Brisbane's Tramway Museum

About a month ago prior to doing my first post on Trams and
Trolley Buses I went and visited the Brisbane Tramway
Museum. It’s only opened on Sundays between 12.30 and
4.00pm. If you are interested in trams the museum is well worth a visit.

The Brisbane Tramway Museum is a transport museum which preserves and displays trams and trolley-buses, most of which operated in Brisbane. The society was established in 1968, when it became apparent that the Brisbane City Council was preparing to close Brisbane's tram system. The museum has a collection of 25 trams, 24 of which formerly operated on the Brisbane tram network. A number of trams in the museum’s collection are operated on a short length of demonstration track 250 metres in length. The oldest operational tram in the museum's collection is No. 47, a "California Combination" or "Matchbox" tram, built in 1901.

.....................Two views of the No. 47 Tram built in 1907.

The newest tram in the collection is No. 554 a "Four Motor" tram built by the Brisbane City Council after the Paddington tram depot fire, and which entered service in 1964.

.........................The No. 554 "Four Motor" Tram.

The museum's trackwork has been recovered from Ipswich Road depot, Gregory Terrace and Ipswich Road between Moorooka and Salisbury. In keeping with the practice of the Brisbane City Council Tramways Department, the museum has constructed its track in mass concrete, that is, the track is laid in concrete, rather than on sleepers and ballast. The museum also houses a unique three-way set of track points (or railroad switch) which was originally located in Light Street depot.

I took the photo of the tram on the right with the Playboy Club poster mainly for Lee at Kitchen Connection as no doubt Lee visited this club on many (!) occasions during her time in Brisbane.

The museum is also notable for other elements of the former Brisbane system in its collection. The museum's depots (garages) are comprised of bays from the former Ipswich Road tram depot. The museum's direct current substation has been built from equipment retrieved from former Brisbane tramway substations. An elevated signal cabin which stood at the corner of Brunswick and Wickham Streets, Fortitude Valley has also been preserved.

The original elevated signal cabin situated in Fortitude Valley.

The museum's trackwork has been recovered from Ipswich Road depot, Gregory Terrace and Ipswich Road between Moorooka and Salisbury. In keeping with the practice of the Brisbane City Council Tramways Department, the museum has constructed its track in mass concrete, that is, the track is laid in concrete, rather than on sleepers and ballast. The museum also houses a unique three-way set of track points (or railroad switch) which was originally located in Light Street depot.

One of the volunteers informing visitors on the history of trams.

The museum houses an extensive photographic collection of Brisbane's tramway and street transport heritage, together with tickets and uniforms worn by staff of the tramway operators, a feature of which were the unusual "Foreign legion" caps (more correctly called kepis) worn by drivers and conductors until 1961.

Would you travel on this tram with this driver??

In 1999 a light rail project was approved for Brisbane but was later scrapped. The photos shown below are a artist impressions produced at the time as part of an information package and show what it could have looked like had it gone ahead.

It has been said that it was a mistake to take the trams off the roads in Brisbane. They have gone but are not forgotten and maybe back some day, but the past is still alive at the Brisbane Tramway Museum.