H type Adelaide tram

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Adelaide Type H
("Bay" or "Glenelg") tram
GlenelgTram 1.jpg
Tram no. 365 at Victoria Square, Adelaide, in May 2005, 76 years after it was built
In service1929-2006
Manufacturer A. Pengelley & Co
Built at Edwardstown, Adelaide, South Australia
Constructed1929
Number built30
Number in service0 in revenue service; several now in operation at tramway museums
Number preservedAt museums: 15
FormationSingles or pairs; triple in 1930s
Fleet numbers351–380
Capacity64
Operators Municipal Tramways Trust 1929–1974; State Transport Authority 1974–1994; TransAdelaide 1994–2006.
Specifications
Traction system4 x 60hp Dick, Kerr & Co 1089
Power supply 600 V DC overhead wire
Track gauge 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)

The H type Adelaide tram, popularly known as Glenelg tram or Bay tram, was a class of 30 trams built by A. Pengelley & Co, Adelaide in 1929 for use on the newly converted Glenelg tram line. They remained in regular revenue service for 77 years before being replaced by Bombardier Flexity Classic trams in 2006.

Contents

History

360 in 2008 at the Tramway Museum, St Kilda Adelaide tram 360.jpg
360 in 2008 at the Tramway Museum, St Kilda
Interior of 367 in 2010 H 367 Interior (4560425833).jpg
Interior of 367 in 2010
Trams at the Mosley Square terminus on the Glenelg foreshore Trams at Glenelg.jpg
Trams at the Mosley Square terminus on the Glenelg foreshore

The 30 cars (numbers 351 to 380) were designated Type H by the Municipal Tramways Trust; [1] : 37  However, "H type" is now in common usage among tramway enthusiasts. They were built in the Adelaide suburb of Edwardstown by A. Pengelley & Co to operate the Glenelg tram line, which opened on 14 December 1929. Previously the line had been a South Australian Railways 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad-gauge, steam-hauled passenger railway line, mostly on a private reservation; conversion was to 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge and power by overhead electrical wire. They were also used on the Henley North line from 1935 and through to Kensington Gardens after these lines were through-routed [note 1] in 1952.

Between 1952 and 1956 all were repainted silver and carnation red, with interiors in Ashbury green. Most were returned to tuscan red, with varnished wood interiors, between 1971 and about 1989. [2] Trams in both liveries are present at the Tramway Museum, St Kilda, South Australia. [3]

In 1968, 366 and 377 were deemed surplus and scrapped. At the time, for operations management reasons all were run in coupled pairs, with an odd-numbered car being coupled to the next even-numbered car. This sometimes required cars to be re-numbered. Thus, for example, 353 and 354 were renumbered 377 and 366 to be married with 378 and 365 respectively. [4] All services were operated by a crew of driver and conductor (driver and two conductors on two-coupled sets). [5]

In 1986, the trams' trolley poles were replaced with pantographs. In 1990, 378 was fitted out as a restaurant car being repainted royal blue with gold lining. [6] On 15 July 2000, 372 was used to convey the Olympic flame from Glenelg to Morphettville as part of the 2000 Summer Olympics torch relay. [7]

Most of the type H trams were replaced during 2006 by new Bombardier Flexity Classic trams. However, five (351, 367, 370, 374 and 380) were refurbished in 2000. [8] By 2012, only 351 and 367 remained; the other three were stored at Mitsubishi Motors Australia's Clovelly Park plant. [9] In 2012, 351 was restored in tuscan red by Bluebird Rail Operations at Islington Railway Workshops. It briefly operated weekend services in August 2013. [10] [11] [12] [13] In December 2013, 352 (renumbered from 367) [note 2] returned from overhaul by Bluebird Rail Operations painted silver and carnation red. [14] The only other recorded use of the pair was in February 2015, when they operated a charter. [15] The final charter run was by 352 in December 2015.[ citation needed ]

To make room for new Alstom Citadis trams at the Glengowrie depot, in December 2017, 351 and 352 were moved to the Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure's Walkley Heights facility. [16] In 2021 they were donated to the Tramway Museum, St Kilda and transferred there as the sixth and seventh H cars on site.

Characteristics

MTT drawing: side elevation of the Type H tram Scan of MTT side elevation drawing, Type H tram.png
MTT drawing: side elevation of the Type H tram
End elevation Adelaide Type H tram end elevation (traced).png
End elevation

Sharing many of the characteristics of North American interurban cars of the first four decades of the 20th century, the cars' period ambience was carefully maintained during their government revenue service. Although they went through several refurbishment programs over the years incorporating updated features such as safety glass, fluorescent lighting and upgraded bogies, they ultimately retained varnished wood and etched glass interiors, a classic tuscan-red-and-cream exterior colour scheme (replaced by Ashbury green in the silver-and-carnation-red scheme but later restored), and neither heating nor air-conditioning in the passenger saloons. They operated in two-car sets and, in the 1930s, as triple sets. [1] : 164–171 

