Trams In Brisbane
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The Brisbane tramway network served the city of
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
, Australia, between 1885 and 1969. It ran on
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in E ...
track. The electric system was originally energised to 500 volts, and subsequently increased to 600 volts. All tramcars built in Brisbane up to 1938 had an open design. This proved so popular, especially on hot summer nights, that the trams were used as fundraisers and often chartered right up until the last service by social groups. Most trams operated with a two-person crew – a driver (or motorman) and a conductor, who moved about the tram collecting fares and issuing tickets. The exceptions to this arrangement were on the Gardens line (Lower Edward Street) where the short duration of the trip meant it was more effective for passengers to simply drop their fare into a fare box as they entered the tram; and the "one man cars" which operated in the early 1930s (see
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). The peak year for patronage was in 1944–45 when almost 160 million passengers were carried. The system route length reached its maximum extent of in 1952. The total track length was , owing to many routes ending in single, rather than double, track. Single track segments of the track were protected by signalling which operated off the trolley wire. By 1959 more than of track were laid in concrete, a method of track construction pioneered in Brisbane. The last track opened was in O'Keefe Street Woolloongabba, in May 1961. However, this track was not used in normal passenger service and was merely used to reduce dead running from
Logan Road Logan Road, allocated state routes 95 and 30, is a major road in Brisbane, Queensland. It runs from Springwood in Logan City to Woolloongabba in Brisbane, with most of the route signed as state route 95. The route was formerly the main route ...
back to Ipswich Road Depot. Of the Australian capital cities which closed their networks between the 1950s and 1970s (only
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and
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retained trams, although Adelaide only had one line in operation), Brisbane was the last capital city to close its tram network. Despite the decision to shut down the network, Brisbane's trams were held with great affection by locals, and one commentator described their removal "one of the most appalling urban planning mistakes in the city’s history". There have been ongoing proposals since the early 1990s to reinstate a functional tram network.


History

Brisbane expanded to become one of the most dispersed cities in the world by the 1870s. In the early years of Brisbane's settlement walking was the most convenient way to get around as most people choose to live close to their workplace. In 1875, the railway line to
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...
opened up some areas in western and southern districts, however fares were expensive, as was owning a horse. By 1885 an omnibus service reached almost every part of Brisbane. Omnibuses consisted of a strongly constructed wooden wagon with seating for males on the roof and a back-door entrance to the interior.


Metropolitan Tramway and Investment Company (1885–1896)

On 10 August 1885 the Metropolitan Tramway and Investment Company began official horse-drawn tramway services for the public. The 18 tramcars were built from highly polished cedar and mahogany in the United States by
JG Brill Company The J.G. Brill Company manufactured streetcars,Young, Andrew D. (1997). ''Veteran & Vintage Transit'', p. 101. St. Louis: Archway Publishing. interurban coaches, motor buses, trolleybuses and railroad cars in the United States for almos ...
and
John Stephenson Company The John Stephenson Car Company was an American manufacturer of carriages, horsecars, cable cars, and streetcars, based in New York City. It was founded by John Stephenson in 1831. Middleton, William D. (1967). ''The Time of the Trolley'', p. ...
. Fares were expensive, with the typical patron belonging to the middle class. Some even used the services to go home for lunch. Depression struck in 1893 and combined with 1893 Brisbane floods the horse-drawn tramway services saw large drops in patronage.


Brisbane Tramways Company Limited (1896–1922)

The first electric tramway ran along Stanley Street, in South Brisbane on 16 June 1897. Horse-drawn carriages were still being used in 1899. In 1900 local residents were agitating to have the Kelvin Grove tramway extended along Enoggera Road to the Newmarket Hotel in Newmarket. However, a new bridge over Enoggera Creek would be required. Also there were concerns that the close proximity of the proposed tramway would take revenue away from the railway line. However these concerns were resolved and the tramway extension to the Newmarket Hotel was opened on Monday 27 July 1903. Up until the end of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, Brisbane's trams were the primary method used for travelling within the city.


Brisbane Tramways Trust (1922–1925)

Between 1923 and 1934 tram services in Brisbane were greatly expanded.


