Sydney Tramway Museum

Sydney Tramway Museum

Established	1950
Location	Pitt Street, Loftus New South Wales Australia
Coordinates	34°02′40″S 151°03′07″E / 34.044321°S 151.051966°E
Type	Tramway museum
Nearest car park	On site
Website	Official Site

The Sydney Tramway Museum is Australia's oldest tramway museum and the largest in the southern hemisphere, located in Loftus in the southern suburbs of Sydney.

History

The museum was officially opened at its original site on the edge of the Royal National Park by NSW Deputy Premier Pat Hills in 1965. It relocated to a larger site across the Princes Highway adjacent to Loftus railway station which opened on 19 March 1988.

On 23 October 2015 at about 11:00 to 11:30 pm a museum storage shed caught fire and was destroyed. Located off the main museum site, at its original location near Loftus Oval, the shed housed the museum's reserve collection of six trams, four buses and a double decker bus chassis dating to 1937. The shed and contents were destroyed. One tram lost, an 1898 C12, was within weeks of being completely restored after months of work.^[1]

Operation

R1-class Tram 1979 Controller

The museum has an extensive collection of trams from Sydney and cities in Australia and around the world. There are two tram lines from the museum used to run tram rides for museum visitors.

One line runs 1.5 km north towards Sutherland railway station, paralleling Rawson Avenue in the way Sydney's tram system operated.

The second utilises the Royal National Park branch line constructed in 1886 before the line closed in June 1991.^[2] The Museum converted the line to light rail standards and connected it to the existing museum line to establish what is now a most popular means of access to the world's second oldest national park.^[3]

The Sydney Tramway Museum is run entirely by volunteers and self funds its day-to-day activities, restorations and construction programs from gate takings and donations from the public.

Gallery

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  R1-class Tram 1979

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  Tram 393

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  Tram Controller

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  Makers Emblem

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  O-class Tram 805

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  Tram Signage

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  P-class Tram 1497

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  Drivers Cab

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  Acetylene Weed Burner

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  Balmain Counterweight

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  Destination Roll

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  Tram 728

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  Destination Roll

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  154 Advertising

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  Phoenix class tram in the Royal National Park