The Type H trams were the longest rigid-body trams remaining in service in Australia, and the second-longest ever built.[ clarification needed ] After the retirement of the W2 trams from Melbourne's network, they were the oldest passenger trams in service in Australia. [17]

Preservation

As of November 2025, 15 Type H trams (half of the number delivered in 1929) were at museums:

NumberOwnerStatus
351 Tramway Museum, St Kilda, SA In traffic [18]
352Tramway Museum, St KildaIn traffic [18]
355Private ownerNot operable, under long-term restoration at the Tramway Museum, St Kilda
357 Sydney Tramway Museum In storage [19]
358Sydney Tramway MuseumIn traffic
360Tramway Museum, St KildaOperable, on static display [18]
362Tramway Museum, St KildaOperable, stored [18]
364Tramway Museum, St KildaOperable, stored [18]
365Tramway Museum, St KildaIn traffic [18]
368 Tramway Museum Society of Victoria Stored
371 Perth Electric Tramway Society Stored, under restoration [20]
372Perth Electric Tramway SocietyOperable but yet to enter traffic [20]
373Tramway Museum Society of VictoriaOn static display [21]
374 Old Tailem Town Pioneer Village On static display [22]
378Tramway Museum, St KildaOperable, on static display (former restaurant car) [18]

Nos 351 and 378 can be seen in the music video to Taiwanese pop singer Amber Fang's 1990 single "Ai qing de gu shi" (Love Story), which was filmed in Adelaide.

Notes

  1. ↑ Through-routing: enabling running to the ends of both lines through the Adelaide city centre.
  2. ↑ The original 352 had been scrapped after a major accident about 1956.

References

  1. 1 2 Andrews, Brian; Triplow, Trevor (2014). City & Glenelg: the Municipal Tramways Trust Glenelg tram line. Clunes, Victoria: Full Parallel Productions. ISBN   9780646915302.
  2. ↑ Seymour, Colin (February 2000). "70th anniversary of the Glenelg tram line" (PDF). Sydney Tramway Museum . Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  3. ↑ "South Australian trams". Tramway Museum, St Kilda . 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "Adelaide". Trolley Wire . No. 117. Sutherland, New South Wales: South Pacific Electric Railway Co-operative Society Limited. August 1968. p. 11. ISSN   0155-1264.
  5. ↑ Destination Paradise. Sydney: Australian Electric Traction Association. 1975. pp. 29–30.
  6. ↑ "Adelaide's restaurant tram". Trolley Wire . No. 244. Sutherland, New South Wales: South Pacific Electric Railway Co-operative Society Limited. February 1991. pp. 9–11. ISSN   0155-1264.
  7. ↑ "Trams and the Olympic torch relay". Trolley Wire . No. 283. Sutherland, New South Wales: South Pacific Electric Railway Co-operative Society Limited. November 2000. p. 10. ISSN   0155-1264.
  8. ↑ "Glenelg tram refurbishment project". Trolley Wire . No. 285. Sutherland, New South Wales: South Pacific Electric Railway Co-operative Society Limited. May 2001. pp. 16–19. ISSN   0155-1264.
  9. ↑ "Adelaide tram news". Trolley Wire . No. 328. Sutherland, New South Wales: South Pacific Electric Railway Co-operative Society Limited. February 2012. p. 16. ISSN   0155-1264.
  10. ↑ H-Class tram to return to the Glenelg to Adelaide tramline Adelaide Advertiser 27 July 2013
  11. ↑ H type trams won't be brought back into service despite successful trial The Australian 15 February 2014
  12. ↑ "Historic H Class trams will not return to regular operation" Railway Digest April 2014 page 16
  13. ↑ "Still running…" Track & Signal October 2016 page 103
  14. ↑ "Here & there". Trolley Wire . No. 336. Sutherland, New South Wales: South Pacific Electric Railway Co-operative Society Limited. February 2014. p. 18. ISSN   0155-1264.
  15. ↑ "Here & there". Trolley Wire . No. 341. Sutherland, New South Wales: South Pacific Electric Railway Co-operative Society Limited. May 2015. p. 22. ISSN   0155-1264.
  16. ↑ "Here & there". Trolley Wire . No. 352. Sutherland, New South Wales: South Pacific Electric Railway Co-operative Society Limited. February 2018. p. 19. ISSN   0155-1264.
  17. ↑ Hoadley, David (18 January 1996). "Type H". Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2007.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "South Australian trams". Tramway Museum, St Kilda . 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  19. ↑ Adelaide Tramways H Type Tramcars Archived 6 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Tramway Museum
  20. 1 2 "Adelaide H Type 372 moves under its own power for the first time in 18 years". Perth Electric Tramway Society . 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  21. ↑ Adelaide H Class 373 Tramway Museum Society of Victoria
  22. ↑ "About Old Tailem Town Pioneer Village". Old Tailem Town Pioneer Village. 2025. Retrieved 19 April 2025.

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