City of Brisbane (1925–1969)

Brisbane's tramway system came under the control of the newly merged
Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...
(BCC) in 1925. After seven years of agitation, Brisbane's tram service was extended to Grange in July 1928. The opening ceremony was attended by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane,
William Jolly William Alfred Jolly CMG (11 September 1881, Spring Hill, Brisbane – 30 May 1955, Windsor, Brisbane) was an Australian politician who was the Mayor of the Town of Windsor from 1918 to 1923, the first Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 1925 to 193 ...
, and two Members of the
Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...
,
James Stevingstone Kerr James Stevingstone Kerr (1889Family history research
& ...
and Charles Taylor. The mayor had threatened not to attend any ceremony for the opening of the tram service because two rival groups were organising separate celebrations; he would only attend if there was a single ceremony. Until 1934, the trams carried mail between the Brisbane
General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...
and suburban post office branches, and also acted as mobile postboxes Through the 1940s and 1950s the tram system enjoyed strong political support within the council, which continued to expand the tram network and upgrade its fleet with some of the most advanced trams in Australia.
Trolleybuses A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
were introduced in 1951. The last tramway to open was in March 1961. Clem Jones became Lord Mayor of Brisbane the same year, and all new route construction was cancelled.


Decline of the electric street transport systems

By 1948 Brisbane's trams failed to return a profit as they could not compete with the more efficient bus services. Urban development, often well away from public transport, the rise of suburban shopping centres and the relative decline in the cost of motorcars meant that as elsewhere, Brisbane's public street transport system increasingly had to compete with the private motor car and patronage slowly declined from a post war peak of 148 million passenger journeys in 1946, to approximately 64 million passenger journeys in 1968. Political support for the tram system waned in the 1960s, particularly so after the
Paddington tram depot fire The Paddington tram depot fire occurred on the night of 28 September 1962, and was one of the largest fires in Brisbane's history. Brisbane's Lord Mayor Alderman Clem Jones was pro-freeway and private car. The
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,
Toowong Toowong is a riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 10,830 people. Geography Toowong is situated between Mount Coot-tha and the Brisbane River and is made up of rolling hills ...
, Rainworth and
Bulimba Bulimba is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Bulimba had a population of 6,843 people. Geography Bulimba is located north-east of the CBD on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, but it is by road. Topony ...
ferry routes closed in December 1962.


The closure of the tram and trolleybus systems

In common with many other cities, Brisbane converted its remaining tram lines between 1968 and 1969 to all bus operation. The last trolley buses ran on 13 March 1969 and the final trams ran on 13 April 1969. Photographs of this last tram ride, organised by Grahame Garner and other tramways workers are in the
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Fryer Library collection. The tramway closure was notable for the speed with which it was carried out. Over 300 replacement
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buses were purchased, at the time the largest single bus purchase in the world. Most older, wooden trams were stripped of metal parts and then burnt at the City Council's yard at Cribb Street, Milton (adjacent to the tramway workshops). The bodies of later, all-metal cars were sold as sheds and playground equipment.


Brisbane Tramway Museum (1969–present)

The Brisbane Tramway Museum Society was formed in 1968 to preserve some of Brisbane's trams. At present the museum has 24 Brisbane trams in its collection, with 6 operational; California type tram 47, Ten Bench tram 65, Baby Dreadnought tram 99, Dropcentre tram 341, Four Motor tram 429, and the last tram built and officially operated in Brisbane, Four Motor Phoenix tram 554. Tramway operations commenced at the museum at Ferny Grove in 1980.


1990s light rail proposals

There have been several proposals from both the Brisbane City Council and state government to return a tram or light rail system to Brisbane since the 1990s. The most prominent of these include the ambitious 1997 Brisbane Light Rail Transit proposal. The plans escalated to a Queensland government tender for four company consortia to purchase new trams, construct and operate the system in 1 the project was projected to cost 235 million but was subsequently vetoed in favour of expanding the existing bus network. These various proposed options included a line from Roma Street station to
Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The unive ...
’s CBD campus along George Street, CBD to West End and University of Queensland via Victoria Bridge and Melbourne Street and CBD to
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via
Wickham Terrace Wickham Terrace is one of the historic streets of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known as the street of private medical specialists. Geography Wickham Terrace commences at the western corner of the intersection of Ann Street and Whar ...
.


2007 Light Rail Plan

In 2007, following several failed road and tunnel projects and based on the recommendations of the Brisbane City Council's 2006 CBD masterplan,
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announced $250 million of state government funding for an extensive light rail system to rival Melbourne's and significantly larger than those of Sydney or Adelaide. The plan, at the centre of the government's "Smart City" plan, was to link South Brisbane to
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and
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with future extensions down the newly created South Eastern and Inner Northern Busways, bridges and pedestrian spines. In the March 2008 Brisbane city elections, the
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campaigned on a more comprehensive plan. However, by June 2008 progress had stalled, without an official project announcement, the Brisbane City Council once again distancing itself from the plan due to cost of the investment (estimated at $600 million for the New Farm link) and instead giving consideration of diverting the funds to enhancing the bus and CityCat ferry systems.


