Ballarat Tramway Museum

Ballarat Tramway Museum
Established 1971
Location Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates 37°33′05″S 143°49′13″E / 37.5515°S 143.8204°ECoordinates: 37°33′05″S 143°49′13″E / 37.5515°S 143.8204°E
Ballarat tram No. 33 at Lake Wendouree
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Tramway destination board
Tram restoration at the Ballarat Tramway Museum
Ballarat Tramway Museum depot, Scrubber Tram No. 8 in view
Conductor selling tickets on the tram
Ballarat trams No. 38 and No. 28
View from the driver's cabin

The Ballarat Tramway Museum is an operating tramway museum, located in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The museum is run by volunteers and has a fleet of trams which operate on part of the original horse tramway around Lake Wendouree and the Botanical Gardens. It has a large research collection, archive of information and more than 3500 items about the Ballarat tramways.[1] The trams in Ballarat operated on a large network through the city from 1887 until 1971.[2]

History

The first group to work on saving part of the historic tramway was the Lake Wendouree Tramway Museum Committee which in May 1971 began negotiating with the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SEC) who was the operator of the trams.[3]:41 The Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society was also formed in 1971 to start, and run, an authentic tramway.[3]:44 In 1978 the Society became incorporated, and used the business name Ballarat Tourist Tramway.[4]:14 This name was changed to the Ballarat Vintage Tramway in 1981.[4]:14 In 1995 they changed the name to the Ballarat Tram Museum Inc.[3]:51

The original plan was to keep all the tramway that ran around the shores of Lake Wendouree. However after discussions with the SEC and the City of Ballarat, only the section of track that was in the Botanical Gardens was kept. This included part of the original horse tramway that opened in 1887, and was electrified in 1905.[4]:11 The SEC donated the equipment, track, overhead wires, and trams.

A new tram depot was built as the original depot site was sold in June 1972.[5] The City of Ballarat provided land in the South Gardens Reserve. Six Ballarat trams which had been stored in the old depot had to be towed around Lake Wendouree to the new site. An access track was laid and the trams were hand winched into the new shed. In July 1974 a new substation was built to supply DC current to the trams.[5] On 12 October 1974, Tram No.27 was able to make several trips along the access track.[5] During November and December 1974 a track was laid to join the new depot to existing tram tracks in Wendouree Parade. This was quite a complex operation as the rails had to be bent to a curve by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board workshops in South Melbourne and transported to Ballarat. Wendouree Parade had to be dug up and the new track laid.[5]

The first trip on the museum's tramway was on 7 December 1974 when Tram No. 27 tested the connection to the tramway. Tram No.40 was taken out of the depot and driven along the whole track.[5] No. 40 had been the last tram to run on the SEC network.[4]:14 Passengers were carried for the first time on 24 December 1974, and regular services began on 26 December.[5] The track was officially opened on 1 February 1975.[3]:48

Tram fleet

The SEC gave the museum five trams in 1971. They also gave the City of Ballarat one tram which was added to the museum fleet. The museum has since located and brought back a number of other Ballarat trams. One tram had been given to the Borough of Sebastopol and had been on display in a park for 10 years. The Ballarat Tramway Museum has been able to restore this tram to working condition.[3]:50 An original horse tram was found being used as sleepout in Ballarat. After extensive rebuilding, and the discovery that it was the original Number One tram from 1887, it is now used for special occasions.[4]:16 The museum also operates two large "W" class trams from Melbourne.[4]:21

List of trams

The Ballarat Tramway Museum also has a 1952 Bedford truck, with a tower to access the overhead wires. This was originally used in Sydney, and brought to Ballarat by the SEC in 1961.

See also

References

  1. "Ballarat Tramway Museum". Culture Victoria. 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  2. "End of the line: 40 years since No.40's last tram route". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Scott, William F. (2008). Last tram at 11: Tramways of Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong. Clunes, Victoria: Full Parallel Productions. ISBN 978-0-646-48935-3.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Scott, William F. (1993). Ballarat's heritage tramway: The Story of the Ballarat Tramways and the Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society. Ballarat, Victoria: Ballarat Tramways Preservation Society Ltd. ISBN 0-9591918-1-X.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Bradley, Alan (December 2009). "Late 1974". Fares Please: News from the Ballarat Tramway Museum: 4–7.
  6. "Horse Tram No.1". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  7. "Scubber Car No.8". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  8. "No.11". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  9. "No.12". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 Hoadley, David (1996). "Melbourne's former A-class trams". Trams of Australia. Railfan. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  11. "No.13". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  12. "No.14". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  13. "No.18". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  14. "No.21". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  15. "No.22". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  16. "No.26". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  17. "Shinier rails in Ballarat". Fares Please: News of the Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society Limited. 1 (5): 1. January 1975.
  18. "No.27". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  19. "Negative - State Electricity Commission, Ballarat, Victoria, Jan 1963". Museum Victoria. 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  20. "No.28". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  21. Winspur, Peter (December 2009). "Thirty Five Years of Service". Fares Please: News from the Ballarat Tramway Museum: 12.
  22. "No.32". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  23. "No.33". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  24. "No.38". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  25. "No.39". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  26. "No.40". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Hoadley, David. "Melbourne's W-class tram". Trams of Australia. Railfan. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  28. "No.661". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  29. "No.671". Ballarat Tramway Museum. 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  30. "VICSIG - Trams". vicsig.net. 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 "VICSIG – Trams SW6". vicsig.net. 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  32. "Trolleys & More". webring.org. 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  33. "VICSIG - Trams". vicsig.net. 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  34. "VICSIG - Trams". vicsig.net. 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  35. "VICSIG - Trams". vicsig.net. 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  36. "VICSIG - Trams". vicsig.net. 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  37. "VICSIG - Trams". vicsig.net. 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  38. 38.0 38.1 "VICSIG – Trams W6". vicsig.net. 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  39. "VICSIG - Trams". vicsig.net. 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.

External links

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