the stop for the 39 tram (photo). 

A little further from our home was Place Dumon with its market and shops such as "Club". Even after moving to Wezembeek in 1983, we used to come back to Place Dumon for haircuts, and from 1988, the 39 tram line was extended from Place Dumon along the disused railway line to Ban-Eik. 




It turns out that Place Dumon, previously Campagne Dumon, was purchased by the municipality in 1924, and served as the turning circle for the number 39 tram line, inaugurated in 1925, and originally joining Stockel (Place Dumon) and St Catherine in the city centre. Place Dumon has hosted a market since 1935. The first photo dates from approx. 1934/5.


From 1968 the tram ran underground along the pre-metro line, and from 1976 terminated at Montgomery metro station.


An older and more famous tram route is the current tram number 44 , which runs from Montgomery to the Africa Museum in Tervuren through the beautiful Sonian forest. This was inaugurated in 1897 by Leopold II to take visitors from the Cinquaintenaire park to the Africa Museum. Originally the trams were distinguished by the destination, colours and decorative shapes, but from 1906 numbers were assigned to the various lines, such as number 1 for the first tram line, running between Porte de Namur and Bois de la Cambre. The Tervuren line ran between "Treurenberg" (in the city centre) and Tervuren and was designated number 40 until it was renumbered 44 in 1968. 



 






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