Types of trams

Unlike many other systems, Brisbane never adopted an alphabetical or numerical system for classifying its trams (cf Melbourne trams), preferring instead to use official descriptions, such as "standard centre aisle car", or "drop-centre saloon car".


Horse trams

* single deck saloon * single deck cross bench * double deck - open top deck, lower saloon


Electric trams


Converted electric trams

Delivery of early combination cars was delayed and as a result the tramway company decided to convert many of the horse tram to electric operation, as a temporary expedient. Despite this, many of these converted cars remained in passenger service well into the 1930s.


=California Combination car

= The prototype Brisbane electric tram (No 1) was built at the Melbourne cable tram workshops from the body of a horse tram, and had 5 saloon windows instead of the usual 4 windows on the new-built Combination cars, with one fixed and one tip-over seat on each end platform.


=Large Combination cars

= These three trams were built in 1904 from three single deck horse trams, similar to the new-built California Combination trams but with 6 saloon windows as opposed to 4 on the new trams, and a single fixed cross-bench seat on each end platform instead of 2 tip-over seats each end. Withdrawn from service 1925 to 1930s.


Saloon cars

Each tram in this class was constructed by joining two single deck saloon horse trams together on a single motorised chassis. Their long, enclosed bodies gave rise to their nickname of "coffin cars". They were built in 1897, when delivery of new electric trams was delayed. 6 cars in this class. They were all withdrawn from service by 1930.


"Summer" cars

The 6 bench horse trams were motorised and later most were lengthened to accommodate 10 cross benches. One car was to remain in service until 1958 as an advertising car.


New-built electric trams


=California Combination

= Officially referred to as "Standard Combination" trams, but more popularly referred to as "matchboxes". They had a central 4 window saloon with 2 tip-over cross-bench seats on each end platform. There were 62 trams in this class, built between 1897 and 1904, with the last one withdrawn from passenger service in 1952. Two, (nos 14 and 15), were converted into "scrubber" cars (track maintenance cars). Several were used as advertising cars, with 47 and 53 being used as one man cars on the Gardens shuttle route (see below).


=Nine Bench Cars

= These 4 trams were constructed in 1897 and 1898 by the Brisbane Tramways Company. They were cross bench cars with no centre aisle. Two of the benches (those attached to the end bulkheads) were fixed and the other seven benches were tip-over. They could carry 45 seated passengers, plus standees. Two were withdrawn from service in 1938, the other two were probably withdrawn in 1943.


=Brills

= These 20 cars were officially "bogie open tip-over cross-bench cars". They were a standard design tram built by
JG Brill Company The J.G. Brill Company manufactured streetcars,Young, Andrew D. (1997). ''Veteran & Vintage Transit'', p. 101. St. Louis: Archway Publishing. interurban coaches, motor buses, trolleybuses and railroad cars in the United States for almos ...
of
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, although two were built by the Brisbane Tramways Company, presumably under licence from the Brill Company. They each had 4 fixed back-to-back benches and 8 tip-over benches. The first 8 had clerestory roofs, the remainder had plain roofs. The first 8 were also fitted with couplings for trailers, but the trailers were eventually motorised (see "light twelve bench cars" below.) As these trams only had hand brakes, operating a coupled set was physically demanding on drivers. In later years these workhorses were very dilapidated and had diagonal cross bracing on each bulkhead to reduce body sway. One tram was involved in a bad accident in 1944 and was converted to centre aisle design (see Special Dreadnoughts). They were gradually withdrawn from service between 1937 and 1952.


=Light Twelve Bench Cars

= These eight cars were originally built as trailers between 1901 and 1903, but were motorised in 1912. They had 12 fixed back-to-back benches and could carry 66 passengers. They were all withdrawn from service between 1948 and 1951.


=Standard Ten Bench Cars

= There were 32 of these sturdy little single truck trams constructed in Brisbane. 28 were built by the Brisbane Tramways Company between 1907 and 1921 and a further 4 were built by the Brisbane Tramways Trust between 1923 and 1925. They had fixed, back-to-back bench seating carrying 50 seated passengers (plus standees). They were commonly called "toastracks" or "jumping jacks". In 1936 4 of these cars were converted to Baby Dreadnoughts (see below); another two were converted to this class in 1944. Apart from one car converted to an advertising car and another retained for historical purposes, they were all withdrawn from service between 1952 and 1955.


