Ballarat Tramway Museum facts for kids

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Ballarat Tramway Museum
Established	1971
Location	Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

Ballarat tram No. 33 at Lake Wendouree

The Ballarat Tramway Museum

A tramway destination board

Trams being restored at the museum

The Ballarat Tramway Museum depot, with Scrubber Tram No. 8

A conductor selling tickets on a tram

Ballarat trams No. 38 and No. 28

The view from a tram driver's cabin

The Ballarat Tramway Museum is a fun place in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. It's a museum where you can actually ride old trams! Volunteers run the museum. They have a collection of trams that travel on part of the old tram tracks. These tracks go around Lake Wendouree and the Botanical Gardens. The museum also has lots of information and items about Ballarat's tram history. Trams ran on a big network through Ballarat from 1887 until 1971.

History of the Museum
New Museum Display Building
Tram Fleet
- Some Trams in the Collection
Images for kids
See also

History of the Museum

Groups started working to save parts of the old tramway in May 1971. One group was the Lake Wendouree Tramway Museum Committee. They talked with the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SEC), which used to run the trams. Another group, the Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society, also started in 1971. Their goal was to create a real tramway museum.

In 1978, the society became an official group called the Ballarat Tourist Tramway. It changed its name again in 1981 to the Ballarat Vintage Tramway. Then, in 1995, it became the Ballarat Tram Museum Inc.

The first idea was to save all the tram tracks around Lake Wendouree. But after talking with the SEC and the City of Ballarat, only the part of the track in the Botanical Gardens was kept. This part included some of the very first horse tram tracks from 1887. These tracks were later changed to electric in 1905. The SEC gave the museum the equipment, tracks, overhead wires, and trams.

A new tram depot (a place where trams are stored and fixed) was built. The old depot land was sold in 1972. The City of Ballarat gave land in the South Gardens Reserve for the new depot. Six Ballarat trams were moved from the old depot. They had to be pulled around Lake Wendouree to the new spot. Workers laid a temporary track and used a winch to pull the trams into the new shed.

In July 1974, a new power station was built to give electricity to the trams. On October 12, 1974, Tram No. 27 made its first test trips on the new track. During November and December 1974, more track was laid to connect the new depot to the existing tram tracks in Wendouree Parade. This was tricky because the rails had to be bent into curves. The street had to be dug up to lay the new track.

The first trip on the museum's tramway was on December 7, 1974. Tram No. 27 tested the connection. Then, Tram No. 40 was driven along the whole track. Tram No. 40 was special because it was the very last tram to run on the SEC network. Passengers rode the trams for the first time on December 24, 1974. Regular services started on December 26. The tramway officially opened on February 1, 1975.

New Museum Display Building

A brand new display building opened in 2022. It cost $2 million to build! This space lets the museum show off many trams. It also has information boards and interactive screens for visitors to learn more.

Tram Fleet

The SEC gave the museum five trams in 1971. The City of Ballarat also gave one tram to the museum. Since then, the museum has found and brought back many other Ballarat trams. One tram had been on display in a park for 10 years. The museum fixed it up, and now it runs again! An original horse tram was found being used as a sleepout (a small room) in Ballarat. After a lot of work, it was discovered to be the very first tram from 1887! It is now used for special events. The museum also runs two large W class trams from Melbourne.

Some Trams in the Collection

Number 1: This was a horse tram built in 1887. It was almost completely rebuilt after being found in 1985. It runs a few times a year, pulled by horses!
Geelong Number 2: Built in 1912, this is the only one of its kind left. It used to run in Geelong.
Number 8: Built in 1934, this tram was used to clean tracks. It still helps clean the museum's tracks today!
Number 11: This tram was built in 1915. It ran in Melbourne and Geelong before coming to Ballarat in 1936. It is currently in storage.
Number 12: Built in 1892, this was first a cable car trailer in Sydney. It came to Ballarat in 1905 and was changed into an electric tram. It's now being fixed up.
Number 13: Built in 1915, this tram also ran in Melbourne and Geelong. It was given to another group in 1971 but returned to Ballarat in 1983.
Number 14: Built in 1915, this tram also ran in Melbourne and Geelong before coming to Ballarat in 1936. The City of Ballarat owns this tram.
Number 18: Built in 1913, this tram ran many miles in Ballarat. It was on display in a park for a while. The museum restored it in 1982, and it runs regularly today.
Number 21: Built in Ballarat in 1913, this tram was later used as part of a house. It returned to Ballarat in 1994 but is in poor condition.
Number 22: Another tram built in Ballarat in 1913. It was also used as part of a house. It returned to the museum in 2009, and some restoration work has been done.
Number 26: Built in 1916, this tram ran over a million miles in Ballarat! It was the first tram to carry passengers for the museum on Christmas Eve, 1974.
Number 27: Built in 1916, this tram also ran many miles. It was badly damaged in an accident in 1963.
Number 28: Built in 1916, this tram ran over a million miles in Ballarat. It was one of the first trams given to the museum. It has been restored twice.
Number 32: Built in 1917, this tram was sold to a wildlife park in 1971. It returned to Ballarat in 1986 and is now on display in the museum building.
Number 33: Built in 1917, this tram was sold to a museum in Hamilton in 1971. It returned to Ballarat in 1977.
Number 38: Built in 1914, this tram came to Ballarat in 1951. It ran many miles in Ballarat.
Number 39: Built in 1914, this tram was displayed in a park by the Lions Club. It returned to Ballarat in 1977 and is now a museum display area and shop.
Number 40: Built in 1913, this tram came to Ballarat in 1951. It was the very last tram to run on the old Ballarat tram network. It was also the first tram to operate on the museum's tracks!

Trams from Melbourne (that didn't run in Ballarat originally)

Number 407: This W2 Class tram started service in Melbourne in 1926.
Victorian Railways Number 41: This tram started service in Melbourne in 1923. It ran on the St. Kilda – Brighton Beach line. It was later used as a tool shed and has been restored.
Number 661: This W3 class tram was built between 1930 and 1934. It was badly damaged in 2019 and is now in storage.
Number 671: This W4 class tram was one of the first wide-body trams. It was built between 1933 and 1935.
Number 924: This is a Melbourne SW6 class tram, currently in storage. It started service in 1946.
Number 939: This Melbourne SW6 class tram started service in 1948. It was later a special "Colonial Tramcar Restaurant" car in Melbourne. The museum bought it in 2013 and restored it. It now serves as a cafe or special event vehicle.
Number 1029: This Melbourne W7 class tram started service in 1956. It returned to service at the museum in November 2023.
Number 1039: This Melbourne W7 class tram started service in 1956. It is currently in storage.

The Ballarat Tramway Museum also has a 1952 Bedford truck. This truck has a tall tower to reach the overhead wires. It was first used in Sydney and came to Ballarat in 1961. The truck is on display in the museum building.