132-402: The Christchurch tramway system is a small tramway network serving the inner city of Christchurch , New Zealand. Historically, it was an extensive network, with steam and horse trams from 1882 and then electric trams ran from 1905 to 1954, when the last line from Cashmere to Papanui was replaced by buses. In 1995, a 2.5-kilometre (1.6 mi) central city loop heritage tram was reopened in
264-622: A tram engine in the UK) at the head of a line of one or more carriages, similar to a small train. Systems with such steam trams included Christchurch , New Zealand; Sydney, Australia; other city systems in New South Wales ; Munich , Germany (from August 1883 on), British India (from 1885) and the Dublin & Blessington Steam Tramway (from 1888) in Ireland. Steam tramways also were used on
396-558: A "square", its shape is that of a cruciform . Cathedral Square has a large number of buildings and statues that are registered as heritage items with Heritage New Zealand . Many of those were damaged in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and because of earthquake damage some have been lost as a consequence. When steam trams began operating in the city in 1880, they left from the Square. Later, when buses replaced trams in 1954,
528-520: A Vermont blacksmith, had invented a battery-powered electric motor which he later patented. The following year he used it to operate a small model electric car on a short section of track four feet in diameter. Attempts to use batteries as a source of electricity were made from the 1880s and 1890s, with unsuccessful trials conducted in among other places Bendigo and Adelaide in Australia, and for about 14 years as The Hague accutram of HTM in
660-559: A higher demand on the trams during peak times and reduced off-peak demand, but also an increase in staff costs, which only served to further increase losses. To determine the future of public transport in Christchurch, the Future Policy Committee was formed in February 1945. It considered the matter of the tram network and concluded that the remaining tram routes should be retained and operated until such time as
792-669: A lack of capital, but animosity from the line's neighbours also disrupted business. Work on the line had ceased by the end of 1866 by which time the Christchurch–Halswell Quarry section had been completed and work had started at the Little River end. The line to the quarry remained in use until 1872. Little River was eventually served by rail when the Railways Department 's Little River Branch opened to its namesake terminus in 1886. The idea of building
924-433: A measure of ingenuity to keep things working. War service depleted the board's staff resulting in the hiring of women where necessary to fill gaps. Women were not just to fill gaps – wartime photo shows 28 women conductors at the time. Most trams then carried women conductors. RNM The end of the war also brought about the end of the boom for the tramway and marked the beginning of the end. Unlike other tramway systems around
1056-473: A replacement. The general manager made a point of convincing the board that only buses could adequately serve its needs and those of its customers and finally succeeded in January 1953, when the board relented and agreed that this route would also be served by buses. With the fate of the trams sealed, the remaining tram routes closed as a sufficient number of buses arrived from England to replace them. Since
1188-726: A similar technology, Pirotsky put into service the first public electric tramway in St. Petersburg, which operated only during September 1880. The second demonstration tramway was presented by Siemens & Halske at the 1879 Berlin Industrial Exposition. The first public electric tramway used for permanent service was the Gross-Lichterfelde tramway in Lichterfelde near Berlin in Germany, which opened in 1881. It
1320-399: A suspension of services until 16 March. The Company opened several other lines that same year including: Christchurch Railway Station via High and Manchester Streets (24 July); Papanui Railway Station (24 June); Agricultural Show Grounds (6 August) and later in the year to Devon Street. Orders were also placed with local coachbuilders for more tramcars. In later years, other lines opened by
1452-645: A three-year lease. He proved to be unsuitable and was replaced in August 1886 by the Canterbury Tramway Company. The lease changed hands again after 18 months and was picked up by the New Brighton Tramway Company who remained the leaseholder until municipalisation . Buoyed by the prospect of a tram connection to New Brighton following the opening of the city council's Corporation line, the New Brighton Tramway Company
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#17327911276861584-492: A tramway did not gain widespread support until 1876. By this time, the city had experienced significant development and the need for improved transport had become evident. With the passing into law of the Tramways Act in 1872 and the city council dropping its opposition to the idea, the political environment had become more agreeable to the formation of tramways. Trams became a reality for Christchurch on 9 March 1880 when
1716-946: A well-known tourist attraction . A single cable line also survives in Wellington (rebuilt in 1979 as a funicular but still called the " Wellington Cable Car "). Another system, with two separate cable lines and a shared power station in the middle, operates from the Welsh town of Llandudno up to the top of the Great Orme hill in North Wales , UK. Hastings and some other tramways, for example Stockholms Spårvägar in Sweden and some lines in Karachi , used petrol trams. Galveston Island Trolley in Texas operated diesel trams due to
1848-404: Is a type of urban rail transit consisting of either individual railcars or self-propelled multiple unit trains that run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way . The tramlines or tram networks operated as public transport are called tramways or simply trams/streetcars. Because of their close similarities, trams are commonly included in
1980-540: Is another of Christchurch's many references to Oxford , since Ridley was martyred there. In the original survey of central Christchurch (known as the Black Map ), which was undertaken in 1850, it was envisaged for Christ's College and ChristChurch Cathedral to be built adjacent to one another in Cathedral Square, modelled on Christ Church, Oxford . The area set aside for the college in Cathedral Square
2112-406: Is now Moorhouse Avenue, travelling to Birdlings Flat where it would roughly follow the present state highway to Little River, then on to an area now known as Puaha. The gauge was to be 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ) and the estimated cost was £1,023 per mile. White began construction in 1863 and by year's end had built 1-mile (1.6 km) of the line. The project ultimately failed, due largely to
2244-640: Is still in operation in modernised form. The earliest tram system in Canada was built by John Joseph Wright , brother of the famous mining entrepreneur Whitaker Wright , in Toronto in 1883, introducing electric trams in 1892. In the US, multiple experimental electric trams were exhibited at the 1884 World Cotton Centennial World's Fair in New Orleans, Louisiana , but they were not deemed good enough to replace
