Brisbane Tramway Museum facts for kids
The Brisbane Tramway Museum is a special place in Ferny Grove, Australia. It's a museum that keeps old trams and trolleybuses safe. Most of these vehicles used to run in Brisbane from 1897 until 1969. It's like a time capsule for public transport!
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How the Museum Started: Its History
The Brisbane Tramway Museum Society began in 1968. People realized that the Brisbane City Council was going to stop the city's tram system. They wanted to save some of these historic trams. In 1972, they found a perfect spot in Ferny Grove. The museum was built there and first opened its doors in June 1980.
What You Can See: The Collection
The museum has a fantastic collection of old vehicles. As of November 2005, there are 25 trams. Twenty-four of these trams used to run in Brisbane. One special tram even came from Sydney!
The museum also has two single-deck Brisbane trolleybuses. These buses were built by Sunbeam in England. They are numbers 1 (from 1951) and 34 (from 1960). You can see these trolleybuses on display.
Trams You Can Ride!
Many trams in the museum can still move! They operate on a short track that is 250 meters long. It's a great way to experience how people traveled long ago.
The oldest tram you can ride is No. 47. It's a "California Combination" or "Matchbox" tram built in 1901. The newest tram is No. 554, a "Four Motor" tram. It was built after the Paddington tram depot fire and started service in 1964.
Other trams that sometimes run include:
- No. 65, a "Toastrack" tram with 10 benches.
- No. 99, a small "Baby Dreadnought" tram.
- No. 341, a "Dropcentre" tram.
- No. 429, another "Four Motor" tram.
You can often see these trams running on Sunday afternoons. However, they might not run if the weather is wet.
Support Vehicles
The museum also has special support vehicles. These were used by the Brisbane City Council Tramways Department. They include a tower wagon for fixing overhead wires. There's also a Scammell breakdown truck. This truck was even used to tow artillery during World War II!
Unique Museum Features
The museum is full of interesting parts from Brisbane's old tram system.
Depots and Equipment
The museum's depots (where trams are stored) are made from parts of the old Ipswich Road tram depot. The museum also has a special direct current substation. This was built using equipment from old Brisbane tramway substations. It helps power the trams.
You can also see an elevated signal cabin. This cabin used to stand at the corner of Brunswick and Wickham Streets in Fortitude Valley.
The Track and Points
The museum's short section of track was taken from different places. These include the Ipswich Road depot and Gregory Terrace. The track is laid in mass concrete, not on sleepers and ballast. This was how the Brisbane City Council Tramways Department built their tracks.
The museum also has a very rare three-way set of points. These points allow trams to switch to three different tracks. They were originally at the Light Street depot. You can find them outside the main depot shed.
Memorabilia and Uniforms
The museum has a huge collection of photos. These photos show Brisbane's tramway and street transport history. You can also see old tickets and uniforms worn by tram staff. A cool part of the uniforms were the unusual "Foreign legion" caps. These caps, also called kepis, were worn by drivers and conductors until 1961. Inspectors wore them even more recently.
See also
- List of transport museums
- Brisbane Transport
- Paddington tram depot fire
- Trams in Brisbane
- Bus transport in Queensland
