| Fremantle Municipal Tramways | |
|---|---|
FMT opening day, 30 October 1905 |
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| Info | |
| Owner | Fremantle Municipal District (1905-1952) (main network) East Fremantle Municipality (1905-1952) (main network) North Fremantle Municipality (1908-1938) (N Ftle line) Melville Roads Board (1915-1928) (Melville lines) |
| Locale | Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia |
| Transit type | Trams |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 30 October 1905 |
| Ended operation | 1952 |
| Operator(s) | Fremantle Municipal Tramways and Electric Lighting Board (1905-1952) (main network) North Fremantle Municipality (1908-1938) (N Ftle line) Melville Roads Board (1915-1928) (Melville lines) Fremantle Municipal Tramways and Electric Lighting Board (1928-1952) (Melville lines) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
Fremantle, the port city for Perth, capital city of Western Australia, once had a small but comprehensive tramway network, linking its central business district with nearby suburbs.
The Fremantle Municipal Tramways began operations in 1905. The network expanded into North Fremantle in 1908, and into Melville in 1915. The North Fremantle line closed in 1938 and was replaced by diesel buses. The rest of the network reached its peak usage during World War II. After WWII, the system operated quite profitably for the Council, however the decision of the WA State Government to nationalise the southwest electricity systems from private and council ownership to the newly formed State Electricity Commission in the early 1950s, meant that the supply of power to the trams increased markedly, and to the extent that supply was extremely costly to the Council. As a result, and without any fanfare at all, the whole system was closed after the last tram ran into the Carbarn in Queen Victoria Street on a Sunday night in November 1952.
Some of Fremantle's former trams are now preserved by the Perth Electric Tramway Society, at its heritage tramway in Whiteman Park, in the outer Perth suburb of Caversham.
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By the time Fremantle's tram network was fully operational in April 1906, it had four lines:[1]
High Street, Fremantle, via city loop (Phillimore Street), South Terrace and Mandurah Road (now part of South Terrace) to Douro Road, South Fremantle.
A combination of business and pleasure, this line connected central Fremantle with the South Beach foreshore. From 1907, the line included a short "city loop", running past the relocated Fremantle railway station in Phillimore Street. During the week, the South line served commuters heading towards Fremantle, and on summer weekends, people would travel from Perth and further afield to take the South line to South Beach.[2]
In 1923, the facilities at South Beach were significantly expanded, with the opening of a Hydrodome.[3] The South line remained open until the whole network was closed in 1952.
High Street, Fremantle, via Adelaide Street and Canning Road (now Canning Highway) to Allen Street, East Fremantle.
In 1909, this line was extended to Petra Street, on the border between East Fremantle and Palmyra. On 15 December 1915, the Melville Roads Board opened a further extension along Canning Road, this time to the corner of Stock Road, Bicton.[4][5]
High Street, Fremantle, via Marmion Street to Duke Street, Marmion (now East Fremantle).
In 1908, this line was extended along Marmion Street in an easterly direction, and then south to High Street, where it continued east to a new terminus at the Fremantle Cemetery, Carrington Street, East Fremantle.[6][5] The line along Marmion Street was also later extended to McKimmie Street, Palmyra.[5]
High Street, Fremantle, via Hampton Street (now Hampton Road) to Beaconsfield public school, cnr Lefroy Road, Beaconsfield.
This line was later extended along Hampton Street, Wray Avenue and South Street to Central Avenue, and subsequently to Carrington Street, Beaconsfield.[5] It was closed in 1948.[7]
On 30 September 1908, a new route was added to the network:[8]
High Street, Fremantle, via Adelaide Street, the Swan River Bridge and the Perth-Fremantle Road (now Stirling Highway) to Leighton Street (now Leslie Road), North Fremantle.
This line was owned and operated by the North Fremantle Municipality. It did not enjoy the same success as the original network, and was closed on 30 November 1938.[9]
On 15 December 1915, simultaneously with its opening of the extension of the East line to Stock Road, Bicton, the Melville Roads Board opened a new branch line:[10]
Canning Road, Bicton, via Point Walter Road, to Point Walter reserve, Bicton.
The opening of this line helped to develop Point Walter into a popular resort and place of entertainment. Along with the trams came electric lighting, and, soon afterwards, well patronised shops and restaurants. Entertainment at Point Walter included McNamara's Band.[11] There were also panoramic views of the Swan River, frequently dotted with the sails of racing yachts.[12]
Over time, increasing numbers of motor car owners chose to seek entertainment further away from Fremantle than Point Walter. As a result, the Point Walter resort fell into disrepair, and patronage on the Point Walter line declined. In 1939, the line was closed.[13]
A total of 36 trams entered service on the Fremantle tram network between 1905 and 1939.[14][5] Most of them remained in service until 1949 or later.[14] Unlike their Perth counterparts, the various classes of Fremantle tram were not officially allocated any class designator code. Each individual Fremantle tram was officially identified only by its unique number.
Most Fremantle trams fell into two main classes, with a small transitional group in between.
The first main Fremantle tram class, made up of tramcars 1 to 19, 24 and 25, was of single truck, drop end, open California combination tram cars. They entered service between 1905 and 1914. Tramcars 20 to 23 were the transitional group. Each of them entered service between 1912 and 1915, and will be described in detail below. The second main class of Fremantle tram was made up of tramcars 26 to 36. They were bogie saloon cars, and entered service between 1921 and 1939.[14]
The dominant colour in the livery of every Fremantle tram was a shade of maroon. The single truck tramcars were also lined with pinstripes, and the bogie trams also painted a cream colour at window level. By Australian standards, Fremantle trams were generally well maintained, right up until the closure of the Fremantle tram network.
The final new Fremantle tramcar, number 36, was also the last new tramcar to be built for a Western Australian tram network.[15] Together with Fremantle tramcars 14, 28 and 29, it is now preserved by the Perth Electric Tramway Society, at its heritage tramway in Whiteman Park.[16]
Perth Electric Tramway Society
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