2376-734: Is the sole survivor of the fleet). In Italy, in Trieste , the Trieste–Opicina tramway was opened in 1902, with the steepest section of the route being negotiated with the help of a funicular and its cables. Cable cars suffered from high infrastructure costs, since an expensive system of cables , pulleys , stationary engines and lengthy underground vault structures beneath the rails had to be provided. They also required physical strength and skill to operate, and alert operators to avoid obstructions and other cable cars. The cable had to be disconnected ("dropped") at designated locations to allow
2508-713: The Bleecker Street Line until its closure in 1917. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , had its Sarah Street line drawn by horses until 1923. The last regular mule-drawn cars in the US ran in Sulphur Rock, Arkansas , until 1926 and were commemorated by a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1983. The last mule tram service in Mexico City ended in 1932, and a mule tram in Celaya, Mexico , survived until 1954. The last horse-drawn tram to be withdrawn from public service in
2640-526: The Great Depression of the 1930s, a situation that severely affected the operation of the tramway as much as it affected the rest of the country. Both revenue and patronage suffered sharp declines and as if to make matters worse the loans used to establish the tramway system were due to mature in 1934. Competition was becoming an increasing problem, particularly from bicycles whose number had increased dramatically. To contain its financial problems,
2772-933: The Lamm fireless engines then propelling the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar in that city. The first commercial installation of an electric streetcar in the United States was built in 1884 in Cleveland, Ohio , and operated for a period of one year by the East Cleveland Street Railway Company. The first city-wide electric streetcar system was implemented in 1886 in Montgomery, Alabama , by the Capital City Street Railway Company, and ran for 50 years. In 1888,
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#17327911276862904-715: The Richmond Union Passenger Railway began to operate trams in Richmond, Virginia , that Frank J. Sprague had built. Sprague later developed multiple unit control, first demonstrated in Chicago in 1897, allowing multiple cars to be coupled together and operated by a single motorman. This gave rise to the modern subway train. Following the improvement of an overhead "trolley" system on streetcars for collecting electricity from overhead wires by Sprague, electric tram systems were rapidly adopted across
3036-824: The West Midlands Metro in Birmingham , England adopted battery-powered trams on sections through the city centre close to Grade I listed Birmingham Town Hall . Paris and Berne (Switzerland) operated trams that were powered by compressed air using the Mekarski system . Trials on street tramways in Britain, including by the North Metropolitan Tramway Company between Kings Cross and Holloway, London (1883), achieved acceptable results but were found not to be economic because of
3168-528: The millennium , the sculpture was designed by Neil Dawson and is made up of forty-two leaf patterns featuring different plants. Before 2011, the Square was the city's main meeting place for people and was a regular site of street performers and speakers , one of the most notable was The Wizard of New Zealand . Following the earthquakes, Christchurch's Anzac Day dawn services were mostly held in Cranmer Square rather than Cathedral Square. This
3300-1241: The 1850s, after which the "animal railway" became an increasingly common feature in the larger towns. The first permanent tram line in continental Europe was opened in Paris in 1855 by Alphonse Loubat who had previously worked on American streetcar lines. The tram was developed in numerous cities of Europe (some of the most extensive systems were found in Berlin, Budapest , Birmingham , Saint Petersburg , Lisbon , London , Manchester , Paris , Kyiv ). The first tram in South America opened in 1858 in Santiago, Chile . The first trams in Australia opened in 1860 in Sydney . Africa's first tram service started in Alexandria on 8 January 1863. The first trams in Asia opened in 1869 in Batavia (Jakarta), Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia) . Limitations of horsecars included
3432-713: The 1894-built horse tram at Victor Harbor in South Australia . New horse-drawn systems have been established at the Hokkaidō Museum in Japan and also in Disneyland . A horse-tram route in Polish gmina Mrozy , first built in 1902, was reopened in 2012. The first mechanical trams were powered by steam . Generally, there were two types of steam tram. The first and most common had a small steam locomotive (called
3564-399: The 1930s due to prevailing economic conditions, most tram routes were closed in the decade following the end of World War 2. While the war was in some respects a boon for the tramway – with restrictions on other forms of transport patronage of the trams was significantly improved – it also caused problems, which contributed to the end of the trams. Perhaps one of the biggest problems faced by
3696-420: The 1980s. The history of passenger trams, streetcars and trolley systems, began in the early nineteenth century. It can be divided into several distinct periods defined by the principal means of power used. Precursors to the tramway included the wooden or stone wagonways that were used in central Europe to transport mine carts with unflanged wheels since the 1500s, and the paved limestone trackways designed by
3828-481: The Australian state of Queensland between 1909 and 1939. Stockholm , Sweden, had a steam tram line at the island of Södermalm between 1887 and 1901. Tram engines usually had modifications to make them suitable for street running in residential areas. The wheels, and other moving parts of the machinery, were usually enclosed for safety reasons and to make the engines quieter. Measures were often taken to prevent
3960-462: The British newspaper Newcastle Daily Chronicle reported that, "A large number of London's discarded horse tramcars have been sent to Lincolnshire where they are used as sleeping rooms for potato pickers ". Horses continued to be used for light shunting well into the 20th century, and many large metropolitan lines lasted into the early 20th century. New York City had a regular horsecar service on
4092-594: The Canterbury Tramway Company, but then under the ownership of the Christchurch Transport Board. With the enthusiastic support of the board, work commenced on a Stephenson single-deck horse car of 1887 and Kitson steam motor no. 7 of 1881. In 1964, the two branches of the association became independent with the Christchurch group becoming known as the Tramway Historical Society . It was also in August of that year that
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4224-575: The Company included: Addington Railway Station (5 January 1882) and later the Addington Show Grounds (28 October 1887); Woolston (7 July 1882) then to Heathcote (9 December 1882) and finally Sumner (1 November 1888). The lines to Papanui and Sumner were the most lucrative. It was not until 1884 that another player joined the Canterbury Tramway Company in the tramway business. The city council decided that it needed its own line from