=Dreadnoughts

= Officially referred to as standard centre-aisle trams, 65 trams in this class built between 1908 and 1925. These trams could carry 90 passengers. The last 21, which were built for the Brisbane Tramways Trust between 1924 and 1925, had 12 windows, remainder built with 6 windows. Originally they were built with open end platforms, but these were enclosed in the 1930s. Some received "streamlining" with oval windows and skirting around their bogies. The attached picture illustrates the differences between various members of this class. The tram in the foreground is a 12 window Dreadnought (built by the Tramways Trust), still with seats on its end platforms and no streamlining. The tram ahead of it is an older, 6 window Dreadnought (built by the Tramways Company), but with its end seats removed and streamlining around its windows and skirting below the body of the tram.


="Special" Dreadnoughts

= Each of these four cars was unique in their own way. Two were outwardly like the Dreadnoughts. Tram 100 was built in 1903 as the Tramway Company Manager's personal "Palace" car, fitted with carpets, plush seat covers and further interior decorations. Converted to regular passenger use in 1918 and was withdrawn from service in 1958. Tram 110 was built in 1906 as the prototype for the Dreadnoughts, but it had different trucks, which resulted in high steps. It was withdrawn from service in 1952. Tram 101 was built in 1899 originally with no solid roof, just a canvas awning suspended from a lightweight frame. It was withdrawn from service around 1935. Tram 104 was converted in 1943 from a Brill 12 bench car that had been badly damaged in an accident. In its converted form this tram had design features derived from the Four Motor, Dropcentre and Baby Dreadnought tram designs. It was withdrawn from service in 1958.


=Stepless Car

= Known as "big Lizzie", also sometimes referred to as a "New York type tram", tram 301 was intended to be the first of a fleet of inter-urban trams. It was built by
JG Brill Company The J.G. Brill Company manufactured streetcars,Young, Andrew D. (1997). ''Veteran & Vintage Transit'', p. 101. St. Louis: Archway Publishing. interurban coaches, motor buses, trolleybuses and railroad cars in the United States for almos ...
in 1912 and imported in 1914. It was unusual for a Brill stepless car in that it was partially made of timber, rather than the normal all-metal construction. It was the first fully enclosed tram in Brisbane. Heavy and troubled by poor road clearance, it usually only saw service on the West EndAscot line and was withdrawn from service in 1935.


="One man" trams

= Between 1929 and 1930, 9 Dreadnoughts were converted to "one-man" operation, as a cost-saving measure. These trams were operated with drivers only and without conductors. They were only used on the Rainworth and Red Hill routes. Passengers were required to enter the tram from the front entrance and pay the driver as they entered. For this reason these trams had a distinctive colour scheme which included red and white diamonds on their front aprons. In May 1934 one man operation was abandoned and these trams were repainted in normal colours. Two combination trams were also converted to one man operation for use on the
Gardens A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...
route. The first tram was converted in 1925, the second in 1930.


="Baby" Dreadnoughts

= Sometimes called "small centre-aisle" or "single truck saloon" cars, the 6 trams in this class were built primarily for the hilly Spring Hill route. They were built in two batches: the first four in 1936 were converted from 10 bench trams, the last two were built in 1943 using the underframes from 10 bench trams, making the last two trams in this class the non-bogie cars built in Australia. These trams were fitted with special sanders allowing sand to be dropped not only in front, but also behind, their wheels, in case the trams slipped backwards on the steep section of the Spring Hill line. They were withdrawn from service in 1958–1959, one car was preserved.


=Dropcentres

= The most numerous of Brisbane's trams, there were 191 trams of this class built between 1925 and 1938. Officially called "bogie drop centre combination cars", (usually shortened to "dropcentre" or "droppie") these trams' distinctive drop centre compartment was open to the elements, with only canvas blinds to provide protection for passengers in cold or wet weather. Although designed to be operated using airbrakes, most cars in this class were instead built with rheostatic brakes and hand brakes. However, the last 17 cars (Nos 370–386) were built with airbrakes. Subsequently, many of the older cars in this class were retrofitted with airbrakes and had their rheostatic braking systems removed. Early cars were built with open ends (meaning the drivers were unprotected from the elements) but later cars were built with enclosed ends (or "vestibules"). The ends of all the earlier cars of this class were enclosed by 1934. These trams were last used in regular service in December 1968.