Preservation

ex-NSW Tramways Rolling stock [4]
No	Description	Manufacturer	Type	Year Built	Length m	Weight t	Date Acquired	Status	Comments
12	C-Class Tram	Hudson Bros.	Single truck	1899	7.62	8.60	1997	SNO	Converted to breakdown car 56s in 1909.Converted back to passenger in 1959 By NSWDOT. Originally donated to NSW tramway Historical Society. Body in poor condition. Stored at the old RNP depot site.
29	C-Class Tram	Hudson Bros.	Single truck	1898	7.62	8.60	1961	IO	Converted to breakdown car 60s in 1910.Converted back to passenger in 1995 at STM. Operational in 2001.
33	C-Class Tram	Hudson Bros	Single truck	1898	7.62	8.60	1995	URF	Converted to experimental double deck car in 1907 and lasted until 1908. Converted to breakdown car 33s in 1924 at Randwick Workshops. Body only recovered in 1995 from Newcastle Tramway Museum-Rutherford. Being restored in Bendigo to double deck tram.
37	C-Class Tram	Hudson Bros.	Single truck	1899	7.62	8.60	2010	URN	Sold in 1924. Donated by the Tradesmens Union Club, Canberra in 2010. Moved to Sydney 20/4/2010 for restoration and to be sent to Christchurch, NZ in 2011.
290	C-Class Tram	Morrison	Single truck	1896	7.93	8.60	1957	IO	Converted to breakdown car 115s in 1927 by NSWDOT. Restored to Passenger tram by SPER.
23	Cable trailer	Richie Bros	Single truck	1894	5.64	2.50	1976	DCO	Under restoration
117	D-Class Tram	Clyde	Single truck	1899	9.40	9.66	1994	URN	Converted to breakdown car 112s in 1913 by NSWDOT. Major restoration back to passenger car
529	E-Class Tram	Clyde	Single truck	1903	8.37	10.20	1957	URN	Under restoration
530	E-Class Tram	Clyde	Single truck	1903	8.37	10.20	1957	URN	Under restoration
393	F-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1902	11.75	13.00	1957	IOS	Converted to Eye Sight car 127s in 1927. Restored to original condition at STM.
24s	Freight car	NSWGT	Bogie	1903	9.60	12.70	1957	DCO	Car preserved without motors. Body restored for display.
675	J-Class Tram	Meadowbank	Single truck	1904	8.89	11.70	1996	IO	Restored to operating condition. In service 2009
1295	K-Class Tram	Meadowbank	Single truck	1913	8.89	10.90	1997	SNO	Originally donated to NSW Tramway Historical Society. Body in poor condition. -Stored at old site depot.
1296	K-Class Tram	Meadowbank	Single truck	1913	8.89	10.90	1957	DCO
154	L/P-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1900	12.45	15.20	1957	IO	Built as an F-Class Tram and converted to L class in 1910. Converted to L/P in 1926
257	L/P-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1901	12.45	15.20	1995	SFI	Body stored at HPOTS, Cessnock poor condition.
298	L/P-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1901	12.45	15.20	1995	SFI	Body stored at HPOTS, Cessnock poor condition
341	L/P-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1901	12.45	15.20	1995	SFI	Body stored at HPOTS, Cessnock poor condition
710	N-Class Tram	Meadowbank	Bogie	1906	11.99	15.10	2007	SFI	Stored at Old site, RNP poor condition of body
718	N-Class Tram	Meadowbank	Bogie	1906	11.99	15.10	1995	SFI	Stored at HPOTS, Cessnock poor condition of body
728	N-Class Tram	Meadowbank	Bogie	1906	11.99	15.10	1957	IO
824	O-Class Tram	Meadowbank	Bogie	1909	13.58	17.80	1995	SFI	Stored at HPOTS, Cessnock poor condition of body
957	O-Class Tram	Meadowbank	Bogie	1910	13.58	17.80	1978	URN	Under restoration
1111	O-Class Tram	Meadowbank	Bogie	1912	13.58	17.80	1959	IO
1089	O/P-Class Tram	Meadowbank	Bogie	1912	13.58	17.90	1974	URN	Originally an O-Class Tram; rebuilt by NSWDOT to O/P in 15/6/1920. Under restoration
99u	Overhead Line car	Meadowbank	Bogie	1913	12.65	18.90	1959	IOW	Operational
1497	P-Class Tram	NSWGT	Bogie	1922	13.85	16.90	1961	IO
1501	P-Class Tram	NSWGT	Bogie	1922	13.85	16.90	1999	SFI	Stored at Bendigo pending review for restoration
1729	P-Class Tram	Mort's Dock	Bogie	1929	13.85	16.90	2010	SNO	Donated by the Tradesmens Union Club, Canberra in 2010. Moved to Sydney 24/1/2010. Future restoration.
1573	P/R1-Class Tram	Meadowbank	Bogie	1923	13.85	18.60	1965	SNO	P car rebuilt as PR1 in 1949 by NSWDOT. To be restored
948	Prison Tram	NSWGT	Bogie	1909	12.04	15.60	1957	DCO	Car preserved without motors.
1740	R-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1933	14.35	18.00	1961	IO
1741	R-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1933	14.35	18.00	2003	SNO	Tram body only at old RNP site -awaiting decision of future
1753	R-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1933	14.35	17.90	1999	SFI	Body stored at Rozelle Depot-ex Citytram Assoc.
1798	R-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1934	14.35	18.00	1999	SNO	Body stored at HPOTS, Cessnock poor condition.
1808	R-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1934	14.35	18.00	1999	OOS	Restored at Bendigo in 2000 to operational condition. Stored at Melbourne in Preston Workshops. Leased to MOTAT in New Zealand Jan 2010.