4356-650: The Company was recapitalised as the Christchurch Tramway Company. Various measures were implemented to remedy the issues that plagued the old company including the closure of the Manchester Street route to the railway station, the use of horses in preference to steam motors, and the renewal or replacement of some of its assets. During its time, the Company also extended two of its lines: the Addington line reached Sunnyside Asylum at
4488-718: The Entertainment Centre, and work is progressing on further extensions. Sydney re-introduced trams (or light rail) on 31 August 1997. A completely new system, known as G:link , was introduced on the Gold Coast, Queensland , on 20 July 2014. The Newcastle Light Rail opened in February 2019, while the Canberra light rail opened on 20 April 2019. This is the first time that there have been trams in Canberra, even though Walter Burley Griffin 's 1914–1920 plans for
4620-542: The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake . The square was originally intended to be called Ridley Square, after the Protestant martyr Nicholas Ridley , but in Edward Jollie 's 1850 plan of central Christchurch it was marked as Cathedral Square. Ridley's co-martyrs and colleague bishops, Cranmer and Latimer have Squares named after them, not far distant from Cathedral Square. The original choice of Ridley
4752-494: The Ferrymead Historic Park. It was here that a permanent tramway was established and the society was able to realise its goal of making the tramway experience available to the general public. John Fardell, then general manager of the Christchurch Transport Board, officially opened the tramway on 6 January 1968. Rides were hauled using the society's Kitson steam motor as it was the only motive power available at
4884-459: The Ferrymead to Lyttelton section opened in 1867. A meeting of prominent local citizens on 20 September 1872 discussed the matter of a tramway and concluded that it would be desirable to construct a line between Papanui and Christchurch railway stations, especially in light of the north railway having opened to Rangiora earlier that year. Estimates had been prepared and it was suggested that
5016-583: The Irish coach builder John Stephenson , in New York City which began service in the year 1832. The New York and Harlem Railroad's Fourth Avenue Line ran along the Bowery and Fourth Avenue in New York City. It was followed in 1835 by the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad in New Orleans, Louisiana , which still operates as the St. Charles Streetcar Line . Other American cities did not follow until
5148-545: The Netherlands. The first trams in Bendigo, Australia, in 1892, were battery-powered, but within as little as three months they were replaced with horse-drawn trams. In New York City some minor lines also used storage batteries. Then, more recently during the 1950s, a longer battery-operated tramway line ran from Milan to Bergamo . In China there is a Nanjing battery Tram line and has been running since 2014. In 2019,
5280-577: The New Zealand Electrical Construction Company were mainly those that had been acquired from the private tramway companies and included: Papanui to Christchurch Railway Station (6 June 1905); Sumner (steam, 6 June 1905; electric, 25 April 1907); Cashmere (16 August 1905); Riccarton (steam, 2 November 1905; electric, 12 March 1906); Lincoln Road (8 February 1906); New Brighton (Linwood, 26 March 1906; New Brighton, 6 August 1906). The trams quickly became popular with
5412-789: The North Sydney line from 1886 to 1900, and the King Street line from 1892 to 1905. In Dresden , Germany, in 1901 an elevated suspended cable car following the Eugen Langen one-railed floating tram system started operating. Cable cars operated on Highgate Hill in North London and Kennington to Brixton Hill in South London. They also worked around "Upper Douglas" in the Isle of Man from 1897 to 1929 (cable car 72/73
Christchurch tramway system - Misplaced Pages Continue
5544-406: The Papanui–Cashmere route where the trolley buses would have superior hill-climbing performance characteristics. The board favoured a mixed trolley/diesel bus fleet and unsuccessfully tried in 1948 and 1949 to raise a loan to further this plan. Mindful of these earlier failures, they were careful to impress upon the public the dire consequences of not planning for bus replacements given the state of
5676-470: The Papanui–Railway Station route the following day. The first tranche of work was completed by September 1906. Figures provided by The Press in June 1906 show that materials used included 2,400 poles, 63 miles (101 km) of trolley wire , 65 miles (105 km) of feeder cables, 120 miles (190 km) of telephone and other wires, 80,000 sleepers , 26,000 electrical bonds, 90,000 yards of metal , and 5,500 tons of rails. Lines built and electrified by
5808-406: The Post Office closed in 1972. In the late 1990s / early 2000s, the Square underwent a significant reconstruction using new tiling. This was an often criticised project, for example for the amount of glare that the tiles gave off in dry weather conditions, or the tiles being slippery when wet. In 2001, The Chalice was revealed a large modern sculpture in the forum of an inverted cone dedicated to
5940-463: The Romans for heavy horse and ox-drawn transportation. By the 1700s, paved plateways with cast iron rails were introduced in England for transporting coal, stone or iron ore from the mines to the urban factories and docks. The world's first passenger train or tram was the Swansea and Mumbles Railway , in Wales , UK. The British Parliament passed the Mumbles Railway Act in 1804, and horse-drawn service started in 1807. The service closed in 1827, but
6072-413: The Second Street Cable Railroad, which operated from 1885 to 1889, and the Temple Street Cable Railway, which operated from 1886 to 1898. From 1885 to 1940, the city of Melbourne , Victoria, Australia operated one of the largest cable systems in the world, at its peak running 592 trams on 75 kilometres (47 mi) of track. There were also two isolated cable lines in Sydney , New South Wales, Australia;
6204-410: The Square , is the geographical centre and heart of Christchurch , New Zealand, where the city's Anglican cathedral, ChristChurch Cathedral is located. The square stands at the theoretical crossing of the city's two main orthogonal streets, Colombo Street and Worcester Street , though in practice both have been either blocked off or detoured around the square itself. The square was badly damaged in
6336-406: The Square was used as the main point of departure. For many years, the square was a busy road intersection. In 1962, the road in front of the cathedral was closed. In 1972 it was redeveloped to provide large pedestrian areas, and the south-west quadrant was closed to traffic. Trams returned in 1995, with the introduction of a tourist tram ride around the central city. Most buses left the Square when
6468-417: The St. Martins line (7 April 1914) which was the last major line to be opened. The only new tracks to be commissioned after this time (aside from single- or double-tracking and renewals) were the extension of the Riccarton line to Plumpton Park (December 1915), the Lichfield Street link (July 1922), and the extension of the Spreydon line to Barrington Street (August 1922). For many years afterwards Christchurch