=Four Motor (FM) trams

= Officially referred to as "drop centre saloon cars", or "four motor cars", they were popularly referred to as "400s", "FM's" or "silver bullets". They were the first class of trams built in Brisbane with airbrakes. 155 were constructed by the Brisbane City Council between 1938 and 1964, with a maximum carrying capacity of 110 passengers. Trams 400–472 were built with wide centre doors, 407 was altered to narrow centre doors and renumbered 473 (and the tram to be numbered 473 entered service as 407), trams 474–554 built with narrow centre doors. Through the 28 years during which they were built, many innovations were introduced, such as fluorescent lighting, helical gears, resilient wheels, remote controlled controllers and streamlined construction techniques. Early versions had canvas blinds in the doorways, while later versions had sliding doors. The last 8 trams were built from components salvaged from the
Paddington tram depot fire The Paddington tram depot fire occurred on the night of 28 September 1962, and was one of the largest fires in Brisbane's history.phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
emblems below the motorman's windows, to symbolise that the trams had risen from the ashes of the fire.


Depots

Tram Depots were located at the following places: Logan Road, Countess Street and Lang Street depots closed in 1927 with the opening of Ipswich Road depot. Ipswich Road and Light Street depots continued to be used as bus depots after the closure of the tram system. The Brisbane City Council had planned to replace Paddington depot with a new depot on Mount Coot-tha Road,
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, however following the destruction of Paddington tram depot in 1962 with the loss of 65 trams, these plans were shelved and a bus depot was developed on the site instead.


Tram allocation as at 1961


Uniforms

Prior to
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tram drivers (or motormen) and conductors wore a dark blue uniform including a
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jacket, which was subsequently replaced with a lighter cotton blouson. Until 1961 crews wore foreign legion caps. In 1967 the blue uniform was replaced with a green one. Inspectors wore a black uniform, with a grey shirt and black cap.


Routes


Horse tram routes

Horse Trams ran to the following suburbs: *
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* Breakfast Creek ( Newstead) * Bulimba Ferry ( Newstead) * Exhibition Show Grounds * West End *
Logan Road Logan Road, allocated state routes 95 and 30, is a major road in Brisbane, Queensland. It runs from Springwood in Logan City to Woolloongabba in Brisbane, with most of the route signed as state route 95. The route was formerly the main route ...
(
Buranda Buranda is a neighbourhood in the southern Brisbane suburbs of Greenslopes, Queensland, Greenslopes and Woolloongabba, Queensland, Woolloongabba in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The location is an important transport hub for so ...
)


