Maurice Smith made a suggestion about showing the different Tram Types. Good idea Maurice! First a little history, courtesy Wikipedia! Brisbane developed with no wealthy suburbs, instead the well-off built mansions on hills, and the city expanded to become one of the most dispersed cities in the world by the 1870s. In the early years of Brisbanes 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 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) In August 1885 the Metropolitan Tramway and Investment Company began official horse-drawn tramway services for the public. The tramcars were imported from the United States and made from cedar and mahogany that was highly polished. 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. Up until the end of World War I, Brisbanes 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) Brisbanes tramway system became under the control of the City of Brisbane in 1925. Through the 1940s and 1950s the tram system enjoyed strong political support within the Brisbane City Council, which continued to expand the tram network and upgrade its fleet with some of the most advanced trams in Australia. Until 1934, the trams carried mail to and from suburban post offices to the GPO in the city and they acted as mail boxes.Trolleybuses 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 Brisbanes 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, Brisbanes public street transport system increasingly had to compete with the private motor car and patronage slowly declined from a post war peak of 148,000,000 passenger journeys in 1946, to approximately 64,000,000 passenger journeys in 1968. Political support for the tram system waned in the 1960s, particularly so after the Paddington tram depot fire on 28 September 1962. 67 trams were destroyed, which represented 20% of the entire fleet. Brisbanes Lord Mayor Alderman Clem Jones (1961–1974) was pro-freeway and private car. The Kalinga, Toowong, Rainworth and Bulimba Ferry routes closed in December 1962. The closure of the tram and trolleybus systems. Finally in common with most other cities throughout the English-speaking world, 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. The tramway closure was notable for the speed with which it was carried out. Several hundred replacement buses were purchased from British vehicle manufacturer Leyland, 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 Councils 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 Brisbanes trams. At present the Museum has 24 Brisbane trams in its collection. Tramway operations commenced at the museum at Ferny Grove in 1980. Information & text courtesy Wikipedia:
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 22:44:43 +0000
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