6600-408: The Tramway Board's lines began in September 1904 at the intersection of Fitzgerald Avenue and Ferry Road. It required a great many men using only basic tools with the assistance of horse-drawn drays and traction engines and attracted considerable interest from the public. Installation of tramlines sometimes led to improvements of the roads on which they were built. Because as was standard practice at
6732-562: The UK at Lytham St Annes , Trafford Park , Manchester (1897–1908) and Neath , Wales (1896–1920). Comparatively little has been published about gas trams. However, research on the subject was carried out for an article in the October 2011 edition of "The Times", the historical journal of the Australian Association of Timetable Collectors, later renamed the Australian Timetable Association. The world's first electric tram line operated in Sestroretsk near Saint Petersburg invented and tested by inventor Fyodor Pirotsky in 1875. Later, using
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#17327911276866864-410: The UK took passengers from Fintona railway station to Fintona Junction one mile away on the main Omagh to Enniskillen railway in Northern Ireland. The tram made its last journey on 30 September 1957 when the Omagh to Enniskillen line closed. The "van" is preserved at the Ulster Transport Museum . Horse-drawn trams still operate on the 1876-built Douglas Bay Horse Tramway on the Isle of Man , and at
6996-508: The advantages over earlier forms of transit was the low rolling resistance of metal wheels on steel rails, allowing the trams to haul a greater load for a given effort. Another factor which contributed to the rise of trams was the high total cost of ownership of horses. Electric trams largely replaced animal power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Improvements in other vehicles such as buses led to decline of trams in early to mid 20th century. However, trams have seen resurgence since
7128-420: The arrival of World War II came constraints on many aspects of ordinary life that were both beneficial and detrimental to the tramway. Restrictions and rationing of many basic supplies limited the use of private motorised transport leading to huge growth in patronage of the trams and, often, severe overcrowding. This also had the effect of significantly improving the board's revenue. The increased popularity of
7260-426: The board implemented several economy measures. It experimented with the St. Martins cars to trial "one-man" tram operation, which proved that the concept could work. Between 1932 and 1936, additional trams were converted for this purpose and deployed initially on the more lightly patronised lines before being used on the longer lines as a sufficient number were available. Consequent to the introduction of one-man trams
7392-460: The busiest tram line in Europe, with a tram running once per minute at rush hour. Bucharest and Belgrade ran a regular service from 1894. Ljubljana introduced its tram system in 1901 – it closed in 1958. Oslo had the first tramway in Scandinavia , starting operation on 2 March 1894. The first electric tramway in Australia was a Sprague system demonstrated at the 1888 Melbourne Centennial Exhibition in Melbourne ; afterwards, this
7524-439: The capital then in the planning stage did propose a Canberra tram system. In Japan, the Kyoto Electric railroad was the first tram system, starting operation in 1895. By 1932, the network had grown to 82 railway companies in 65 cities, with a total network length of 1,479 km (919 mi). By the 1960s the tram had generally died out in Japan. Two rare but significant alternatives were conduit current collection , which
7656-458: The car up the hill at a steady pace, unlike a low-powered steam or horse-drawn car. Cable cars do have wheel brakes and track brakes , but the cable also helps restrain the car to going downhill at a constant speed. Performance in steep terrain partially explains the survival of cable cars in San Francisco. The San Francisco cable cars , though significantly reduced in number, continue to provide regular transportation service, in addition to being
7788-402: The cars to coast by inertia, for example when crossing another cable line. The cable then had to be "picked up" to resume progress, the whole operation requiring precise timing to avoid damage to the cable and the grip mechanism. Breaks and frays in the cable, which occurred frequently, required the complete cessation of services over a cable route while the cable was repaired. Due to overall wear,
7920-411: The cathedral to be placed west of this thoroughfare. Christianity has adopted the practice of praying towards the East as the Orient was thought of as containing the mankind's original home. Hence, most Christian churches are oriented towards the east, and to comply with this convention, Henry Harper , Christchurch's first Bishop , lobbied to have the eastern side of Cathedral Square to be used for
8052-469: The central city as a tourist attraction. This has now been is extended with a 1.4-kilometre (0.87 mi) loop down to High Street which was opened in February 2015. The tram museum at the Ferrymead Heritage Park overhauls and restores the trams used on the Christchurch Tramway, and itself also runs operating trams on its site. The difficulty experienced by Christchurch's early residents in conveying them and their export goods to Lyttelton brought about
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#17327911276868184-404: The central city to serve its cemetery and Reserve. It intended to run the municipal services on the line itself and to contract out the carriage of people. Construction began on 26 November 1885 at Latimer Square and was completed by March 1886. The line was officially opened on 23 April 1886 and was to have passenger services provided by private contractor Charles O’Malley who had earlier secured
8316-414: The citizens". A partnership was formed in 1861, including well-known bridge engineer William White, with the aim of constructing a wooden tramway from Christchurch to Little River . The goal was to make it cheaper to cart timber from Little River and other building materials from the Halswell Quarry to Christchurch. The plan was for a line of approximately 38 miles (61 km) in length, starting in what
8448-476: The city's anchor projects and the third new building in the Square since the earthquakes after Tūranga and the Spark building. In 2022 plans to renovate "tatty" corners of the square started these plans were meant to begin in 2019 but had been delayed. Minor work on these plans begun in late 2022 but in July 2023 work started on the completion of these plans infront of the Spark building, Distinction hotel and Old Government building. Although always called
8580-406: The city's founder, was unveiled on 6 August 1867 on a pedestal opposite the cathedral. It was the first public statue in New Zealand. The city's central post office was located alongside the square in 1879. Over the years Cathedral Square has been redesigned on several occasions. Two significant changes took place when the road in front of the cathedral was closed in 1965, and the road in front of
8712-409: The city's hurricane-prone location, which would have resulted in frequent damage to an electrical supply system. Although Portland, Victoria promotes its tourist tram as being a cable car it actually operates using a diesel motor. The tram, which runs on a circular route around the town of Portland, uses dummies and salons formerly used on the Melbourne cable tramway system and since restored. In
