The first rail wagons appeared in the United States in the first half of the 19th century. In 1832, New York introduced the first horse-drawn omnibuses on rails. However, their protruding U-shaped rails posed a danger to other road users. The problem was solved in 1852 by the Frenchman Alphonse Loubat, who invented the grooved rail, set into the roadway, which helped the tram take off.

The first European tramway, nicknamed “the American” (l’Américain), was inaugurated in Paris in 1855 on the occasion of the Exposition Universelle. By 1870, about ten European cities were equipped with trams, but France had only three lines at the time. Rouen was an exception, with a steam tram as early as 1877. Lyon launched its own in 1880.

The Bellecour – Vaise – Pont d’Écully line was the first of the OTL (Omnibus et Tramways de Lyon) network, under the number 5. Its official inauguration took place on 11 October 1880, but three of the six vehicles derailed. Regular service only began on 14 October, once the problems had been resolved. The network was in direct competition with the bateaux-mouches, the passenger boats on the Saône. Line 5 was electrified in 1898, and electric traction definitively replaced animal traction at the end of 1899.

Nicknamed “Belle-Mère”, this tram’s double-ended system offers a major advantage: it requires no turntable at the terminus, since the removable shaft simply has to be moved to the other end of the car to set off in the opposite direction.