Secrets of a Sydney past

Sydney is awash with tramway remnants, if you care to look. Check these out for starters...

The curves left behind... take the trams away and you just have an oddly-shaped street with a touch of curving mystery at both ends...

Above, Chippo's Meagher Street

Above is Eddy Ave at Central Station, including ramps (later reused for the current'light rail').

North Sydney station, where the trams ran to the north of and parallel with the railway, running up a ramp (now used as a car park) and across a bridge (over the roadway) to a tram station opposite the Milson's Point railway station. From there they ran on reserved track on the opposite side of the Harbour bridge from the railway, entering a tunnel and terminating at Wynyard.

Above, Randwick Racecourse had it its own tram station, with platforms and an overhead bridge. You can still see some of this structure.

Above and below, Anzac Parade - the busway seen here was once reserved track, and there was a lot of it from here down past the SCG and the Showground and along Alison Road as well. There was reserved track on both sides of Anzac Parade in places, as well as in the central reservation further towards Maroubra.

Labels: reserved track, trams

Sydney is filled with interesting yet discarded or ignored history. You can go and explore on foot, or just browse here...

The Maroubra Speedway was just about there... in what is now Coral Sea Park.

Old road bridge lost in the Christmas '94 fires... it was a wooden trestle bridge from memory, just east of the current Ryde Road. I always meant to photograph it, then it was gone...

Roseville. Interesting approach (Babbage Road) to a low level bridge, replaced by a higher one, of course! There was once a recreation/holiday camp/dance palais on the Forestville side of the river, too.

Iron Cove... another bridge that was, with just the ramparts left on both sides... and note that there's a tram lane on the "new" bridge, too, now used as a T-way:

Labels: bridges, Maroubra Speedway, Meagher St, trams, vehicle ferries

My old bike racing club (yes, I have subsequently joined a new one, up on the Central Coast) is based at Heffron Park, Maroubra, and has (with the essential help of the local council) linked together old sections of concrete road with new sections of tar. The completed loop is 2.1km long and quite a testing criterium track. But why were those concrete roads there in the first place? Well Heffron Park (named after a NSW State Premier) was an Army base, like the Addison Road Community Centre in inner-west Marrickville was once an Army base, including a Light Horse stables (amongst many other possible examples, the Addison Road base is famous for some of the "save our sons" demos during the Vietnam War). It's recycling in action, isn't it? Anyway, when the bike club put in some toilets in the clubhouse they had to cut the concrete - and the stories about tanks in Heffron Park suddenly made sense. That concrete was thick.


But not as thick as the successive NSW State governments that oversaw the dismantling of the tramway system, though. (OK, another cheap shot - hindsight is a wonderful thing.) As I mentioned yesterday, some parts of the network remain and are worth re-visiting, if only for the memories. So what features of the inner-west and eastern suburban tramway system can still be discerned?

Well Bondi Beach is a prime example. The trams that famously "shot through" to Bondi terminated at North Bondi where Military Road meets Campbell Parade (AKA 'Scarborough Crescent'). The terminus can still be clearly seen, as can much of the route along Campbell Pde, although cars and buses have tended to take over the trampath for parking. Interestingly, bicycle races were also held on the Campbell Parade "hot-dog", before they too were driven out by the car traffic, firstly to road races along semi-deserted Bunnerong Road and finally into the fully-enclosed Heffron Park.

The tram route to Bondi is well documented with the most interesting deviation from the obvious being where the track took a graceful curve to the right (from Bondi Rd, heading down the hill) into Denham Street, then along Fletcher and onto reserved track just past Dudley Street. (The reserved track later became Rowland Ave.) The track crossed under Wilga Street in a cutting that continued on to also pass under Bondi Road, rejoining the main drag (southern end of Campbell Parade) on the other side of Bondi Road (at the Francis Street intersection). It's hard to imagine now, but yes there was a cutting and 2 overbridges involved in keeping the track at the desired gradient, all subsequently filled in. I witnessed the start of the filling-in in the mid 1970s.