8844-484: The classic tramway built in the early 20th century with the tram system operating in mixed traffic, and the later type which is most often associated with the tram system having its own right of way. Tram systems that have their own right of way are often called light rail but this does not always hold true. Though these two systems differ in their operation, their equipment is much the same. Cathedral Square, Christchurch Cathedral Square , locally known simply as
8976-416: The combined coal consumption of the stationary compressor and the onboard steam boiler. The Trieste–Opicina tramway in Trieste operates a hybrid funicular tramway system. Conventional electric trams are operated in street running and on reserved track for most of their route. However, on one steep segment of track, they are assisted by cable tractors, which push the trams uphill and act as brakes for
9108-423: The company be called "The Christchurch and Papanui Junction Tramway Company". The city council, however, was opposed to the idea and declined to support it, saying, "That in the opinion of this meeting a tramway … is objectionable … for the following reasons: (1) A tramway is not required, (2) The streets are not wide enough, (3) A tramway would retard the railway station being brought into a more convenient place for
9240-451: The country, the newest of vehicles in service in Christchurch were decades old and the track had suffered from years of neglect with little maintenance having been carried out. Though the imposition of rationing was not finally lifted until the early 1950s, post-war Christchurch grew faster than the tramway could keep up ensuring that the tramway's replacement was just a matter of time. Though several lines were closed and replaced by buses in
9372-430: The downhill run. For safety, the cable tractors are always deployed on the downhill side of the tram vehicle. Similar systems were used elsewhere in the past, notably on the Queen Anne Counterbalance in Seattle and the Darling Street wharf line in Sydney. In the mid-20th century many tram systems were disbanded, replaced by buses, trolleybuses , automobiles or rapid transit . The General Motors streetcar conspiracy
9504-677: The end of 1895 with revenue services commencing in the New Year, and the Sydenham line was extended to the Cashmere Hills and opened on 7 December 1898. When the concessions under which the lines of the private tramway companies were operated came up for renewal from the late 1890s, the various local bodies involved saw it as an opportunity to consider municipalisation of the whole system. The tramway companies, which were seeking to extend their concessions to give them some certainty over
9636-446: The engines from emitting visible smoke or steam. Usually the engines used coke rather than coal as fuel to avoid emitting smoke; condensers or superheating were used to avoid emitting visible steam. A major drawback of this style of tram was the limited space for the engine, so that these trams were usually underpowered. Steam trams faded out around the 1890s to 1900s, being replaced by electric trams. Another motive system for trams
9768-429: The entire length of cable (typically several kilometres) had to be replaced on a regular schedule. After the development of reliable electrically powered trams, the costly high-maintenance cable car systems were rapidly replaced in most locations. Cable cars remained especially effective in hilly cities, since their nondriven wheels did not lose traction as they climbed or descended a steep hill. The moving cable pulled
9900-439: The fact that any given animal could only work so many hours on a given day, had to be housed, groomed, fed and cared for day in and day out, and produced prodigious amounts of manure, which the streetcar company was charged with storing and then disposing. Since a typical horse pulled a streetcar for about a dozen miles a day and worked for four or five hours, many systems needed ten or more horses in stable for each horsecar. In 1905
10032-487: The first proposal for a tramway at a meeting held on 26 September 1855. The merits of both wooden and iron-based tramways were discussed and a resolution was passed in support of the construction of either a tramway or a railway. The issue arose again at a Provincial Council meeting on 16 October 1855 at which it was proposed that a line be built to Sumner and goods could then be transported to Lyttelton by boat. A couple of leading and influential figures spoke out against
10164-420: The first revenue services commenced on a line from Cathedral Square to Christchurch Railway Station via Colombo Street . The company behind the venture, the Canterbury Tramway Company, had been formed in 1878 then spent the next two years negotiating with the various councils involved, purchasing equipment, constructing its lines, etc. After the first day, issues with the track were identified which resulted in
10296-456: The fleet by 1920. Other vehicles acquired included a Baldwin steam motor (1906), three sprinkler cars, and an overhead lines car. To match this, the size of the board's staff also grew from 196 in 1906 to 350 in 1913 and 530 in 1920, making it the largest employer in the city. The tramway was credited with encouraging the suburban development of Christchurch. Land along tram routes became more valuable and made it easier for people to live out in
10428-516: The future of their business, were rebuffed and eventually the Christchurch Tramway Board was formed to bring the tramways under public control. Political pressure and public agitation for a modern tramway system resulted in the formation of the Christchurch Tramway Board in late 1902. It proceeded to create its own network by purchasing the lines of the private tramway companies and also establishing its own new lines. Work on
10560-524: The installation of utilities and even in more modern times, old tram tracks have been discovered during excavations for the heritage tram circuit extension. The genesis of tram preservation in Christchurch was the Tramway Preservation Association. Tramway enthusiasts set it up in 1960 with branches in Christchurch and Wellington. The Christchurch group aimed to restore to working order two tram vehicles formerly in service with
10692-551: The late 19th and early 20th centuries a number of systems in various parts of the world employed trams powered by gas, naphtha gas or coal gas in particular. Gas trams are known to have operated between Alphington and Clifton Hill in the northern suburbs of Melbourne , Australia (1886–1888); in Berlin and Dresden , Germany; in Estonia (1921–1951); between Jelenia Góra , Cieplice , and Sobieszów in Poland (from 1897); and in
10824-402: The late 19th and early 20th centuries. There was one particular hazard associated with trams powered from a trolley pole off an overhead line on the early electrified systems. Since the tram relies on contact with the rails for the current return path, a problem arises if the tram is derailed or (more usually) if it halts on a section of track that has been heavily sanded by a previous tram, and
10956-414: The latter of these lines was built, on which construction began on 1 May 1893. The Company ran into financial difficulties during construction that held up progress until the contractor secured a debt over the Company and completed the line in August 1894. Revenue services commenced as far as Stanmore Road on 1 September 1893 and it was not until 25 October 1894 that trams were able to run the full length of