Electric tram routes

Trams did not terminate in the
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, but ran from suburbs on one side of the city to suburbs on the other. Today, many all-stops bus routes (shown in ''italics'') roughly correspond with the former tram lines. In 1961 trams ran on the following routes: *
Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...
Belmont 06 ''(Current equivalent bus route 204)'' * South Brisbane – St Pauls Terrace 08 * Ascot DoombenBalmoral 60 * Ascot Oriel Park – Balmoral 70 ''(
Toombul Nundah (previously called German Station) is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It contains the neighbourhood of Toombul. In the , Nundah had a population of 12,141 people. Prior to European settlement, Nundah was i ...
to
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300; Valley to Balmoral 230)'' *
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71 ''(Toombul to Cultural Centre 306/322; Valley to Salisbury 117/124/125)'' * ChermsideEnoggera 72 ''(Chermside to City 370; City to Brookside Shopping Centre 390) (Formerly Chermside to Enoggera 172)'' *
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Rainworth 73 ''(Toombul to City 321; Valley to Rainworth 475),'' terminating at Rainworth State School, 185 Boundary Road () *
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Bardon 74 ''(Route 375),'' terminating at the junction of Simpsons Road and Morgan Terrrace () *
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Ashgrove 75 ''(Stafford to City via
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379; City to West Ashgrove 379/380/381)'' * Bulimba ferry
Toowong Toowong is a riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 10,830 people. Geography Toowong is situated between Mount Coot-tha and the Brisbane River and is made up of rolling hills w ...
76 ''( Teneriffe wharf to Toowong 470)'' *
New Farm Park New Farm Park is a heritage-listed riverfront public park at 137 Sydney Street, New Farm, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Albert Herbert Foster and built from 1914 to 1950 by Gladwin Legge & Co. It was added to the ...
West End 77 ''(New Farm to City 196; City to West End wharf 199)'' * New Farm wharf
Dutton Park Dutton Park is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Dutton Park had a population of 2,024 people. Geography Dutton Park is located about south of the Brisbane CBD. It is bounded to the north-east ...
78 ''(Teneriffe wharf to City 199; City to Fairfield via Dutton Park 196)'' () *
Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...
Mount Gravatt Mount Gravatt is a southern suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and a prominent hill and lookout within this suburb (). In the , Mount Gravatt had a population of 3,366 people. Geography The suburb is situated in the south- ...
79 ''(Valley to Garden City via Mount Gravatt Central 174/175)'' Routes which closed prior to 1961 were: * Spring Hill – noted for its exceptionally steep track in Edward Street and operated by hand braked single truck trams (see "baby dreadnoughts" above). Closed 1947. *
Gardens A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...
– This line branched off Queen Street and ran down Edward Street to the
Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Go ...
. It was notable for its driver only operation, where passengers paid their fares into a box upon entering the tram. Closed 1947. Initially replaced with diesel buses, it was converted to trolley bus operation in 1951 along with the Spring Hill line. ''(Spring Hill Loop – weekdays only)'' * Red Hill – This line branched off Musgrave Road Red Hill and ran along Enoggera Terrace. After closure this line was retained as a link to Paddington tram depot. *Chatsworth Road, Greenslopes – This short line branched off Logan Road. For some years before closure it was only used for peak hour services. Last used in 1957. *
Cavendish Road Cavendish Road is an arterial road in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, linking the suburbs of Coorparoo, Queensland, Coorparoo, Holland Park, Queensland, Holland Park and Mount Gravatt East, Queensland, Mount Gravatt East. Geography Cavendish R ...
,
Coorparoo Coorparoo is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Coorparoo had a population of 16,282 people. Geography Coorparoo is by road south-east of the Brisbane GPO. It borders Camp Hill, Holland Park, Stones Corner ...
– This line branched off
Old Cleveland Road Old Cleveland Road is a major road in Brisbane, Queensland. It runs from Stones Corner to Capalaba in Brisbane, with most of the route signed as State Route 22. Sections of the road are also part of State Routes 30, 54, and 55. The road is the ...
at Coorparoo. Closed 1955. Converted to trolley-bus. ''(Valley to Garden City via Cavendish Road 184/185)''


Workshops, power houses and administration

Workshops and administration for the electric tram system were initially located in cramped quarters at Countess Street, at the western side of the Roma Street railway yards (now the site of the
Roma Street Parkland Roma Street Parkland covers 11 hectares in the centre of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Roma Street Parkland is adjacent to Brisbane Transit Centre and the Roma Street railway station from which it takes its name (the park ...
), but in 1927 were relocated to Milton. Access to the workshops was from Boomerang Street in Milton, off
Milton Road Milton Road is an arterial road in Brisbane, Australia. It is currently signed as State Route 32 for its entire length. Milton Road is a major corridor for traffic between the Brisbane central business district and the western suburbs. It car ...
. Head Office was accessed from
Coronation Drive Coronation Drive, popularly known as Coro Drive, is a road in Brisbane, Queensland which connects the Central Business District to the suburb of Toowong. It follows the Brisbane River from the Riverside Expressway, through the suburbs of Milton ...
(then known as River Road). Power for the electric trams was originally drawn from a
power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...
operated by the tramway company adjacent to its Countess Street depot and workshops. As the tramway company increased both the number of trams and the length of routes, the power supply rapidly became inadequate. Additional power generating units were installed at Light Street depot and a further powerhouse was built on
Logan Road Logan Road, allocated state routes 95 and 30, is a major road in Brisbane, Queensland. It runs from Springwood in Logan City to Woolloongabba in Brisbane, with most of the route signed as state route 95. The route was formerly the main route ...
, Woolloongabba, adjacent to the Woolloongabba railway line. Inadequate power supply was to remain a problem while the tramways remained in private hands. With the takeover of the system in 1922 by the Brisbane Tramways Trust (and subsequently the City Council) considerable investment was made in many areas including power generation and distribution. A larger powerhouse was built in
New Farm New Farm is an inner northern riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , New Farm had a population of 12,542 people. Geography The suburb is located 2 kilometres east of the Brisbane CBD on a large bend of the ...
which commenced generation in 1928 and was sufficient for both the needs of the tram system and other consumers. The original Countess Street powerhouse was demolished and material from it was used to construct the new Tramways headquarters.