Labels: Bondi, Heffron Park, trams

Sydney has suffered many planning misfortunes and missteps, including the lack of a heavy rail connection to the northern beaches, despite long-standing plans to do so, and the seemingly endless indecision over the location of a "second" major airport (although some may argue that Bankstown airport already fills that role). My personal favourite though would have to be the dismantling of what was the 2nd-most extensive tram system in the British Commonwealth - second only to the London network and many times larger that Melbourne's. This startling removal of track, electric catenary and associated tram sheds was largely "achieved" by 1961. Tracks were ripped up or submerged under tar; tramcars were sold for scrap or burned; and land and buildings were reused as bus depots or sold.

Why oh why did we ditch light rail? Wikipedia says this: The overcrowded and heaving trams running at a high frequency, in competition with growing private motor car and bus use, created congestion. Competition from the private car, private bus operators and the perception of traffic congestion led to the gradual closure of lines from the 1940s.

Buses, you see, were more flexible in their routing and interfered less with other vehicular traffic. Which was good in theory, but the government-run bus routes largely replicated the tram routes anyway; and as both bus and car traffic grew the road network hit its natural limit as well - stopping everything in its peak-hour tracks.

Now this infrastructure planning miracle was achieved after seeking the input of overseas "experts" and largely executed by Labor governments. Interestingly, again quoting Wikipedia, closure was supported by the NRMA, but generally went against public opinion. Thank you once again, National Roads and Motoring Association. Nothing ever really changes, does it?

All that aside, some tantalising remnants of Sydney's trams exist, to remind us of our folly. For instance there are tramway remnants along Anzac Parade, through Randwick and Kensington, including reserved track and "bus stops" facing the "wrong way" (ie towards the trams, not the buses) towards La Perouse. There is a tram bridge at Annandale and sheds at Rozelle, Tempe and Newtown, plus recycled tram depots like Randwick bus workshops and a shopping centre at North Sydney. And plenty more, if you look closely enough.

Labels: sydney airport, trains, trams

Well I plan to do a lot of things, whether I find the time is another matter..

1. I plan to look at disused, discarded or removed railway lines in Sydney (here's a short list: The line from Richmond across the Nepean and up the mountains; the line from Campbelltown to Camden; the Toongabbie private line to the Associated Blue Metal Company quarry near the CSIRO's sheep research station at Prospect that survives as an embankment in a field; Widemere, same area but servicing the Sydney and Suburban Blue Metal Quarry Ltd, running from the south eastern side of Prospect Reservoir down to the main railway at Fairfield; and the private zig zag railway at Thornleigh)
2. "Old" roads, like Old Cowpasture Road, now mostly known as the Horsley Drive
3. Disused ferry crossings, like the Georges River crossing at the southern end of Forest Road - still largely intact. Or the ferrymasters' cottage and remains of the punt infrastructure at the Punt Bridge, East Gosford
   
4. The remains of old bridges, like the original Iron Cove Bridge at Gladesville, still clearly visible, or the burnt out remains of the Lane Cove River Bridge at North Ryde; the original low-level Roseville Bridge, of which the snaking approach roads tell the tale
5. Old tram routes, especially the steam trams such as the line to Parramatta from Castle Hill, or from Redbank Wharf
   
6. And anything else I stumble over.
   

Labels: bridges, old roads, Sydney, trains, trams

The Sydney Harbour bridge carries train (and bicycle) traffic on its western side. This is a shot of a mixed suburban electric set on the ramp from bridge to tunnel, just short of the tunnel itself. Next stop Wynyard station.

What is less well known is that the eastern side was designed for the same purpose, but for a heavy rail line that was never built. The line would have gone from Wynyard to the northern beaches, however the tide of public opinion (or perhaps political will) turned against infrastructure investment and plans for the line were filed away. However a somewhat less costly option was taken up: trams. As Sydney had an extensive tramway network on both sides of the harbour, it made sense to connect the 2 'halves' as it were and thereby avoid avoid maintenance facility duplication, tram/rail interchanges or even truck transport, whilst also providing a service to commuters.