11088-624: The lease for the Corporation line at the end of 1888 proved to be fortuitous, giving the Company control over the entire route from the central city to the New Brighton terminus. The last entrant to the Christchurch tramway scene was the City and Suburban Tramway Company, formed early in 1892 with the intention of constructing lines to Springfield Road and New Brighton from its base at the corner of Manchester, Lichfield, and High Streets. Only
11220-443: The line to New Brighton Pier. A deleterious financial position, brought about in part by the Company's need to rent both horses and rolling stock, resulted in the collapse of the Company in 1895. It was purchased by the contractor who built the Company's line and run under the same name. The Canterbury Tramway Company had earlier had its own financial difficulties resulting in its collapse in 1893. After various options were explored
11352-534: The necessity of overhead wire and a trolley pole for street cars and railways. While at the University of Denver he conducted experiments which established that multiple unit powered cars were a better way to operate trains and trolleys. Electric tramways spread to many European cities in the 1890s, such as: Sarajevo built a citywide system of electric trams in 1895. Budapest established its tramway system in 1887, and its ring line has grown to be
11484-533: The oldest operating electric tramway in the world. Also in 1883, Mödling and Hinterbrühl Tram was opened near Vienna in Austria. It was the first tram in the world in regular service that was run with electricity served by an overhead line with pantograph current collectors . The Blackpool Tramway was opened in Blackpool, UK on 29 September 1885 using conduit collection along Blackpool Promenade. This system
11616-637: The poor paving of the streets in American cities which made them unsuitable for horsebuses , which were then common on the well-paved streets of European cities. Running the horsecars on rails allowed for a much smoother ride. There are records of a street railway running in Baltimore as early as 1828, however the first authenticated streetcar in America, was the New York and Harlem Railroad developed by
11748-818: The population it served. Second, the growing problem of competition from bicycles and motorcars since the development of the pneumatic tyre , exacerbated by the generally flat nature of the terrain on which Christchurch was sited. The board's response to these issues had not improved the situation by 1914. It was during this period that the construction of the tramway network was completed. Additional lines opened were St. Albans Park (24 December 1906), Opawa (steam, 14 March 1907; electric, 21 September 1909), Fendalton (steam, 3 May 1907; electric, 20 November 1909), Cranford Street (1 July 1910), North Beach (steam, 24 December 1911; electric, 1 October 1914), Spreydon (3 August 1911), Cashmere Hills extension (1 May 1912), Dallington (1 November 1912), Northcote extension (28 February 1913), and
11880-416: The pro-cathedral. That way, the main entrance would face Colombo Street, resulting in praying towards the east in line with convention. The Cathedral Square Amendment Ordinance 1859 , which was passed a year after the previous ordinance, formalised the change in placement of the cathedral. Just before work on the cathedral's foundations began in 1864, the alignment of Colombo Street through Cathedral Square
12012-495: The proposal and it was voted down. It was not until 1858 that the matter once again gained attention in official circles. Despite a general belief that the idea itself was good, the Provincial Engineer's estimate of £6,000 was enough to ensure that the idea was not acted upon. The provincial council eventually opted to construct a railway line; the first section between Christchurch and Ferrymead opened in 1863, and
12144-560: The public and revenue exceeded the board's expectations. Rolling stock consisted of 27 electric vehicles supplied under the initial contract and the 7 steam motors and 42 trailers acquired from the Christchurch Tramway Company. Twenty-two trailers from the New Brighton and City and Suburban tramway companies later augmented the fleet. Though the primary purpose of the tramway was the carriage of passengers, it also carried other items such as mail, newspapers, perambulators, bicycles, construction materials, and animals. The cartage of animals on
12276-492: The replacement bus service. The tram bodies were sold to private individuals, many of whom used them as sheds or huts, and the running gear was sold for scrap. Much of the tramway infrastructure was repurposed. Tram sheds at Riccarton and Sumner remained for many years afterwards, the Sumner shed being last used as a dye works factory. Tram shelters became bus stops and traction masts were reused as utility poles. Little time
12408-415: The restored horse car was run along the remaining section of track from the old Papanui line to mark ten years since the closure of the line, an event that also served to significantly boost the profile of the society and its membership. The society, which had been using old Christchurch Transport Board tramway buildings for storage and restoration, created a purpose-built facility in 1967 on land obtained at
12540-542: The suburban tramway lines around Milan and Padua ; the last Gamba de Legn ("Peg-Leg") tramway ran on the Milan- Magenta -Castano Primo route in late 1957. The other style of steam tram had the steam engine in the body of the tram, referred to as a tram engine (UK) or steam dummy (US). The most notable system to adopt such trams was in Paris. French-designed steam trams also operated in Rockhampton , in
12672-400: The suburbs. The main central city retail precinct, which had been concentrated around the railway station, gradually moved north to avail itself of the increased flow of people generated by the tram routes converging on Cathedral Square. Smaller retail precincts developed around the ends of some lines such as Fendalton and Spreydon . The economic uncertainty of the late 1920s culminated in
12804-415: The system operational. The board was also at the time in a precarious financial state with years of losses having made it difficult to set aside sufficient funds for the repayment of loans, many of which were due to mature in the 1950s and 1960s. To upgrade the existing tramway to modern standards and extend it into the new suburbs could not be contemplated. While he did not push for the immediate removal of
12936-478: The time, single-track tram lines were laid in the middle of the road requiring some roads to be widened to allow vehicles to pass trams on either side. Also, any undulations in the road were smoothed out so the track could be laid flush with the road surface. Private operators were contracted by the board to provide alternative transport while tramlines were unavailable due to construction. These services were run using horse-drawn drags. The electrified tram network
13068-528: The time. A series of extensions to the tramway line opened over the next 16 years culminating in the completion of the Moorhouse township loop in 1984. Also during this period, the tramway was electrified, allowing the society to run its restored electric trams in addition to its horse- and steam-hauled vehicles. Tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in the United States)
