Botany Trams

Did you know that Sydney once had one of the most extensive tram networks in the world? It was the largest in Australia and the second largest in the Commonwealth, after London.

At it’s peak in the 1930s it had 1,600 cars in service at any one time, compared with about 500 trams in Melbourne today.

The Botany Line was the first line in a southerly direction from the old Redfern Station. It opened on 17^th May 1882, and its route was via Devonshire, Chalmers, Castlereagh, Redfern and Regent Streets into Botany Road to the terminus at Banksmeadow Park in Botany.

Crash between tram and truck, Botany Road Mascot. By Not known [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Botany_Rd_Mascot._Australia_early_1900s.jpg

The terminus at Banksmeadow Park had a reversing loop and several sidings, which were used to become a depot, capable of housing eight motors and twenty-five cars.

Following duplication of tramlines in 1891 the Botany trams made alternate trips from Bridge Street to Leichardt. This allowed for better timetabling.

On 20^th April 1903 electric trams began running from Circular Quay to Bay Street Botany. This saw the reduction of in steam trams from Bridge Street to Botany Terminus becoming half hourly. The last day of the following month, 31^st May 1903 became the last day of steam trams in general traffic along this line due to completion of overhead works beyond Bay Street.

A visit by the American Fleet during August 1908 put tremendous strain on electric services elsewhere in the Sydney network. This saw steam trams return to the Botany line during this time, on some days fully operating the services, but from then it was electric trams only until replaced by buses in 1960.

There were a number of special lines branching off from the main Botany line.

The Botany Cemetery Line – in 1900 it was decided to move the cemetery at the site of Central Railway Station to Botany. This brought a special siding from Devonshire Street to the cemetery site, opened on 1^st July 1901, to haul coffins and headstones in ballast wagons. Passenger cars were also hauled for the convenience of visitors.

The Rosebery Racecourse Line – Special services ran from Botany to cope with the fortnightly meetings at the racecourse. However this failed to be an adequate solution for the amount and transport needs of racecourse visitors and caused many delays. A short double track line into Gardener’s Road from Botany Road towards the racecourse proved a solution. This opened on 3^rd November 1902 and ran until 1910 when the racecourse was shifted to larger grounds.

The Daceyville Line – This was an extension of the line to serve the new Rosebery Racecourse opened in 1910. It began regular passenger service, apart from race specials, on weekdays only between Waterloo and Daceyville gradually increasing to become full time from Circular Quay. The racecourse closed in 1940 and the last day of tram service was 22^nd June 1957.

The Botany Line closed for service on 22^nd October 1960. The final journey took place in the small hours of the following day, performed by tram R1 2035. It survived the journey unscathed, and lasted another four months to partake in the final procession of trams on the closing day of the system.

If you are interested in following the Botany Tramline route Sydney Buses route 309 generally follows the route of the Botany Tram service as it was in 1960. You may even be lucky enough to see some of the old track!

Click here for more information on Sydney trams. Or come and visit the Eastgardens Library and ask the staff.

Do you know what it was like to ride the old trams? Or have any tram stories from these days? We would love it if you shared your memories by clicking here and letting everyone know.

MacGowan, I. (1990). The Tramways of New South Wales. Oakleigh, Vic. I.A. MacGowan

Read more...

Hollywood at Pagewood

Well before there was a Hoyts Cinema at the Eastgardens Shopping Centre movie stars flocked to Australia’s own Hollywood, Pagewood Film Studios.

In 1954 Pagewood Studios, which was located near the current Eastgardens Shopping Centre site, had become the centre of Australia’s biggest film colony.

WARDROBE MASTER Cy Howe fits a cloak on actor Gordon Chater. The wardrobe department is in a converted army hut once used as an officers' mess.

 Tucked away among rows of neat suburban red-roofed cottages and backed by sandhills, the studios outwardly bear little resemblance to the Hollywood seen in films.

There are no shiny, high priced limousines standing outside, no glamorous blond stars or glittering neon lights, no giant iron gates and uniformed attendants barring entrance to any but the privileged few with passes.

But behind the administrative building, in former army huts, in makeshift workshops, and in the two huge studios where indoor shots are filmed there is all the excitement, the glamour, and the hard work of Hollywood.

At the studios, the catchy old tune “You Ought to Be In Pictures” has been given a new boost in popularity.

It’s the tune that the “backroom boys” – the cameramen, electricians, hairdresser, and dressers – whistle cynically, but with a grin, when they are old that they will have to work back or that shooting schedules have been changed suddenly.

In spite of the long exhausting hours, the tedium of endless rehearsals, the difficulty of transport to the studios, and the back-breaking hard work that goes o behind the scenes, few members of the unit would willing change places with a placid nine-to-five worker.

“It’s nerve racking, it’s hard work, this movie business” Warren Mearns, head electrician, told me “and you don’t get much time to yourself. But it gets you in. You either love it or it drives you crazy. Me, I’ve caught the bug.”

The “bug is the excitement, the glamour, the creativeness, the variety, and the fascination of the movie industry that I had a brief glimpse of when I spent two days at Pagewood.

This is a selected excerpt from Noni Rowland's article Hardwork and Glamor, published in 1954. To read the rest of this excellent article about life at the Pagewood Film Studios click here.

Do you have any memories or know any stories about the studios or film and television in the Botany area?

Please share your story by clicking here.

Hard work and glamor. (1954, December 8). The Australian Women's Weekly , p. 20. Retrieved January 6, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46946484

Read more...