Ridge Street Tram Depot

Ridge Street Tramway Depot
Operation
Locale North Shore Tramway System
Open 1902
Close 1920's
Operator(s) New South Wales Tramways
Infrastructure
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Depot(s) Ridge Street Tram Depot

The Ridge Street Depot was originally a cable tram depot and winding engine house that opened in Sydney in 1886. On the conversion to electric operation the depot was extensively rebuilt in 1902 to enlarge the tram shed to twelve roads.

Design

The front elevation of the shed had a parapet with recessed panels. Design included:[1]

Operations

The original cable depot served a short cable line to the ferry wharf at Milsons Point. A typical cable tram consisted of two vehicles, a leading open tramcar, known as the "dummy" or "grip" car, and a second car that was an enclosed saloon tram or trailer.[2]

The system was powered by a large steam winding engine in Ridge Street . The engine's flywheel hauled an endless steel cable lying beneath the road between the rails in a shallow channel along the tram route. Cable trams were replaced by electric trams in 1902 and the new electric depot served the isolated North Shore Lines[3]

Demise

The old cable shed and winding engine house was demolished and the carriage sheds converted to a cinema (now the Independent Theatre) while the electric tram sheds were closed in 1909 and converted into the North Sydney Coliseum Roller Rink which became the Sydnian Theatre of Pictures in 1913 and reverting to the name Coliseum in 1915 .The Coliseum Theatre (Biograph) next door became a Vaudevile theatre six months after opening and remained a 'live' venue to the present day.

References

  1. ↑ "Comparative Analysis". City of Sydney.
  2. ↑ Simpson, Margaret (2004). On the move: a history of transport in Australia. Sydney: Powerhouse Publishing.
  3. ↑ MacCowan, Ian. The Tramways of New South Wales.