13200-410: The tracks reached the end of their useful lives at which time they would be replaced by buses. John Fardell, appointed general manager of the board in 1946, delivered his own report on the future direction of the board on 6 October 1947. He pointed out the poor state of the board's tramway assets and that even with repairs, new infrastructure and rolling stock would be required within a few years to keep
13332-558: The tracks. Siemens later designed his own version of overhead current collection, called the bow collector . One of the first systems to use it was in Thorold, Ontario , opened in 1887, and it was considered quite successful. While this line proved quite versatile as one of the earliest fully functional electric streetcar installations, it required horse-drawn support while climbing the Niagara Escarpment and for two months of
13464-416: The tram and completing the earth return circuit with their body could receive a serious electric shock. If "grounded", the driver was required to jump off the tram (avoiding simultaneous contact with the tram and the ground) and pull down the trolley pole, before allowing passengers off the tram. Unless derailed, the tram could usually be recovered by running water down the running rails from a point higher than
13596-466: The tram loses electrical contact with the rails. In this event, the underframe of the tram, by virtue of a circuit path through ancillary loads (such as interior lighting), is live at the full supply voltage, typically 600 volts DC. In British terminology, such a tram was said to be 'grounded'—not to be confused with the US English use of the term, which means the exact opposite. Any person stepping off
13728-427: The tram, the water providing a conducting bridge between the tram and the rails. With improved technology, this ceased to be an problem. In the 2000s, several companies introduced catenary-free designs: Alstom's Citadis line uses a third rail, Bombardier's PRIMOVE LRV is charged by contactless induction plates embedded in the trackway and CAF URBOS tram uses ultracaps technology As early as 1834, Thomas Davenport ,
13860-534: The trams was also assisted by the large number of New Zealand military personnel based at both the Burnham Camp and Wigram Aerodrome , and the contingent of American military in the city. It was not all good news for the board during the war years, as its costs also increased during this period; primarily wages, electricity, and maintenance. The war also made it more difficult to obtain supplies and spare parts needed to maintain and repair its assets, requiring
13992-413: The trams, preferring to run them as long as possible in part to pay off outstanding loans, he did strongly advocate for the introduction of diesel buses to replace trams when they were withdrawn. In this first report, his preference for diesel buses was not absolute, however, as he did recommend the use of trolley buses on the existing North Beach route which still had useful infrastructure in place and on
14124-525: The tramway after deciding in April 1950 to purchase 39 diesel buses. The Loans Board subsequently approved this loan proposal in September and it was also sanctioned by a plebiscite of the board's ratepayers. The Tramway Board, which had been hoping that the diesel buses would be a temporary measure on some routes pending the erection of a trolley bus system, ran into the opposition of the general manager who
14256-488: The tramway system following the war was the much-improved economic situation that ensued, increasing prosperity for many and giving them options that they might not have had before. Rates of car ownership increased and the city grew significantly in size presenting the board with a twofold problem of trying to maintain what they already had whilst trying to serve many more people over a greater area. Operating costs also increased, due in part to changing work patterns that placed
14388-462: The tramway was made illegal in December 1915. The reality of the environment in which the tramway business was conducted was made clear in 1912 when chairman of the board George Booth explained the main problems the board faced in his annual report. First, Christchurch had a considerable amount of route mileage with little or no revenue potential, necessitated by the geographically diverse nature of
14520-402: The war, two tram routes had already closed: St. Martins on 20 May 1946 and Fendalton–Opawa on 6 February 1950. This was now accelerated with the remaining routes being closed over the next few years: Brighton on 18 October 1952; Sumner on 6 December 1952; Riccarton on 14 June 1953; St. Albans Park–Spreydon on 21 June 1953; and Cranford Street–Lincoln Road on 26 July 1953. The last route to close
14652-804: The wider term light rail , which also includes systems separated from other traffic. Tram vehicles are usually lighter and shorter than main line and rapid transit trains. Most trams use electrical power, usually fed by a pantograph sliding on an overhead line ; older systems may use a trolley pole or a bow collector . In some cases, a contact shoe on a third rail is used. If necessary, they may have dual power systems—electricity in city streets and diesel in more rural environments. Occasionally, trams also carry freight . Some trams, known as tram-trains , may have segments that run on mainline railway tracks, similar to interurban systems. The differences between these modes of rail transport are often indistinct, and systems may combine multiple features. One of
14784-409: The winter when hydroelectricity was not available. It continued in service in its original form into the 1950s. Sidney Howe Short designed and produced the first electric motor that operated a streetcar without gears. The motor had its armature direct-connected to the streetcar 's axle for the driving force. Short pioneered "use of a conduit system of concealed feed" thereby eliminating
14916-532: The world's first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle tramcar at an assembly facility in Qingdao . The chief engineer of the CSR subsidiary CSR Sifang Co Ltd. , Liang Jianying, said that the company is studying how to reduce the running costs of the tram. Trams have been used for two main purposes: for carrying passengers and for carrying cargo. There are several types of passenger tram: There are two main types of tramways,
15048-401: The world. Earlier electric trains proved difficult or unreliable and experienced limited success until the second half of the 1880s, when new types of current collectors were developed. Siemens' line, for example, provided power through a live rail and a return rail, like a model train , limiting the voltage that could be used, and delivering electric shocks to people and animals crossing
15180-407: Was Papanui–Cashmere for which the last timetabled services ran on Friday 10 September 1954. This was followed the next day by a ceremonial running of the last trams, a task performed by two Hills cars. After their journey to Papanui, then Cashmere, they returned to Cathedral Square where a huge crowd had gathered to witness the event. Speeches were made and a ribbon was cut to symbolically inaugurate
15312-682: Was a case study of the decline of trams in the United States. In the 21st century, trams have been re-introduced in cities where they had been closed down for decades (such as Tramlink in London), or kept in heritage use (such as Spårväg City in Stockholm). Most trams made since the 1990s (such as the Bombardier Flexity series and Alstom Citadis ) are articulated low-floor trams with features such as regenerative braking . In March 2015, China South Rail Corporation (CSR) demonstrated
