International Railroad Discussion > From the Before Time: New and Old Australian Traction

Traction is not a main interest of mine but I will occasionally aim a camera at the odd streetcar now and then. In 2017 I made my first trip to the all-kinds-of-paradise that is Australia and observed trams in Sydney (new), Adelaide (was one of the last original tram operations in the country, now modernized), and Melbourne, which also appears to have the look and feel of a vintage operation. Being fixated on photographing the broad gauge commuter trains at Southern Cross station, I did not take a single picture of a streetcar in Melbourne, so I will go back to the archives for that coverage.

1. Making my way to Sydney Central for the afternoon departure of the Indian Pacific I was presented with this scene of one of Sydney’s modern light rail trains coming down from the station. No offense intended but they strike me as a cross between a bus and a billboard. The Sydney system has been undergoing expansion at great cost and great disruption to areas of the central business district.

2. A little bit north of Sydney Central I caught this rolling billboard somehow without another soul in the picture.

3. In the ultimate in relaxed photography I took this photo while seated at an outdoor table having lunch at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, claimed to be the origin of the famous meat pie.

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4. The modernized tram system in Adelaide that runs to the coastal town of Glenelg has also gone with the bus+billboard equipment but still has scenes that reflect its interurban past. This is at the eastern edge of Glenelg where the line travels down a corridor of trees.

5. This is the western terminus of the line in downtown Glenelg, bustling with restaurants and tourists.

6. Closer to Adelaide, the line crosses the broad gauge commuter lines and the standard gauge freight line to Melbourne on this modern bridge at the location of Goodwood. This train set has only a minimal amount of advertising.

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At the time of these images the tram system in Melbourne was operated by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB), later simplified to Metropolitan Transit and now commonly called Metro. Spencer Street was and still is a major streetcar route in Melbourne, running alongside the main Southern Cross railway station, and these first three shots are all taken on Spencer Street. All Kodachromes by R. J. Graf on December 28, 1981.

7. Vintage car 762 with some trolley pole wrestling and more modern car 147.

8. Vintage car 871.

9. More modern car 133.

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10. Vintage car 1019 at St. Georges Road and Miller Street in suburban Preston. Kodachrome by P. Jzilezck on January 1, 1982.

11. Lucky car 7 at Spencer and Bourke. Kodachrome by R. J. Graf on January 18, 1977.

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Very NICE and interesting series!

Larry