Trams in New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Trams in New Zealand were a major form of transport from the 19th century into the mid 20th century. New Zealand got the first (horse) tramway in 1862 (Nelson), then a steam tramway in 1871 (Thames), and the first electric tramway in 1900 (Maori Hill, Dunedin). The tram systems in the main and in some smaller centres were soon electrified. In the 1950s they were all being replaced by trolley-buses or buses. The last tram commuter service closed in 1964 (Wellington). Tram services on public roads reopened in 1981 (Auckland) and 1995 (Christchurch), though they are both Heritage rather than Commuter systems.
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1862 the first horse tramway in New Zealand between Nelson and the port opened, but this was part of the Dun Mountain Railway, built to export ore from the mine in the hills above Nelson. Other horse-drawn tram systems were built on the West Coast of the South Island, where a gold rush started in 1864.
Horse-drawn systems also opened in the main centres; Auckland and Auckland (Devonport) 1886, Dunedin 1879, Christchurch 1880, and Dunedin 1879
At Grahamstown (now Thames) in the North Island where gold had also been found, a steam tramway to Tararu was opened on 2 December 1871, but closed on 11 November 1874, due to ‘not sufficient traffic’. Other steam systems were opened in Devonport, Wellington and Christchurch.
The first Electric system was to Maori Hill, Dunedin in 1900, and the tram systems in the main centres were all electrified in the 1900s.
Dunedin also had several Cable Car systems to various suburbs and Wellington still has the Wellington Cable Car (actually a Funicular) to Kelburn.
Most twentieth century systems were electric with overhead wires, apart from the Takapuna (Auckland) steam tramway (1910 - 1927) and Gisborne which had two battery-electric trams (1913 - 1929). The only other system to close in this period was Napier, which closed in 1931, after the Napier earthquake, though several long suburban lines were replaced by buses, eg Christchurch City to Richmond, Burwood and North Beach in 1934, and to Linwood in 1936.
But in the 1950s, all the systems were replaced by buses or trolley-buses: Wanganui (1950), Invercargill (1952), Christchurch and New Plymouth (1954), Auckland and Dunedin (1956), and Wellington (1964).
Trolley-buses are still operating in Wellington, but the other systems have closed: Christchurch (1956), New Plymouth (1967), Auckland (1980) and Dunedin (1982).
[edit] Auckland
- See also: Public transport in Auckland
Up to the construction of the Auckland Harbour Bridge, the North Shore on the Waitemata Harbour was connected to Auckland by harbour ferries, and by roads around the head of the harbour.
[edit] Auckland City
Auckland City had horse trams from 1884, then electric trams from 24 November 1902 to 29 December 1956.[1][2] They were replaced by trolley buses and buses after. While light rail is discussed as a future option for the city, there is currently only a heritage tram service between two main MOTAT museum grounds remaining (which was not part of the historic route system).
[edit] Devonport
Devonport on Auckland's North Shore had a horse tram from September 1886 to 1888.
[edit] Takapuna
Takapuna, also on Auckland's North Shore, had steam trams operating on a loop from 22 December 1910 to 26 April 1927.
[edit] New Plymouth
New Plymouth had an electric tram service from 10 March 1916 to 23 July 1954, operated by the New Plymouth Corporation Tramways and reputedly the smallest municipality in the world to operate trams on the overhead electricity system. There were two main routes, the first operating through the town centre, from the Port to Fitzroy and the second from the town centre to David Street, Westown. There were a total of 10 trams, including 3 Birney Safety Cars introduced in 1921 (Nos. 7-9). The Westown route was replaced with a fleet of 4 trolleybuses in 1950, being in turn replaced with diesel buses in October 1967. The Port - Fitzroy route was replaced directly with diesel buses.
[edit] Gisborne
Gisborne had a tram system operated by 'Edison-Beach' battery-electric trams from 13 April 1913 to 8 July 1929. There were two Edison-Beach trams from the Federal Storage Battery Car Co, New Jersey and two from Boon & Co, Christchurch. AR Harris of Christchurch was the New Zealand agent for Edison Batteries. The trams were slow; their maximum speed was 32 km/hour, and initially they were restricted by the Public Works Department to 16 km/hour. There were two inland routes; Ormond Rd and Gladstone Rd to Te Hapara (Lytton Rd). They were replaced by buses.
[edit] Napier
Napier had electric trams to Port Ahuriri, from 8 September 1913 to 3 February 1931. The system was damaged by the Napier earthquake on 3 February 1931, and was never restored, being replaced by buses.
[edit] Wanganui
Wanganui had electric trams from 11 December 1908 to 24 September 1950. The service went two ways from the city centre, inland to Aramoho and out to Castlecliff and the Port. The Castlecliff route directly competed with the Castlecliff Branch railway and the success of the trams at winning patronage led to the cancellation of passenger trains in April 1932.[3] The trams were replaced by buses.
[edit] Wellington
Wellington had steam then horse trams from 1878, then electric trams from 30 June 1904 to 2 May 1964. They were replaced by trolley buses and buses. Wellington was the last to change from trams, and has the only trolley bus system still operating.
