Re: [TramsDownUnder] Sydney: 1930s snapshot

Thank you David. There are lots of lovely photos floating around, unacknowledged, on the internet. It pains me not to be able to acknowledge them, but I suspect many like these come from the State and City collections.

Here's another looking from the Customs House northwards. The newly-built 1940s Art Deco wharves have replaced most of the earlier Federation wharves and the view across to the water is still intact, a view I still vaguely recall from my early childhood before the "great wall" went up. A coupled pair of Doran's Glasshouses (I love that nickname!) cruise past on their way to the terminus, having emptied their load.

Secondly, a few years later in the early 1950s, looking the opposite direction. The great wall is starting to rise, but it seems apparent that it wouldn't have been too bad if they'd just left it at the station level and not put the Cahill Expressways (named after the State Premier who ordered the destruction of the tram system) on top. Almost like a big FU to the trams. I like to think it would have given him apoplexy to see today's trams back in Alfred Street again.

Tony P

On Tuesday, 26 November 2024 at 19:10:20 UTC+11 David Batho wrote:

Lovely photos, Tony.

David (whose computer is now fixed!)

On 24 Nov 2024, at 1:03 pm, 'TP' via TramsDownUnder <tramsdo...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

A fine pair of photographs at opposite ends of Circular Quay in the 1930s, featuring, in one, a young R class tram and the Manly ferry Curl Curl of 1928 and, in the other, One of Doran's Glasshouses (P class tram) and the North Shore ferry Koompartoo or Kuttabul of 1922. The very new Harbour Bridge is in the background of both. I don't know the attribution of the photos but happy to acknowledge it if somebody does.

In case anybody wonders why Sydney had so many trams, it took about 14 trams to transport the maximum load of the Manly ferry and over 20 trams to transport the maximum load of one of those North Shore ferries, the trams running seconds apart between them along George, Pitt, Castlereagh and Elizabeth Streets.

Circular Quay Railway Station (and thus the compete city rail circle) didn't open until 1956, by which time the patronage of the ferries was half what it was in the 1930s. Since the trams returned a few years ago, each now having the capacity of four of the old trams, they are running at 4 minute headways between two routes, which would compare capacity-wide with the old trams running at one minute headways, but only along George Street now. In days of yore, trams were running along George Street about 18 seconds apart, but they had loop termini then, none of this stupid shunting nonsense that eats into the headways.

Circular Quay Station was approved for construction in 1915, but finally came way too late for its potential glory days, which would have been in the 1920s and 1930s. Now it's one of the more modestly-used city stations and has recently suffered a 6% loss in patronage since the metro opened, as Martin Place has become a more preferred northern CBD destination, it's patronage increasing 92% since the metro opening and soaring past Circular Quay in patronage. It wouldn't surprise me if the trams were again the most-used feeder between the ferries and the CBD, as the city circle stations are less convenient and don't always have good frequency through Circular Quay.

Tony P

 

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<CQ1932.jpg><CQ1930s.jpg>

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