Very Jolly by Paris Trolley (2)

163 (63) and 164 (64) Then and Now

We know that route 163 and 164 (descendants of trams and buses numbered 63 and 64 we presume) departed from the interchange with Métro line 4 at Porte de Champerret. We also know that present day bus routes 163 and 164 still leave from the same place.

To what extend can fbb plot the trolleybus route and match it to today's operation?

Answer : not as well as he would like, but well enough to give his patient readers a rough idea.

The minimalistic article on-line gives the outer terminus of the 163 as Petit Colombes as shown below on Google Maps.

The purple line is today's Tramway T2 and it is reasonable to guess that 163 terminated somewhere along this line.

Today's version leaves Porte de Champerret ...

 ... where the city gates used to be. The earthworks associated with the Thiers defensive wall ...

... became the Boulevard Périphérique which now circles the city in its place. (The picture above is NOT Porte de Champerret but you will get the idea.)

The main road, here ccrossing the bridge, is the Boulevard Bineau ...

... which has become less rural than it was in 1946!

But still recognisable tree-lined.

The 163 and 164 continue via The Île de la Jatte crossing first one arm of the Seine ...

... then the other, wider bit ...

... easier to follow on this aerial view.

At the Europe roundabout ...

... the 163 veers left and the 164 continues toute droite. (droite means "right" so, in  piece of untypical linguistic illogicality, toute droite mns "straight on"!).

fbb has been unable to identify the terminus of Trolley 164 (PURPLE) except that it would have been somewhere along this main road and probably near the Town Hall (Mairie).

Today's 164 proceeds much further than the original trolleybus terminus (wherever it was) terminating at Argenteuil, Collège Claude Monet.

Meanwhile the 163 trundles from "Europe" along the Avenue de la République as did Trolley 163. At the Charlebourg junction ...

... the main north-south road is now the province of tram T2.

Our friendly 163 (DULL BROWN) then turns back in a south westerly direction to finish at Gare de Nanterre Préfecture ...

... an RER (broad RED line) station in tunnel but the first stop west from the huge business and shopping "quartier" at La Défense.

fbb hopes his readers have followed the analysis; but, to summarise, today's buses 163 and 164 are broadly still the same as the first two Paris trolleybus routes. Bus routes have been extended beyond their old termini, but the 1940s trajectory can still be followed - just!

Tomorrow we explore the 183 and 185 and have a look at vehicles operated.

 Next Paris Trolleybus blog : Friday 20th January