A depiction of one of the H-class Glenelg trams by Simon Lieschke. The Glenelg Tram is a tram service operating a 10.8km (approx 7 mile) route from the centre of Adelaide to the beach-side suburb of Glenelg. It runs along Adelaide's only remaining tramway at approximately fifteen-minute intervals. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 213 KB)A depiction of one of the Glenelg trams by Simon Lieschke File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 213 KB)A depiction of one of the Glenelg trams by Simon Lieschke File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
A modern tram in the Töölö district of Helsinki, Finland Volkswagen Cargo-Tram in Dresden. ...
Adelaide skyline as seen from Victoria Square The Adelaide CBD as seen from the Mount Lofty Ranges Adelaide is the capital city of the Australian state of South Australia. ...
Glenelg (34°58′ S 138°30′ E) is a suburb of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. ...
The tram system in Adelaide was last expanded in the 1920s, and all routes but this remaining line were removed in the 1950s. Apart from the street running sections in Adelaide city centre & Glenelg, most of the Glenelg route is in a private reservation. This means the line can offer a fast and reliable service to commuters & tourists with minimal interference to the flow of road traffic. Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America as the Roaring Twenties. // Events and trends Technology John T. Thompson invents Thompson submachine gun, also known as Tommy gun John Logie Baird invents the first working mechanical television system (1925) Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to...
// Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the baby-boom from returning...
Up until the end of 2005, the original 1929-vintage H-class cars have been used for all services on the Glenelg line. The H-class were built for the electrification of the Glenelg line and have many of the characteristics of American "interurban" cars of the same period.
The trams are the longest inflexible trams remaining in service, and the second-longest ever built. They travel in pairs during peak times, and with the retirement of the W2 trams from Melbourne's network are the oldest passenger trams in service in Australia. A C class tram The city of Melbourne, the second-largest city in Australia, has one of the worlds most extensive networks of tramways. ...
History of the Glenelg Tram
The rail route now used by the Glenelg tram was built in 1873 by a private company, the Adelaide, Glenelg & Suburban Railway Company Ltd. The original line had a very different character to today’s route. For example: - It was built to the 5ft 3in (1600mm) broad gauge (today’s tram is 4ft 8½ in, 1435mm).
- It was operated by steam locomotives, not electric trams.
- Most of the localities between Glenelg and Adelaide were sparsely settled and undeveloped. The line ran through open paddocks and market gardens.
- The line was largely single track.
- It crossed the Main South Line at Goodwood by a flat crossing, not an overpass.
- There were fewer stopping points and these were more like conventional railway stations.
- The trains did not operate on anything like the frequency of today’s trams, and a timetable was certainly advisable when planning a journey.
In December 1889 the private company was acquired by the state government-controlled South Australian Railways, who continued to operate the Glenelg line as a steam railway for the next 40 years or so.
In 1914, the steam railway’s terminus was cut back from the edge of Victoria Square (in the centre of Adelaide) to South Terrace on the city’s southern fringe. Most passengers then had to transfer to electric trams to complete their journey into the city.
The biggest, most dramatic changes to the route’s operation came about during 1929.
In this year, ownership and operation of the Glenelg line was transferred from the SAR to Adelaide’s Municipal Tramways Trust (MTT). Steam trains ceased on 2 April 1929 and the line was closed to be rebuilt to the standard gauge, electrified at 600V dc and converted to tramway operation. The Goodwood flyover was constructed at this time, completely separating the new tram tracks from the conventional railway.
Thirty new trams – the H-class - were built specially for the line by a local manufacturer, A. Pengelley, along the lines of North American interurban cars of that era.
The Glenelg line re-opened on 14 December 1929, with the city terminus reverting to the more convenient Victoria Square.
The Glenelg line and its H-class trams then settled down to 75 years of quietly efficient operation.
There were one or two quirks in the earlier years, the most famous being the “horse trams” operated in the 1930’s. These were specially constructed trams, built to carry race horses from stables located along the line to the racecourse at Morphettville. This service was a carry-over from the days of the steam railway, which had also performed this function. Another unusual feature was operation of triple sets of H-class trams in the peak hours, and a number of express trams which ran non-stop over a significant portion of the route (one express service remains in 2005).
The Glenelg line was the only route to survive the closure of Adelaide’s street tramway network during the 1950’s, saved largely by its high proportion of reserved track which ensures a fast journey for passengers and minimal interference with other road traffic.
Several refurbishments have occurred over the years. The H-class cars have been progressively updated during the 1970’s, then again in the late 1980’s and most recently (on five trams) in 2000. These programmes involved – for example - fitting of toughened safety glass in windows, replacing wooden panels with fibreglass, upgrading bogies and fitting fluorescent lights inside the cars and up-to-date sealed beam headlights and brake/hazard lamp clusters outside.
In 1986 the overhead & H-class trams were converted from trolley pole to pantograph operation. This change coincided with relocation of the tram depot from Angas Street in central Adelaide to a new facility at Glengowrie, close to Glenelg.
The most recent upgrade in 2000 has provided the five H-class cars which will be retained for special services after new Light Rail Vehicles are introduced in 2006.
Despite the various refurbishments and upgrades the overall character of the H-class trams has stayed very much as they were built. The interiors are still varnished wood and glass etched with MTT logos and there is no heating or air conditioning. All services are crew operated, with a driver and conductor on single cars, or a driver and two conductors on double car sets.
The future On April 6, 2005 the South Australian government annouced a $21 million extension to the existing tram system, extending it by 1.2 km to connect along King William Street and North Terrace to Adelaide Railway Station. Construction is scheduled to take place towards the end of 2005. April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ...
2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Australian dollar, AUD or A$, is the official currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu. ...
King William Street, looking south towards Victoria Square Named after King William IV (monarch at the time of South Australias proclamation), King William Street is a major arterial road that traverses the city of Adelaide from north to south. ...
North Terrace, Adelaide - Cultural Precinct Adelaide in 1839 as viewed south-east from North Terrace North Terrace is a street in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. ...
Adelaide railway station is the central terminus of the Adelaide railway system. ...
2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
In conjunction with the $79 million purchase of Bombardier Flexity Classic low-floor 'super trams', these improvements should improve transport in Adelaide markedly. Five of the nineteen old Type H trams will kept in minimal weekend service for tourist and historical purposes, fitted with safety measures similar to those of the new trams including vigilance controls and electro-magnetic track brakes. The Australian dollar, AUD or A$, is the official currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu. ...
Bombardier Inc. ...
A Flexity Classic tram in Frankfurt. ...
Passenger door of a low-floor tram Passenger door of a non-low-floor tram In public transportation, low floor is a term describing vehicles such as busses, trolleybusses and trams whose passenger compartment has a floor which is considerably lower than that of traditional cars. ...
A Vigilance control is a device fitted in the driving cab of a railway train to ensure that the driver is alert on the job. ...
Sources - Glenelg Tram (Adelaide Metro)
- New Tram (Adelaide Metro)
- Simon Lieschke's Tram Depictions
- ABC Online
- Type H Trams
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