Of course this impacted ferry use, but not as much as a heavy rail line would have. Manly's tram network was an isolated one, cut at the Spit, so whilst some commuters would not mind a short (mostly covered) walk over the Spit bridge, many more would still choose the ferry.

So the compromise bought a cheaper but less useful light-rail line but at the price of a 'proper' straight-through heavy rail line. A compromise that may still have paid dividends today, except we tore up the tram system by 1961.  Which leaves us with buses and extra roadlanes on the bridge.

The tramline (whilst it lasted) paralleled the rail in many ways, with a tunnel to platforms at Wynyard (now deserted and partially used as car parking), a station at the Milson's Point side and a flyover bridge to North Sydney. The approach to that bridge is used (again) as car parking .  

Labels: Sydney, Sydney Harbour Bridge, trains, trams, tunnels

Oops. We lost a few lines between 1921 and 1950. Still, it's better than what we ended up with after 1961 - ie nothing. (Nothing but buses, anyway.)

So what disappeared? The Manly line went. Narrabeen went as well. Parramatta to Rosehill and Parramatta to Castle Hill, gone. Sutherland to Cronulla, gone. Kogarah to Sans Souci, gone. Rockdale to Brighton, gone.

And then in 1961 we pulled the plug on the whole Sydney system. 

Whilst we may blame our current governments for lack of investment in public infrastructure we must remember that this "trend" really dates back some 50 years or more. And it's hard to turn these things around.

So how did it happen? After the mad rush to build infrastucture and create a backbone for Sydney's development a few sums were quietly done. Whilst many tram lines were opened to win political favour as well as to profit developers, the actual patronage revealed was quite poor on the outer lines, whilst costs were absurdly high. These outer suburban lines were also isolated from the main network or were using outdated technology. So the low-hanging fruit (as we say) was plucked - the worst returns in the least politically sensitive areas went first. Light and heavy rail plans were quietly scrapped (like heavy rail to the northern beaches), scaled back or slowed down (like the eastern suburbs railway) and investment switched to cheaper, more flexible but oil-dependent buses instead. 

Of course buses use roads, and cars also need roads. So it all seemed to make sense in a world of cheap oil and post-war wealth. People liked cars after all. And it benefited the increasingly important - and powerful - automobile industry. It seems amazing that the trams stopped less than 50 years ago - and that here we are now facing a growing shortage of public transport infrastructure, in a world where trams could have played a wonderfully effective role.   

Labels: planning, Sydney, trams

You wanna see a tram network? THIS is a tram network... alas it's all gone, bar one newish and oh-so-short light rail system that runs briefly over some of the same territory.

Labels: Sydney, trams

A view (in 1976) of what was left of the extensive tram reservation that ran from Randwick tram workshops up to the main shops.


Trams were also on reserved track along Anzac Parade, and alongside Alison Road and Centennial Park. Whilst some of this reservation was belatedly used for buses, other parts have been lost forever. What a short-sighted waste (IMHO).

Labels: Randwick, trams

It looks like it should be a suspension bridge but it sits on an arch.. and yes, trams ran here as well... this is Northbridge in the mid-1970s.

Labels: Northbridge, trams

Trams ran along here on a dedicated track near Coogee. This shot is mid-1970s but shows anti-Liberal graffiti dating back to the Menzies era...

Labels: Coogee, trams

Overgrown with weeds in 1976, this cutting is at the bottom of reserved track leading to the tram terminus at Balmoral.

Labels: Balmoral, trams

Tracks and catenary are clearly visible in this 1976 shot of Randwick Bus Workshop, formerly a major tram depot. A substantial stretch of track was reserved for trams only in this area, including track alongside Alison Road and an extensive "tram station" at Randwick Racecourse. The bottom shot shows the remains of a tram reservation heading south from the depot, now a park. Much of this dedicated line is now developed, sadly removing this reserved transport corridor from Sydney's transport mix.

Labels: buses, Randwick, trams

You'll still find a few of these around, but not many. Iron poles that formerly held up the tram catenary, the lines that fed electric power to the trams. These metal poles remained in place on the old tram route to Bunnerong in the mid-70s.

