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The history of trams in Adelaide |
Tramcars have operated in Adelaide streets for over 100 years.
This exhibition displays how the trams developed over the years. |
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Photo: R Browning
Photo: R Browning |
Type ‘A’ trams
Other than an ill-fated 1880s battery tram experiment, the A type trams were among the first electric trams to be used for public transport in Adelaide.
They were 4 wheelers of the California ‘combination’ pattern popular in California at the time. ‘Combination’ meant a combination of half saloon (enclosed space) and half open space. The open cross-bench seats at either end combined with the centre saloon seated a total of forty persons. A further sixty persons could be carried standing, making a ‘crush load’ of one hundred.
Seventy were built 1908–09 by local coach builders Duncan & Fraser. They were fitted with running gear and electrical equipment from Britain and the USA. The last of them ran in 1952.
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Pioneers
These small trams served well to help establish the services over the first two years, as the inner Adelaide sections of the lines were opened up to Kensington, Marryatville, Maylands, Payneham, Walkerville, North Adelaide, Parkside, Unley and Hyde Park. Photo: JC Radcliffe Collection
Later life
In later years, the A type cars were used on quiet services eg Croydon and Pt. Adelaide and by the 1930s, as larger trams became available, many of them were retired to storage. Photo: W Jack
Out of retirement
During the Second World War (1939-45), many old A-Type trams were taken out of storage and coupled in pairs, nick named ‘Bib and Bubs’, to help carry very heavy passenger loadings during the 1940s. Photo: W Jack
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Photo: R Browning |
Type ‘B’ trams
Along with the seventy A type ‘California’ cars, 30 four-wheel cars, with open sides and cross bench seating, quickly nicknamed ‘toast-racks’, were also purchased to start the system.
Being open to all weathers they were not suitable for the colder times of the year, and twenty were enclosed and styled A1 and A2 Type cars. The open cars carried fifty passengers seated, but the MTT management expected that a further fifty standing passengers (standees) could be carried making, as with the A types, a crush load of one hundred passengers. Most of these high step trams were retired by the mid 1930s. |
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The MTT band concerts
The ‘toast-racks’ were popular for summer beach traffic, and the Tramways Band was carried in these open cars to Henley, Semaphore or Kensington Gardens, to perform concerts at the bandstands built by the MTT. Concerts by the renowned MTT band were a popular entertainment and carrying concertgoers to and from the concerts added handsomely to MTT revenue. The MTT band concerts at Semaphore were abandoned when it was realised that many concertgoers travelled there by train. Photo: MTT
Early years
In the early years, these open cars ran on most lines as the system gradually expanded. Photo: PC Keynes Collection
Too cold
After eight years it was realised that open cars were disliked in colder weather, so 20 of the cars were rebuilt as ‘California’ cars, with an enclosed centre section. Photo: JC Radcliffe Collection
No passengers
When building the Glenelg line in 1929, one of these unpopular cars was converted to assist with track work. (In tram terms called the permanent way.) Photo: MTT |
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Photo: MTT |
Type 'E' tram
Twenty of the 1910, seventy car order with Pengelley & Co were officially known as Open Combination Metropolitan Bogie Cars. They were similar to the D types, except that the smoking section was more open, with less protection from the weather. The cross bench seats meant that the conductor had to collect fares from the footboard.
These cars were eventually used on the Glen Osmond – St. Peters line. Some survived until 1958. Like the D types they carried fifty-four seated and one hundred standing. |
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Mid life change
The fleet of twenty E type trams were rebuilt in 1936 to enclose the former smoking section, by extending the saloon. This made the tram more comfortable for passengers and safer for the conductors to work on. At the same time large destination signs were installed on the ends of the roof. One original cross-seat was retained at the high end of the car. Photo: Noel Reed
Photo: Noel Reed |
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Photo: R Browning |
Type ‘D’ trams - Closed Bogies
During 1910-12, seventy bogie cars built by Adelaide coach builders Pengelley & Co, were added to the MTT fleet to help service the electric system, which by 1912 had extended to the end of the horse tram lines. Fifty of these cars were styled D types and officially known as ‘Closed Combination Metropolitan Bogie Cars’. ‘Combination’ meant half saloon space and half open smoking space. ‘Closed’ referred to the outside sliding doors on the smoking section. The trams worked consistently from 1911 to 1958. |
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A tale of two cities
In 1912 Duncan and Fraser built four cars identical to Adelaide’s D type for a Melbourne suburban tramway, the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust. These passed to the Hawthorn Tramways Trust in 1916. In 1927 the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board disposed of these non standard (for Melbourne) vehicles to the MTT and they were then added to Adelaide’s existing fleet of D Type cars. Photo: Noel Reed
Trams get bigger
When the D types entered service they were the largest public transport vehicles in the streets. They were built to carry 54 passengers seated with standing room for a further 100. Their high steps made them unpopular. Photo: MTT
Home ground
The South Eastern suburbs Erindale, Burnside, Linden Park, Kingswood (and Findon) were served in later years by the ‘Bogies’. Photo: Noel Reed |
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