Ever wondered what it was like to ride a tram through Sydney in its heyday? The Sydney Tramway Museum offers a captivating journey back in time. It is Australia’s oldest tramway museum. It is also the largest in the southern hemisphere.
The Sydney Tramway Museum began its journey in August 1956. It started at a site bordering the Royal National Park. Deputy Premier Pat Hills officially opened it in March 1965. At first the facilities were simple. They included a four-track shed built from second-hand materials. The running track was approximately 800 metres long.
In 1975 the New South Wales government approved a move. The Sydney Tramway Museum would relocate to a new site. It was across the Princes Highway near Loftus railway station. Construction started in April 1980. The first trams moved from the old site in November 1982. The new museum officially opened on 19 March 1988. The Railway Square tramway shelter was reassembled there. It had been disassembled in 1973. The last tram left the Royal National Park in May 1989.
In 1989 the Sydney Tramway Museum purchased a traverser. It came from Comeng’s Granville factory. CityRail closed the Royal National Park line in 1991. The museum began operating services on the line on 1 May 1993.
A significant addition came in 2001. The YMCA facade from Pitt and Bathurst Street was relocated here. Meriton moved it to make way for a new building. This sandstone structure dates from the 1880s. It provides a backdrop when entering the museum. The original Gladesville Bridge gates became the depot gates in 2010.
Tragedy struck on 23 October 2015. Vandals broke into the museum storage shed. It was at the original location in the Royal National Park. The shed housed the reserve collection. Six trams, four buses and a double-decker bus chassis from 1937 were lost. The shed and its contents were destroyed in the fire.
The 2018 film Ladies in Black used the museum as a filming location. Live-action scenes were filmed around the Railway Square Waiting Shed.
Today the Sydney Tramway Museum operates an extensive collection. You’ll find trams from Sydney and other Australian cities. There are also trams from around the world. The museum operates 4 kilometres of track. One line runs 1.5 kilometres north towards Sutherland. The other runs 2.5 kilometres south. It utilises the Royal National Park branch railway line. This line closed by CityRail in June 1991.
In 1993 the museum converted the line. It connected it to the Sutherland line. Now it provides access to the Royal National Park. The line terminates at Royal National Park railway station.
The Sydney Tramway Museum operates on Wednesdays, Sundays and public holidays. It also opens on selected weekdays during school holidays. The museum is run entirely by volunteers. It funds its activities through gate takings and public donations.
The Sydney Tramway Museum preserves Sydney’s public transportation history. Examples include a prison tram and Sydney tram 29. The latter has been restored to its 1899 George Street appearance. The museum also houses Sydney’s last remaining double-deck trolley bus.
Before you leave be sure to visit the small bookshop. You will find books, postcards, and souvenirs there. A visit to the Sydney Tramway Museum is more than just a tour. It’s a ride through history. It connects us to a time when trams ruled the streets of Sydney.