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Santa Teresa Tram

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The Santa Teresa tram is one of Rio de Janeiro's most famous tourist attractions. Opened in 1896, it connects the city center to the charming neighborhood of Santa Teresa.

What makes it so special is its route. Santa Teresa is a neighborhood built on a hill, and as the tram climbs, the view of the city below expands as far as the eye can see. Along the way, you can also admire the beauty of the neighborhood itself, with its cobblestone streets, 19th-century mansions, graffiti, bars studio and centuries-old trees.

You can get off at any station, explore Santa Teresa on foot, and then finish the tour by taking the tram back down to the center.

One of the most memorable moments of the trip, however, is right at the beginning: passing through the Arcos da Lapa (Lapa arches). Opened in the 18th century, the arches were originally used to bring water from the top of the mountains to the residents of the city center. With the construction of the tram, the aqueduct was converted into a viaduct.

Set history

All the passengers on the tram are very excited, especially João. He loves taking photos of the city in his spare time, but he forgot to take his camera the first time he went to Santa Teresa. João spent days thinking about the beautiful photos he could have taken and, therefore, decided to take the ride again to photograph the neighborhood's landscapes (Image 6).

As the tram winds through the cobblestone streets, Felipe, the conductor's assistant, entertains everyone with stories about Santa Teresa (Image 7). He has been doing this job for 12 years, so he knows every corner of the neighborhood and where the best views are. João loves this job.

Between one stop and the next, he helps passengers to disembark and carefully checks the tickets of those arriving (Image 8).


About the set

The set is a reference to the accessible version of the tram, in which a person in a wheelchair can be positioned in the middle of the carriage. Like the tram, the model has retractable steps that help passengers board and disembark.



Since the Arcos da Lapa are an important part of the tram route, it was essential for me to bring them into the set in some way. Graffiti is very common in the neighborhood, so I included an artist painting the arches with the tram on a wall in the set.

The set is built on two base plates and has 1,843 pieces in total.


I hope you like this idea. I would be very grateful if you could support the model.

Thank you very much!


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