Location of electrical substations at the time of closure

* Ballow Street,
Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...
* Russell Street, South Brisbane * Petrie Terrace,
Petrie Terrace Petrie Terrace is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Petrie Terrace had a population of 1,124 people. Geography The suburb is by road west of the Brisbane General Post Office. The precinct is bordered to ...
*
Paddington Tramways Substation Paddington Tramways Substation is a heritage-listed former electrical substation at 150 Enoggera Terrace, Paddington, Queensland, Paddington, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Roy Rusden Ogg and built from 1929 to 1930 ...
at Enoggera Terrace,
Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...
* Newstead Park, Newstead *
Logan Road Logan Road, allocated state routes 95 and 30, is a major road in Brisbane, Queensland. It runs from Springwood in Logan City to Woolloongabba in Brisbane, with most of the route signed as state route 95. The route was formerly the main route ...
, Woolloongabba * Ipswich Road, Annerley * Lutwyche Road,
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
(original, northernmost substation) * Lutwyche Road,
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
(second, southern substation) * Substation #8, Kedron Park Road,
Wooloowin Wooloowin is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wooloowin had a population of 3,938 people. Geography Wooloowin is an inner-north suburb of Brisbane, Australia located approximately 5–6 km north of the c ...
* Balmoral Street, Norman Park substation #212 * Substation #9, corner Wynnum Road and Norman Avenue, Norman Park *
Old Cleveland Road Old Cleveland Road is a major road in Brisbane, Queensland. It runs from Stones Corner to Capalaba in Brisbane, with most of the route signed as State Route 22. Sections of the road are also part of State Routes 30, 54, and 55. The road is the ...
,
Coorparoo Coorparoo is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Coorparoo had a population of 16,282 people. Geography Coorparoo is by road south-east of the Brisbane GPO. It borders Camp Hill, Holland Park, Stones Corner ...
* Waterworks Road Ashgrove * Kingsford Smith Drive,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...
*
Enoggera Road Enoggera Road is a major road in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the main access road that connects the north-west Brisbane suburbs to Enoggera Creek towards the inner suburbs and the Brisbane CBD. The road is commonly used by commuters t ...
Newmarket *
Logan Road Logan Road, allocated state routes 95 and 30, is a major road in Brisbane, Queensland. It runs from Springwood in Logan City to Woolloongabba in Brisbane, with most of the route signed as state route 95. The route was formerly the main route ...
,
Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road ...
* Oriel Road,
Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...


Remnants of the former system

* The south-east pylon of the former Victoria Bridge stands on the southern bank of the
Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Go ...
at South Brisbane, it includes a short stretch of tram track. * 500 metres of track remains exposed in the median strip of
Old Cleveland Road Old Cleveland Road is a major road in Brisbane, Queensland. It runs from Stones Corner to Capalaba in Brisbane, with most of the route signed as State Route 22. Sections of the road are also part of State Routes 30, 54, and 55. The road is the ...
from Camp Hill to
Carina Carina may refer to: Places Australia * Carina, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane * Carina Heights, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane * Carina, Victoria, a locality in Mildura Serbia * Carina, Osečina, a village in the Kolubara District ...
. It is heritage-listed as the Old Cleveland Road Tramway Tracks. The proposed
Eastern Busway, Brisbane The Eastern Busway is a bus-only road running from the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus to Langlands Park busway station in Queensland, Australia. Development The Eastern Busway was built and opened in stages. The first section betw ...
may require much of this remaining track to be dug up, or covered over during road realignment. * As of 2006, much of the tram system's track remains in situ, as it was laid in concrete. It has merely been covered by bitumen, and can occasionally be seen when the bitumen road surface breaks. Reason for the track to be left in situ and covered over was, it took 2 years to remove 2 miles of track on the Kalinga tramline after it was closed, B.C.C. Engineers decided it took too long and was prohibitively expensive to remove the track, if it was that well built, it was probably meant to last an eternity. * Numerous four-poster and two-poster timber waiting sheds continue to serve as shelters along former tram lines. However, some shelters have been moved from their original position. * Stop number 26, a red "tram stop" post, still remains at the corner of Old Cleveland and Cavendish Roads, however the post was moved from its original position, when the intersection was modified in the mid 1980s. * Most of the former electrical substations remain, with only Russell Street substation demolished and the Logan Road substation dismantled and relocated to the town of
Murgon Murgon is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Murgon had a population of 2,378 people. Geography Murgon is in the region of Queensland known as the South Burnett, the southern ...
, near that town's railway station. Tramways Substation No. 6 at
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
,
Brisbane City Council Tramways Substation No. 8 Brisbane City Council Tramways Substation No. 8 is a heritage-listed electrical substation at 134 Kedron Park Road, Wooloowin, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1934 to 1937. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Reg ...
at
Wooloowin Wooloowin is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wooloowin had a population of 3,938 people. Geography Wooloowin is an inner-north suburb of Brisbane, Australia located approximately 5–6 km north of the c ...
, Tramways Substation No 9 at Norman Park and
Paddington Tramways Substation Paddington Tramways Substation is a heritage-listed former electrical substation at 150 Enoggera Terrace, Paddington, Queensland, Paddington, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Roy Rusden Ogg and built from 1929 to 1930 ...
are all heritage-listed. * A number of buildings in the CBD and inner suburbs retain brackets (or "rosettes") where tramway overhead was attached. A notable example is the Adelaide Street frontage of the Brisbane City Hall. * The original blue "Brisbane City Council" and "Department of Transport" signs from the former
Coronation Drive Coronation Drive, popularly known as Coro Drive, is a road in Brisbane, Queensland which connects the Central Business District to the suburb of Toowong. It follows the Brisbane River from the Riverside Expressway, through the suburbs of Milton ...
head office are now located on the north west corner of
Transport for Brisbane Transport for Brisbane, previously called Brisbane Transport'','' is an organisational division of the Brisbane City Council, responsible through its related Council Committee for providing policy and advice to Brisbane City Council, and for de ...
's Toowong bus workshops. * Timber span poles remain along many of the former tram lines. These poles can be distinguished from other poles by their distinctive conical tops (some retaining cast iron caps resembling inverted flower pots) and by having small holes facing the street high up, where the span wires were attached. * The road overpass at
Dutton Park railway station Dutton Park railway station is located on the Beenleigh line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the Brisbane suburb of Dutton Park. The station is one of the oldest on the network. To the west of the station lies the NSW North Coast dual ...
retains two large steel tram span poles. * Canning Bridge at Norman Park retains its four metal tram span poles.