Labels: Bunnerong, trams

Up until 1961 there was an extensive tramway network in Sydney, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and 2nd only to London amongst Commonwealth countries. London changed to buses and Sydney sadly followed. Here are some shots of the cuttings through which the trams made their way down to Bondi beach. These shots were taken in the mid-1970s, just before developers moved in and robbed Sydney of dedicated tramway land.

Labels: Bondi, trams

Speaking of Zetland, as I did in my trams post, it's worth mentioning that South Dowling Street used to disappear into sand dunes... and that's probably why it was a bit of a centre for glass making. The massive Dowling Street tram depot was also down that "dead end" of town (now a hardware/retail monstrosity), as was the Sydney Hydraulic Company's plant (was now an Otis elevator testing facility when last I looked). They generated hydraulic power for Sydney, there being a need for power before the advent of widespread electrical distribution.

Heading south into the sand and swamp we had the old Victoria Park Leyland (aka Austin, Morris, Wolseley) car plant on the right, hard up against O'Dea Ave (where the single track tram connection from South Dowling Street to Waterloo is still visible). It became Navy land in the mid-1970s, then residential. Before all of that I think it was a pony racing track. On the left is Todman Ave and the old WD&HO Wills cigarette factory, Raleigh Park.

As an aside, let's remember Tempe tram depot here.

Labels: Dowling Street, glassmaking, hydraulic power, pony racing, Raleigh Park, trams, Victoria Park, Zetland

I will build on this as I go along, but how about the railway stations that have changed name? What about Wynyard and Central station, both of which have disused tunnels and platforms? What of the tram platforms at Wynyard, or the tram ramp up to the Harbour bridge?

Labels: Central, trams, Wynyard

Yes, trams, or light rail. And plenty of them, too. As in largest network outside of London (or was that just largest network outside of London but within the British Commonwealth? Whatever, it was huge.) Checkout Wikipedia here and the Tramway Museum (or SPER).

Look around you when driving - some streets are strangely wide with a big grassy reservation in the middle, like Anzac Parade at Kensington. There are even some tram stops (facing inwards, away from the road) along that same route to La Perouse, and some remaining bus stops are clearly re-used tramway buildings. Some streets and buildings curve gently to the left or right for no apparent reason, like Meagher Street near Cleveland Street, and others have tracks shining through like O'Dea Ave at Zetland. There are plenty of tram catenary clamps hanging off walls along King Street, Newtown, as well. All great examples of urban history, if you care to look.

Labels: trams

You probably realise that Sydney has one international airport, namely Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport. You probably also realise that there's a major light aircraft airfield in the outer-inner western suburb of Bankstown. You may even know about Camden airport, south-west of Sydney.

Some of you will have heard of Schofields, the former RAN air base, near the RAAF base at Richmond. Schofields had a triangular arrangement of intersecting runways, and when the Navy moved out the strips were gradually cut, with one DC3 marooned there when a fence divided the longest remaining strip. Did they truck it out, or take down the fence? RAAF 36 Squadron moved to Schofields near Sydney on 19 August 1946 as well for a time, populating the field with C-47s. Sadly now it's suburbia.

There's even the single-strip at Hoxton Park, west of Liverpool. You may think you know all that there is to know about aviation in Sydney... but wait, there's more.

What about Hargrave Park, near Liverpool? Now suburbia.

Penrith had an airfield, too, now a park close to town.

Holsworthy is an army base that can take short-field RAAF transports.

What of Duffy's Forest, to the north?

There are also many more grass strips to list, and we'll get to them soon enough.

What about the history of Sydney's airports? What of the pony racing that was conducted on land to the east of the current domestic terminals? Or the balloon loop for the trams that brought punters to that pony track? What of the early runway alignment at Sydney, which had one runway crossing the railway tracks to the northeast? Or of the DC3 that was involved in an accident with a freight train?

There are some secrets to be uncovered here. It will take time but we'll get there!

Labels: airports, Bankstown, camden, Hargrave Park, Holsworthy, Hoxton Park, Penrith, pony racing, Richmond, schofields, sydney airport, trams