Christchurch tram
The history of the tram in Christchurch (New Zealand) dates back to 1880. While an extensive tram network was created in the first half of the 20th century , the lines began to be shut down one after the other in the early 1950s. Since 1995, trams have once again been a tourist attraction on a two and a half kilometer circuit through the city.
history
The first horse-drawn tram in Christchurch ran from March 9, 1880 from the square by the cathedral to the Christchurch train station through Colombo Street. In the following years further lines with horse or steam traction were opened, u. a. to Addington, Woolston, Heathcote, Papanui and Sumner. The cars were manufactured entirely in New Zealand, some based on American models ( William Moor & Son , Canterbury), only the wheels were imported.
From 1905 onwards, operations were gradually converted to electric traction. The network achieved its greatest expansion in 1922 with a route length of 86.1 kilometers. After the Second World War , however, the operation became increasingly uneconomical, so that the lines were gradually discontinued, the last in 1954.
In the 1960s, attempts were made to bring the tram back to life through a museum route in Ferrymead Historic Park , but failed. At the beginning of the 1990s, the plan to build the current circuit finally matured. In 1995 the facilities for the circuit were completed and the historic tram could start operating. In 2005 Wood Scenic Line Ltd took over the operation and management of the museum tram from the city and is still active as an operator today.
Current condition
The museum tram, now operated by Wood Scenic Line Ltd , runs a two-and-a-half kilometer circular route through the city and is one of Christchurch's tourist attractions. Because of its historical vehicle park, it is now only intended for excursions and tourists and not for rush hour traffic. During the circuit, the tram stops at a total of eleven stops, where passengers have the opportunity to get on and off. During the ride, some of the drivers tell a lot about the city's sights.
The vehicle fleet currently consists of five historic trams, named The Boon , The Brill , The Boxcar , The Melbourne W2 and Tramway Restaurant , the latter vehicle, as the name suggests, being converted into a restaurant car. The fleet also has a trailer called The Duckhouse and a horse tram set from the early days called the Dunedin Horse Tram . All are originally preserved historic vehicles, most of which were built for the tram in Christchurch in the first quarter of the 20th century.
The strong earthquake on February 22, 2011 caused damage to the rail network and the power supply, which meant that operations had to be temporarily suspended. In November 2014, the operation with the railways could finally be excluded again.
Web links
- Christchurch Tram . The Wood Scenic Line Ltd. ,accessed on January 23, 2014.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Christchurch Tramway History . Christchurch Tramway Ltd , accessed January 4, 2012 .
- ^ The Christchurch Tramway . Christchurch City Libraries , accessed January 4, 2012 .
- ↑ Tram Tour . Christchurch Tramway Ltd , accessed January 4, 2012 .
- ↑ Our Historic Trams . Christchurch Tramway Ltd , accessed January 4, 2012 .
- ↑ Rich Francis : A guide to the Christchurch Tram . My Guide , October 11, 2017, accessed July 20, 2018 .