See also

* Brisbane Tramway Museum *
Rail transport in Queensland The rail network in Queensland, Australia, was the first in the world to adopt narrow gauge for a main line, and now the second largest narrow gauge network in the world, consists of: *the North Coast Line (NCL) extending from Brisbane to R ...
*
Trams in Australia The earliest trams in Australia operated in the latter decades of the 19th century, hauled by horses or "Sydney Steam Motor Tram, steam tram motors" (also known as "Steam dummy, steam dummies"). At the turn of the 20th century, propulsion almos ...
*
Brisbane Tramways Substation No. 6 Windsor Town Quarry Park and Tramways Substation No. 6 is a heritage-listed former quarry with electrical substation at 356 Lutwyche Road, Windsor, Queensland, Windsor in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from to . The ...
at
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
*
Brisbane City Council Tramways Substation No. 8 Brisbane City Council Tramways Substation No. 8 is a heritage-listed electrical substation at 134 Kedron Park Road, Wooloowin, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1934 to 1937. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Reg ...
at
Wooloowin Wooloowin is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wooloowin had a population of 3,938 people. Geography Wooloowin is an inner-north suburb of Brisbane, Australia located approximately 5–6 km north of the c ...
*
Brisbane City Council Tramway Substation No 9 Brisbane City Council Tramways Substation No. 9 is a heritage-listed electrical substation at 97 Wynnum Road, Norman Park, Queensland, Norman Park, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1935. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on ...
at Norman Park *
Endrim, Woodstock Road tram shed, and tram track Endrim, Woodstock Road tram shed, and tram track are a heritage-listed group consisting of a house, a tramway and a tramway stop at 6 & 28 Woodstock Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. They were built in 1906 by the Brisban ...
at
Toowong Toowong is a riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 10,830 people. Geography Toowong is situated between Mount Coot-tha and the Brisbane River and is made up of rolling hills ...


References


Further reading

*Brisbane City Council Annual Reports (various between 1925 and 1974) *Clark, Howard R. and Keenan David R.; "Brisbane Tramways – The Last Decade", Transit Press, 1977 (Reprinted 1985). *Cole J.R.; "Shaping a City: Greater Brisbane 1925–1985", Brisbane 1984 *Richardson J. (ed); Destination Valley, a Pictorial Review of Brisbane Tramcars, 2nd Edition, Traction Publications, Canberra, 1964.


External links


Map of Brisbane 1961 Tram Network
{{TramsAustralia
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
History of Brisbane 600 V DC railway electrification