The Sydney Steam Motor Trams were built for and operated by the New South Wales Government Tramways of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

History

Steam trams were introduced when four steam tram motors imported to Sydney as a temporary transport for the International Exhibition of 1879. It was built at the Baldwin Locomotive Works,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and hauled double decker trailers conveying passengers from the Redfern railway terminus to near the Botanic Gardens. A

Beyer, Peacock and Company Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson, it traded from 1854 until 1966. The company exported locomotives, ...

steam tram of 1885 was sent to Australia in 1886 as a trial unit by the NSWGT for comparison against the Baldwin steam tram. The Baldwin design prevailed and this engine returned to England in 1889 to become Beyer Peacock works shunter No. 2. The engine is rumoured to have fallen into the sea on its return voyage.

Design

The steam tram motor is essentially a small enclosed saddle tank locomotive steam motor with four driving wheels in an

0-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven. The wheels on the earliest four-coupled locomotives were ...

arrangement. A wooden cab encloses the entire locomotive, which features five windows along each side. Access to the cab is through doors from either the front or back platform. The tram is powered by an orthodox locomotive type boiler, American bar type framing, conventional "D" type slide valves and spring suspension. Coke and later coal was carried in a bunker on the rear platform and water in the semi-circular saddle tank. Typical specifications for an 11" Baldwin steam tram motor: *Cylinders: 11" diameter x 16" stroke *Tractive Effort: 120 psi steam, 5,500 lb at 10 mph *Weight: 14 tons 2 cwt *Length: 17 feet 2 inches *Width: 8 feet 6 inches

Service

The Redfern to

Botanic Gardens A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

tramway was planned to operate for the duration of the exhibition. Proving so popular an extension to Randwick was opened in 1880. The peak of steam working was reached during 1894, when the length of the tramway reached 40 miles (64.7 km) when there were over 100 steam trams in service. In 1905-6 steam tram routes were replaced by electric trams with steam trams gradually relegated to outer suburbs. Steam trams also operated on regional New South Wales tramways at

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

Maitland Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...

, and Broken Hill. The Steam Tram Motors in service were: (*) Numbers 42 and 43 were two Kitson steam motors, ordered in 1881, that were unreliable in service. (**) Number 55 was an experimental steam motor, made by

Merryweather & Sons Merryweather & Sons of Clapham, later Greenwich, London, were builders of steam fire engines and steam tram engines. The founder was Moses Merryweather (1791–1872) of Clapham, who was joined by his son Richard Moses (1839–1877). Fire appli ...

, that arrived in 1881. (***) Numbers 70 to 75 were six 'Baldwin-Downe' steam motors, delivered 1883—1884, that were first

bogies A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transp ...

of combined motor-passenger cars known as 'Jumbos'.

Demise and Preservation

The last NSWGT steam motor was withdrawn from service in 1937 and replaced by a trolley bus service. Preserved trams are: * Steam Tram Motor No. 1A, owned by

Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS) in Sydney, the others being the historic Sydney Observatory at Observatory Hill, and the newer Museums Discovery Centre at Castle Hill. Although often de ...

The identity No.1A was applied by the Powerhouse Museum. It is actually Henry Vale & Co of Sydney built Steam Motor 28a. Makers number 52. * Steam Tram Motor No. 103a, 891at Valley Heights Steam Tramway Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Makers number 11676. * Steam Tram Motor No. 100, 891at

Museum of Transport & Technology The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) is a science and technology museum located in Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand. It is located close to the Western Springs Stadium, Auckland Zoo and the Western Springs Park. The museum ha ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

. Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Makers number 11885. The Beyer Peacock steam motor, known as "John Bull", survives at the

National Tramway Museum The National Tramway Museum (trading as Crich Tramway Village) is a tram museum located at Crich (), Derbyshire, England. The museum contains over 60 (mainly British) trams built between 1873 and 1982 and is set within a recreated period vil ...

Gallery

Image:Early Sydney Tram (2687730193).jpg, Early Sydney tram Image:Sydney tram, c.1885 (5792275734).jpg, Sydney tram with two trailer, c. 1885 Image:Steam Tram engine 'John Bull' - geograph.org.uk - 1618275.jpg, 'John Bull' Image:Sandon Point Jetty circa 1900.jpg, Steam tram motor hauling coal wagons across Bulli Jetty c. 1900 Image:NSWGT Tram Motor No. 1A Top View.jpg, No. 1A Top View Image:NSWGT Tram Motor No. 1A Platform.jpg, Tram Motor No. 1A Image:NSWGT Tram Motor No. 1A End Platform.jpg, Tram Motor No. 1A Image:NSWGT Tram Motor No. 1A Side View.jpg, No. 1A Side View Image:NSWGR Tram Motor 103A Front View.jpg, Tram Motor 103A Image:NSWGR Tram Motor 103A Wide View.jpg, Tram Motor 103A Image:NSWGR Tram Motor 103A Driving Wheel.jpg, 103A Driving Wheel Image:NSWGR Tram Motor 103A Backplate.jpg, 103A Backplate

References