The Tramways Museum

On our second day in Sydney, DH and I went to the Tramways Museum at Loftus, in Sydney's south. As a couple of 'tram tragics' it was a wonderful outing! There is a large building which houses the museum, a tram track that goes through the grounds of the complex and then travels into the adjacent national park.

While we waited for the next tram ride, we walked around the museum...trams ran in the city between 1879 till 1961 when they were scrapped.

The map of the Sydney Tram Network

One old tram was intriguing...it was a prison tram; obviously used for transporting prisoners.

There was certainly lots to see as we walked around the museum...

And there weren't just Aussie trams either...

What was verboten to wear on that Austrian tram!

Then it was time for the tram rides! Being school holidays there were lots of people...the first tram we rode on was a Melbourne tram...

Just near the museum was a control box...

And we also passed this very interesting building...(well building site really)

It was actually a sandstone façade from an old building in Sydney's CBD which has been erected in the museum grounds. Then there has been building work behind. Eventually it will be the new administration building for the museum...what a wonderful project...but expensive I'm guessing.

Interesting signs in the old tram...

As I mentioned, the tram lines go out of the museum complex and into the national park. To do this, the tram has to cross a busy highway...lights sure help to do this safely! lol

The tram following us was a Brisbane tram; destination Newmarket!

It was a class of tram known as the 'Dreadnought'. In my childhood these trams were just advertising trams'; they carried billboards on the side and went on various lines...just advertising!

But the highlight of our time at the Tramway Museum for ex tram conductor DH was this...

Yep! He was given the task of swapping around the tram's power poles ready for the journey back to the museum. And he did it perfectly even though the last time he did it, was December 1968. That's my boy!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Last Sunday Part 2...

On our visit to the Tramway Museum, my friends and I had the tram rides first, then we headed to the workshops to have a look at the restoration work and some static displays.
So firstly we had a look at some old trams which were being restored as well as the replica of the horse drawn trams that ran in Brisbane in the 1880s...(righthand side of collage)

Someone with a delightful sense of humour had placed a toy horse in front of the replica tram...my friend Alison could see a photo opportunity...

So who can remember trolley buses? Brisbane had just a few routes serviced by these quiet vehicles...they were electric. When the tram network was discontinued so were the trolley buses. Well the Tramway Museum had quite a display featuring these buses...what memories. I can remember my mum and I catching the one that went down Edward St to the Gardens and the one that went from the General Hospital (now Royal Brisbane) to Prospect Terrace Kelvin Grove. Some of these old buses certainly look as though restoration is a very big challenge...

But the volunteers who work on the restoration must be so proud of their efforts...this trolley bus in the photos below, looked pretty good!

After we looked through the sheds we made our way back to the office to have a look at the displays and books etc there. On the way there I took some photos of the 'control box' that had been in Fortitude Valley at the place which was referred to as the Valley Junction (I think) where Brunswick St intersected with Wickham St.

In the office building, the uniform's display was excellent...such a range of uniforms which must have been saved from being thrown out! When DH first started as a tram conductor, he wore the dark blue as did the conductor who assisted Kevin the driver, on our tram rides...

Then the uniforms changed to a green...
I was rather taken with the full length leather coat on the left in this next photo.

 The display included signs...

 Old photos...

 Including lots of photos of the aftermath of the Paddington Depot fire...

So that's it folks...I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Tramway Museum and hope to go back again sometime with DH. I bought him one of the publications that were on sale and he's already found some errors, so I said he has to go there and set the record straight! lol

The book I bought for DH...

And my ticket which the conductor punched on every tram ride we did...

At last! The trams are back!!

Trams are back, but not in Brisbane; instead, the Gold Coast now has a 13 km light rail route with 16 stations. The tram route starts in the north at the University Hospital and terminates at Broadbeach South.

So what do 2 'tram tragics' do when there are trams running an  hour or so's drive away? You ask 2 close relatives if they would like to join you on a tram ride, of course! And that's what DH, myself, BiL and SiL did a few Mondays ago. We parked the car near the University Hospital and went to the station. Our Brisbane 'Go Cards' work on the Gold Coast light rail network, so that made it a very simple process.
My SiL and I in the lift...

I was rather taken with the beautiful show of clivias beside the bus platform...

Here comes the tram...

Ready to set off on our tram ride...

Not far from the University Hospital stop, we saw some activity in a huge site near the tram line...construction of the Commonwealth Games Village for 2018...

The tram goes through the centre of Southport, somewhere I haven't been to for many years as the newer roads skirt around and away from the localities...
Going over the bridge

The tram route also goes into the shopping district of Surfers Paradise...

We are almost at Broadbeach now; our destination...

I'm checking the read out on the the 'touch point' for the GoCard...the ride cost me just a bit over $3...very good value.

DH had decided that we would all walk around to the the Kurrawa Surf Club for lunch...the views are lovely but I always find the food there pretty ordinary...but we keep going back? :-/ lol

 After lunch we walked around the Oasis shopping centre and then used the walkway to make our way back to the tram stop.

The Gold Coast monorail no longer runs but the infrastructure is still there at the moment...Jupiters Casino is in the middle of the photo...

DH waited on the elevated walkway to get a photo of the tram coming north from Broadbeach South...

We missed that tram of course but it wasn't long before another one came along...

 Some more pics taken on the return journey...

The Southport Croquet Club...

 Trundling over the Motorway ...

Back at the University Hospital stop I noticed the sign on the side of the carriage...

So to finish off this post, one more photo. DH wanted a photo of himself taken beside the train...how could I refuse such a request! I took several, but I'll just include one :-).

We had had a most enjoyable time on the tram ride...the trams are modern, comfortable and offer a great way to travel on the GC...the same journey by car would have taken much longer...a real novelty to 'tram deprived' Brisbanites! lol