Our Trams
The Brisbane Tramway Museum has restored trams that date from 1901 to 1962.
Trams you may get the chance to ride are:
47 – is a Californian Combination tram (Built 1901)
65 – a standard 10-bench, commonly know as a ‘Jumping Jack’ or ‘Toast Rack’ (Built 1921)
99 – is a centre aisle ‘Baby Dreadnought’ (Built 1941)
341 – a ‘Drop Centre’ Combination, known as a Drop Centre, or ‘Droppies’. (Built 1936)
429 – an ‘FM’ meaning Four Motor. (Built 1942)
554 – is an ‘FM’. The last ever Brisbane tram (a Pheonix, one of eight) built after the 1962 Paddington Tram Depot fire. (Built 1963)
Brisbane Tramways History
1885 Horse drawn tram services were introduced in Brisbane by the Metropolitan Tramway and Investment Company.
1897 Electric tram services commenced by the Brisbane Tramways Company with the electrification of the Victoria Bridge to Woolloongabba and the New Farm Wharf horse lines. Paddington, Petrie Tce, Red Hill (Corner of Enoggera Tce.) and Waterworks Rd line opened.
1898 Last horse drawn tram ends with the electrification of the Breakfast Creek, West End, Exhibition, Bulimba Ferry and Logan Road horse lines. West End to Dornoch Tce. and Exhibition to Bowen Bridge extensions opened.
1899 Ascot (Racecourse Road) extension opened.
1900/1 Kelvin Grove, Clayfield and Gladstone Road (Vulture St)extensions opened.
1902/3 Norman Bridge (East Brisbane), Gregory Tce to the Gardens and Wharf St lines opened.
1904/5 Paddington extension to MacGregor St, Toowong, Rosalie, Albion Park siding (Amy St), St Paul’s Tce., North Quay loop, Ann St (Valley to Light St depot) and Red Hill extension to Kennedy Tce. lines opened.
1908 Dutton Park extension (Lang St depot) opened.
1912 The Great Tramway Strike triggered by a management decree banning the wearing of Union Badges. Rules preventing the wearing of any badges remained in force until the 1980s
1914 New Farm via Moray St. and Kedron Bridge extension opened.
1915 Paddington Depot opened, Red Hill extension to Paddington Depot, Cracknell Rd extension (Ipswich Rd), Greenslopes extension and Coorparoo lines opened.
1916 Ascot Doomben extension (Magdala St) and Exhibition via St Pauls Tce. opened.
1917 Adelaide St., Grey St. South Brisbane and Ann St. (Petrie Bight to Valley) lines opened.
1917/23 Paddington to Jubilee Tce., Ipswich Road to Aubigney St extensions opened.
1923 1st January, Brisbane Tramway Trust took over from the Brisbane Tramways Company. Exhibition via Gregory Tce. line opened.
1924 Ashgrove open to Oleander Drive. Red Hill service reduced.
1925 The Greater Brisbane City Council was formed on the 1st of July and took over tramway operations from the Brisbane Tramway Trust on the 1st of December. Camp Hill, Balmoral Cemetery, Cavendish Rd., Lutwyche, Balmoral to Barton Rd., West End, Ascot (Oriel Park) extensions open. Wharf St – Adelaide St connecting curve installed. Warner St Valley (loop) open. The first “Drop-centre” class tram entered service on the 15th January.
1926 New Farm Park tram service commences and Holland Park extension opens.
1927 Ipswich Road depot opens. Barry Parade, Albion Park siding loop and Davies Park (West End) loop open.
1938 Prototype ‘FM’ (Four Motor) tram, 400, entered service on 12th January.
1939 Dutton Park terminus extended. Last ‘Drop-centre’ class tram was built
1940 Stafford line opens and Red Hill regular service is withdrawn
1941 Salisbury extension opened.
1943 Last four-wheel tram built in Australia. Baby Centre-Aisle 99.
1946 Woolloongabba sidings enlarged (Trafalgar St) and Ann St single track relief line opens.
1947 The very steep Edward St line closed. Chermside line opens and connecting curves installed at St Paul’s Tce and Brunswick St. Thirty Sunbeam trolley bus chassis ordered from England but materials shortages delayed delivery until 1950.
1948 Wharf St – Queen St connecting curve installed and Belmont extension opens.
1949 New entrance to Light St Depot in Ann St and Enoggera extension opens.
1951 Mt Gravatt extension opens. 12th August, first trolley bus route opened from Gardens to Gregory Terrace.
1952 New junctions installed at Countess St – Roma St and Leichhardt St – Wharf St for depot working from Paddington to Wharf St. New trolley bus route opened from Prospect Terrace to Stanley Bridge.
1954 Trolley bus extensions to Carina and Seven Hills opened, including a one-way link from Kemp Place through the city and South Brisbane to Woolloongabba.
1955 A trolley bus extension from Stanley Bridge along Cavendish Road to Lade Street replaced the Cavendish Road tram service.
1956 Cavendish Road trolley bus extended to Elgar Street. Six new trolley buses ordered but didn’t enter service until 1960.
1957 The Greenslopes line (Chatsworth Rd) was closed
1960 Gardens trolley bus route altered to include Alice, Albert and Turbot Streets when several city streets became one-way. Carina trolley bus route extended almost 1km.
1961 Last new line constructed in O’Keefe St.
1962 Paddington Depot destroyed by fire on 28th September, 65 trams lost.
1963 The Rainworth, Toowong, Bulimba Ferry and Kalinga tram lines closed. Line to Milton Tennis Courts remains open. Construction commenced on eight new FM ‘Pheonix’ trams numbers 547 – 554.
1964 Milton Tennis Courts line cut back to Milton Workshops and the Red Hill special work (Ashgrove line) removed. Last new tram FM554 constructed.
1966 Belmont terminus shortened to clear nearby intersection.
1968 Ashgrove, Grange, Bardon, Stafford, Enoggera, Chermside, Barry Pde and Exhibition tram lines closed and trams replaced with buses. (All Adelaide St. services. Wickham Tce / Leichhardt St connection closed and Light St depot closed. Ipswich Road Depot roads 1,2,3 removed. Last use of “Drop-centre” trams. Gardens – Gregory Terrace and Prospect Terrace – Stanley Bridge trolley bus services ceased.
1969 Remaining trolley bus services ceased 13th March. Clayfield, Ascot, New Farm, West End, Dutton Park, Salisbury, Balmoral, Belmont and Mt Gravatt services closed. (All Queen St tram services) and trams replaced by diesel buses. Closure of the Brisbane tram network on the 13th April.
1980 Trams commenced running at the Brisbane Tramway Museum.