1819	R-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1934	14.35	18.00	2006	SNO	Moved From Canberra Tradesmens Union Club. Stored at old site.
1917	R-Class Tram		Bogie	1935	14.35	18.00	2003	SNO	Tram body only at old site - awaiting decision of future.
1923	R-Class Tram		Bogie	1935	14.35	17.90	1997	SFI	Body stored at Rozelle Depot-ex Citytram Assoc.
1933	R/R1 class tram	Clyde	Bogie	1935	14.35	17.90	1990	SNO	Car preserved without motors. Currently used as Book Shop
1943	R1-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1935	14.35	17.90	1997	SFI	Body stored at Rozelle Depot-ex Citytram Assoc. Future to be decided-July 2012.
1951	R1-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1935	14.35	17.90	1994	SFI	Stored at Newstead, Victoria Partly restored
1971	R1-Class Tram		Bogie	1936	14.35	17.90	1979	OOS	On loan -Operating at AETM at St Kilda in South Australia in 2005
1971	R1-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1936	14.35	17.90	1979	OOS	On loan- Operating at AETM at St Kilda in South Australia in 2005
1979	R1-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1936	14.35	17.90	1974	IO
1980	R1-Class Tram	Clyde	Bogie	1936	14.35	17.90	1999	SFI	Body stored at HPOTS, Cessnock poor condition.
1995	R1-Class Tram	Comeng	Bogie	1951	14.35	17.90	1997	SFI	Tram stored at Rozelle Depot-ex Citytram Assoc. To be restored and displayed in the redeveloped Rozelle Depot .
2001	R1-Class Tram	Comeng	Bogie	1951	14.35	17.90	2001	IO	Acquired by STM as a body in 2001. Restored at Bendigo in 2001 for the proposed Federation Tramways. Stored at Canberra until 7/10/2005.
2044	R1-Class Tram	Comeng	Bogie	1952	14.35	17.90	1983	SNO	Car preserved without motors. Currently used as Traffic Office
2050	R1-Class Tram	Comeng	Bogie	1952	14.35	17.90	2011	SFI	Tram stored at Rozelle Depot- originally owned by Sydney City Council now ownership passed to STM-
3	Reciprocating Rail Grinder	S. and E.	Single truck	1920	4.27	6.10	1971	OOS	Operable -Converted to current design by MMTB in 1958. Loaned to MOTAT despatched from STM 11/05/2011. The Board approved a 2-year loan at the April 2011 meeting.
3	Reciprocating Rail Grinder	S. and E.	Single truck	1920	4.27	6.10	1971	OOS	Operable -Converted to current design by MMTB in 1958. Loaned to MOTAT despatched from STM 11/05/2011. The Board approved a 2-year loan at the April 2011 meeting.
11W	Scrubber	Meadowbank	Single truck	1908	8.89	10.90	2003	SFO	Originally K-Class Tram 797, converted to scrubber in 1953 by NSWDOT and coded 139s. Sold to MMTB in 1961. Stored in Melbourne at Preston Workshops.
134s	Scrubber tram	Ritchie Brothers	Single truck	1899	9.40	12.50	1961	IOW	Originally D class tram 102, converted to scrubber in 1930 and coded 134s. Fully operational.
147s	Track Tamper		Single truck					IOW	Originally TDX45 on NSWGR register. At Lithgow for conversion.
147s	Track Tamper		Single truck					IOW	Originally TDX45 on NSWGR register. Currently at Lithgow for conversion & to make operational.
19	Trolleybus	Ritchie Brothers	Trolleybus	1937	9.30	8.80	1978	URN	Under restoration
144s	Weed Burner	NSWGT	Single truck	1956	3.00	3.60	1961	IOS
93u	Ballast Motor	Meadowbank	Bogie	1913	12.65	18.90	1967	URN	Restored for display only in 1991.
42s	Ballast Motor-U2	NSWGT	Bogie	1907	11.43	15.70	1981	IOW	Numbered L707 in NSWGR service from 1926 to 1980.
	Balmain Counterweight	Clyde	Single truck	1903	3.28	2.00	1955	IOS	Restored at HVTC in 1990. On display in Display Hall
141s	Breakdown car	Meadowbank	Bogie	1911	13.85	18.03	1964	IOW	Originally O-Class Tram 1030, converted to breakdown car in 1955 by NSWDOT and coded 141s.

Status Legend

^[4]

• DCO Display condition only
• IO In Operation
• IOA In Operation - awaiting accreditation
• IOS In Operation - special days only
• IOW In Operation - Works vehicle
• OOS Operating Off Site
• SFI Stored off site - inoperable
• SFO Stored off site - operable
• SNO Stored on site - inoperable
• URF Under Restoration - Off site
• URN Under Restoration - On site

Publications

The Sydney Tramway Museum publishes Trolley Wire on behalf of most tramway museums around the country. Published quarterly, it carries articles on tramways around the world and news from the various Australasian heritage tramways.

References

1. Belchert, Kahlia (27 October 2015) "Tramway relics lost" St George and Sutherland Shire Leader, p. 1, Retrieved 29 October 2015
2. "Royal National Park services stopped" Railway Digest September 1991 page 314
3. "National Park Line" Railway Digest May 1992 p. 194
4. "Sydney Tramway Museum Fleet Register" (PDF). Sydney Tramway Museum. Retrieved 28 December 2014.

External links

• Sydney Tramway Museum website