15444-513: Was a strong advocate for a standardised diesel bus fleet. He produced a report in December 1951 that was highly critical of trolley buses. Later that month, the board decided not to proceed with trolley buses and cancelled the order it had already placed for them. They were still undecided on the future of the Papanui–Cashmere route, the most profitable and popular of the tram routes, as they were not convinced that buses would be able to cope as
15576-487: Was able to boast the largest network in the country by route mileage at 53.5 miles (86.1 km) and in 1912 it was reportedly second only to Sydney in Australasia . The growth of the board's business in its early years soon necessitated the purchase of new rolling stock to meet demand. By 1908, the number of electric trams had increased to 39 and had grown to 65 in 1912. An additional 34 trailers were also added to
15708-491: Was built by Werner von Siemens who contacted Pirotsky. This was the world's first commercially successful electric tram. It drew current from the rails at first, with overhead wire being installed in 1883. In Britain, Volk's Electric Railway was opened in 1883 in Brighton. This two kilometer line along the seafront, re-gauged to 2 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 825 mm ) in 1884, remains in service as
15840-430: Was changed again by introducing a curve towards the west; the western side of the legal road had a radius of 3 chains 75 links (75 m). The purpose of this change was to allow the placement of the cathedral slightly further west, making its tower visible along Colombo Street from a distance. Up to the point of work starting on the cathedral, here was initially little development. A statue to John Robert Godley ,
15972-409: Was formed in 1885 with the intention of constructing and operating a line from a junction with the Corporation line to a terminus at New Brighton. Construction began in 1886 and was completed by January 1887. The first service on the line was a trial run on 8 January 1887, which proved to be a success, and was followed on 15 February by the commencement of revenue services. The Company's acquisition of
16104-726: Was found to be insufficient, and Henry Sewell suggested in June 1853 to move the college to land reserved for the Christchurch Botanic Gardens . This transaction was formalised through The Cathedral Square Ordinance 1858 , a law passed by the Canterbury Provincial Council in October 1858. The ordinance allowed for Colombo Street to go straight through the middle of Cathedral Square at a legal width of 1.5 chains (99 ft; 30 m), and
16236-402: Was inaugurated on 5 June 1905 when an official opening day was held. After speeches at the board's car shed on Falsgrave Street, the official party departed on a procession of seven electric trams bound for Papanui. After an accident en route required the withdrawal of two of the trams, the rest of the party reached their destination where the festivities continued. Revenue services commenced on
16368-487: Was installed as a commercial venture operating between the outer Melbourne suburb of Box Hill and the then tourist-oriented country town Doncaster from 1889 to 1896. Electric systems were also built in Adelaide , Ballarat , Bendigo , Brisbane , Fremantle , Geelong , Hobart , Kalgoorlie , Launceston , Leonora , Newcastle , Perth , and Sydney . By the 1970s, the only full tramway system remaining in Australia
16500-566: Was restarted in 1860, again using horses. It was worked by steam from 1877, and then, from 1929, by very large (106-seat) electric tramcars, until closure in 1960. The Swansea and Mumbles Railway was something of a one-off however, and no street tramway appeared in Britain until 1860 when one was built in Birkenhead by the American George Francis Train . Street railways developed in America before Europe, due to
16632-628: Was tested in San Francisco , in 1873. Part of its success is attributed to the development of an effective and reliable cable grip mechanism, to grab and release the moving cable without damage. The second city to operate cable trams was Dunedin , from 1881 to 1957. The most extensive cable system in the US was built in Chicago in stages between 1859 and 1892. New York City developed multiple cable car lines, that operated from 1883 to 1909. Los Angeles also had several cable car lines, including
16764-635: Was the Melbourne tram system. However, there were also a few single lines remaining elsewhere: the Glenelg tram line , connecting Adelaide to the beachside suburb of Glenelg , and tourist trams in the Victorian Goldfields cities of Bendigo and Ballarat. In recent years the Melbourne system, generally recognised as the largest urban tram network in the world, has been considerably modernised and expanded. The Adelaide line has been extended to
16896-411: Was the cable car, which was pulled along a fixed track by a moving steel cable, the cable usually running in a slot below the street level. The power to move the cable was normally provided at a "powerhouse" site a distance away from the actual vehicle. The London and Blackwall Railway , which opened for passengers in east London, England, in 1840 used such a system. The first practical cable car line
17028-607: Was the need to install balloon loops or wyes at the termini of the lines on which these cars were used. Several under-performing or severely dilapidated lines were also closed during this period, notably the North Beach line, the Papanui railway station spur and Northcote extension of the Papanui line, and the Dallington–Railway Station route. In most cases, trams on these routes were replaced with buses. With
17160-462: Was until 2023 when dawn services returned back to Cathedral Square. New designs for the Square were unveiled in 2017 which would remove the roadways through the square and add green space and waterways and split it into five zones (Post office place, The courtyard, Library plaza, Cathedral gardens and The living room). But the plan lacks funding and the original plans have been shelved. Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre opened in 2021 as one of
17292-473: Was wasted in removing sleepered track, which was ploughed out of the ground, and the roads quickly rebuilt. There was also track fixed to concrete for which removal was a much more difficult proposition. As the price of materials recovered would not have met the cost of removing them, this track was simply covered over with a layer of tar that was reapplied when the road surface required renewal. This has caused problems when such roads have needed to be dug up for
17424-878: Was widely used in London, Washington, D.C., and New York City, and the surface contact collection method, used in Wolverhampton (the Lorain system), Torquay and Hastings in the UK (the Dolter stud system), and in Bordeaux , France (the ground-level power supply system). The convenience and economy of electricity resulted in its rapid adoption once the technical problems of production and transmission of electricity were solved. Electric trams largely replaced animal power and other forms of motive power including cable and steam, in
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