- See also: Public transport in Wellington
- See also: Trolleybuses in Wellington
- See also: Wellington Cable Car
[edit] West Coast
Other horse-drawn tram systems were built on the West Coast of the South Island, where a gold rush started in 1864. The main towns, Greymouth, Westport, Hokitika and Ross, and smaller settlements like Brighton, Charleston, Kamiere and Kumara got wooden tramways. Publican John Behan of Charleston, now a ghost town, petitioned the Canterbury Provincial Council in 1870 for compensation after the rerouting of a wooden tramway along a branch road removed most of his stalwart drinkers. The 'bush tram' from Greymouth to Kumara took three hours, and during the trip, passengers had to cross the Taramakau River in a cage or ‘flying fox’ suspended from a cable see photo c1880. These tramways were between centres on the West Coast, and were for freight and passengers. There were few roads on the Coast, and tramway owners were entitled to charge pedestrians walking along the tracks a toll. The gauges varied from three to four feet, with three-inch wooden rails. See Stewart and May. Some of these were bush tramways, similar to other systems used to carry timber out of the bush.
[edit] Christchurch
- See also: Public transport in Christchurch
Christchurch had steam and horse trams from 1880, then electric trams from 6 June 1905 to 11 September 1954. They were replaced by buses. There is now a Heritage system in the city.
[edit] Dunedin
- See also: Public transport in Dunedin
In Dunedin electric trams operated on several routes from 23 October 1900 (Maori Hill) and 24 December 1903 (Municipal service, to Normanby & Gardens). They operated to 29 March 1956, and were replaced by trolley-buses and buses.
[edit] Invercargill
- See also: Public transport in Invercargill
Invercargill had the southernmost tram system in the world, horse trams (1881 – 1908) and then electric trams from 26 March 1912 to 10 September 1952. They were replaced by buses.
Construction began in January 1911 and two lines opened on 26 March 1912, one to Waikiwi and one to Georgetown. Later that year, two more lines opened, one to North Invercargill and one to South Invercargill; the latter was the southernmost electrified street tram line in the world and ran to Tramway Road. In practice, the network operated as two routes: Route A between Georgetown and Waikiwi and Route B between North and South Invercargill. The Waikiwi line closed in 1947, though a section remained in operation until 1951. The Georgetown route closed on 2 July 1951, but the section to Rugby Park Stadium remained open until August 1951. The South Invercargill line was next to close, on 31 May 1952. The last route, to North Invercargill, closed on 10 September 1952.
[edit] Trams
The American firms of J.G. Brill Co, Philadelphia and John Stephenson Co, New Jersey supplied many trams, as well as other firms; English, Australian and local. Birney Safety cars were supplied by J.G. Brill Co. to Invercargill (6) and New Plymouth (3) in 1921, though they were too wide for Napier. Gordon Coates, then Minister of Transport was in New Plymouth for a test run on the new trams. When the driver showed how the 'dead man's control' worked by lifting his hand off the controller, the Minister and all were thrown to the floor of the tram when it nose dived on its front wheels then slumped back on the track with a shudder.
A distinctive feature of many Australasian trams was the drop-centre, a lowered central section between bogies (wheel-sets), to make passenger access easier by reducing the number of steps required to get inside of the vehicle. The trams made by Boon & Co of Christchurch in 1906-07 for Christchurch may have been the first with this feature; they were referred to as drop-centres or Boon cars. Trams for Christchurch and Wellington built in the 1920s with an enclosed section at each end and an open-sided middle section were also known as Boon cars, but did not have the drop-centre.
Californian combination cars had an enclosed centre section, with open-sided sections at each end. Hong Kong or toast rack (toastrack) cars were open, with the roof supported by a row of stanchions on each side. Most electric trams were single-deck, but Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and initially Dunedin had some open-top double-deck trams. These were popular with courting couples! In the 1930s the Auckland Streamline trams and the Wellington Fiducia trams had access at each end only, with no separate middle section or centre doors.
Most electric tram systems were standard gauge (4’ 8½” or 1435 mm), except for Wellington and Gisborne which were 4’ 0” (1219 mm), and Dunedin which was 4’ 8” (1422 mm). Napier and the Maori Hill (Dunedin) route were 3’ 6” (1067 mm), the railway gauge used in New Zealand.
[edit] Tramway Museums
There are several tram/transport museums with operating vintage trams:
- The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) in Auckland has the Western Springs Tramway with 2 km of track, including track on public roads to the Auckland Zoo and the second MOTAT site; within MOTAT from 1967, to the Zoo 1981.
- Wellington Tramway Museum at Queen Elizabeth Park, Paekakariki (near Wellington); started 1965.
- Ferrymead Heritage Park, Christchurch, trams started 1968 (steam) and 1970 (electric).
- Christchurch Tramway Ltd in central Christchurch since 1995
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Tramways in 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
- Stamp issue 1985; Vintage Trams
- MOTAT Trams, Museum of Transport and Technology
- Wellington Tramway Museum
- Christchurch Tramway Ltd, Heritage Tramway
- Tramway Historic Society
- Ferrymead Heritage Park
- Bush tramways in Te Ara
- Photo of wooden bush tram tracks near Greymouth c1890
[edit] References
- ^ Auckland Tram - Number 11 (from the MOTAT website)
- ^ A Wheel on Each Corner, The History of the IPENZ Transportation Group 1956-2006 - Douglass, Malcolm; IPENZ Transportation Group, 2006, Page 12
- ^ Geoffrey B. Churchman and Tony Hurst, The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey Through History (Auckland: HarperCollins, 1991), 136.
- The End of the Penny Section: When Trams Ruled the Streets of New Zealand by Graham Stewart (1993, Grantham House Wellington) ISBN 186934037X
- The West Coast Gold Rushes by Philip Ross May (1962, Pegasus Press, Christchurch) (Chapter 13, pages 371-376 re Tramways)
