All aboard!
Step back in time and take a ride on the fully restored Purrey Steam Tram, which still operates on weekends and is believed to be the only operational one of its kind in the world.
In 1908 Rockhampton Council ordered four steam tramcars made by Monsieur Valentin Purrey of Bordeaux, France for a new city tramway, making Rockhampton the only provincial city in Queensland to have a street tramway.
June 5th 1909 saw passengers carried for the first time as 200 guests in two trams with trailers steamed up to the botanical Gardens following the official opening in William Street. The return trip took an astounding eight minutes.
Locals enjoyed special services with a lunchtime express to get home and back, trams waiting outside cinemas until all shows had finished and an ‘extra late prowler’ to help revellers make it home.
Trams ran around a beltline of William, East, Archer and Canning streets with routes to the cemetery along Upper Dawson Rd, to the Gardens up Ward Street, to the Showgrounds via Murray Street with a later extension along Wandal Rd.
The tramcars were a four-wheel passenger toastrack with an under floor steam engine and the boiler and the driver on a front platform. Toastrack trailers were attached to carry passengers.
A number of accidents occurred during the 30 years of tram operation. However considering the total number of passengers carried and distance travelled, the steam trams were a safe and reliable mode of transport.
The steam tram service served Rockhampton well for 30 years, but in 1939, as private transport and public buses became more available, the Purrey trams were removed from service and scrapped shortly afterwards.
In 1976 the 18-35 year olds of the National Trust in Rockhampton made a decision to restore a tram and started searching for surviving components. Supported by donations and by hundreds of hours of work by dedicated volunteers, the new tram steamed up on June 5th 1988.
The restored Purrey Steam Tram now operates on Sundays by qualified drivers and conductors of the Friends of Archer Park Inc. from 10am to 1pm and on special occasions.
Tram Facts
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Built in Bordeaux, France
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Began operation on June 5, 1909
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Ticket prices in 1920; Child 1d per journey; Adult 1d per section
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Nine tramcars and six trailers in the fleet
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Unluckiest was No.15, involved in 3 separate fatalities.
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Last to operate was No. 6
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Ceased operation June 24, 1939
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Carried over 40 million passengers
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Collected more than £350,000 in fares
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Travelled more than 4.5 million miles