Adelaide - Tram Barn A, with 6 Bays, built 1918 for the Municipal Tramways Trust - now includes the Noel Lothian Hall. South Australia
The Noel Lothian Hall was opened in 2005 to accommodate botanical and horticultural exhibitions, displays, workshop and seminars.
The Hall is dedicated to Noel Lothian, Director of the Botanic Gardens, Adelaide from 1948 to 1980.
This Hall is part of the heritage listed Tram Barn A, the only remaining of 4 original tram barns built on this site in 1918 to service Adelaide’s extensive network of tram lines.
The Board of the MTT met for the first time on 4th February 1907.
Within two years, the first route of the electric tram system, to Kensington opened on 9th March 1909. By the end of 1909, electric trams were working the inner lines to North Adelaide, Walkerville, Payneham, Maylands, Marryatville, Parkside, Unley and Hyde Park - and at the same time, the MTT continued to operate the remaining horse trams routes, which it had taken over, retiring each horse tram service as the electric routes became operational.
Following the short lived appointment of J J Bodley, who had been manager of the Adelaide and Suburban Tramway Company (the largest of the horse tram companies) Mr W G T Goodman (later Sir William Goodman) then Chief Electrical Engineer was appointed General Manager, a position he held until his retirement in 1950 at age 78.
The Adelaide tramway system was designed, built and then managed for over 40 years by Sir William Goodman.
Born at Ramsgate, UK in 1872 he worked in Tasmania, New South Wales and as an electrical engineer for the Dunedin N Z Corporation before joining the Municipal Tramways Trust.
In the space of the first two years Mr Goodman and his staff had in place:
• 70 trams (of an initial order of 100) to start with.
• A very large car shed to put them in.
• A workshop to maintain them.
• A headquarters to run them from.
• A special phone system to know where they were.
• 10 miles of old horse tram tracks removed and replaced,
• Bridges strengthened.
• A 600v DC electrical distribution system.
• 55 miles of overhead wires.
• A power station planned and contract shipping to bring a steady supply of coal from NSW. (Until the power station was completed in 1910, power was supplied by the Adelaide Electric Supply Co to the MTT’s battery house and converter station at the corner of Pirie Street. and East Terrace.)
On opening day at 2.30pm, a procession of fourteen tramcars (carrying seven hundred passengers) led by tram No 1 left Hackney Depot travelling to Gurrs Road, Kensington. As the Premier, Mr T Price was very ill, Mrs Price officially drove the leading tram under Mr Goodman’s guidance. The procession returned to King William Street and then reversed direction to return to Hackney Depot for afternoon tea.
Refs: Heritage of the City of Adelaide: An Illustrated Guide 1996.
Adelaide - Tram Barn A, with 6 Bays, built 1918 for the Municipal Tramways Trust - now includes the Noel Lothian Hall. South Australia
The Noel Lothian Hall was opened in 2005 to accommodate botanical and horticultural exhibitions, displays, workshop and seminars.
The Hall is dedicated to Noel Lothian, Director of the Botanic Gardens, Adelaide from 1948 to 1980.
This Hall is part of the heritage listed Tram Barn A, the only remaining of 4 original tram barns built on this site in 1918 to service Adelaide’s extensive network of tram lines.
The Board of the MTT met for the first time on 4th February 1907.
Within two years, the first route of the electric tram system, to Kensington opened on 9th March 1909. By the end of 1909, electric trams were working the inner lines to North Adelaide, Walkerville, Payneham, Maylands, Marryatville, Parkside, Unley and Hyde Park - and at the same time, the MTT continued to operate the remaining horse trams routes, which it had taken over, retiring each horse tram service as the electric routes became operational.
Following the short lived appointment of J J Bodley, who had been manager of the Adelaide and Suburban Tramway Company (the largest of the horse tram companies) Mr W G T Goodman (later Sir William Goodman) then Chief Electrical Engineer was appointed General Manager, a position he held until his retirement in 1950 at age 78.
The Adelaide tramway system was designed, built and then managed for over 40 years by Sir William Goodman.
Born at Ramsgate, UK in 1872 he worked in Tasmania, New South Wales and as an electrical engineer for the Dunedin N Z Corporation before joining the Municipal Tramways Trust.
In the space of the first two years Mr Goodman and his staff had in place:
• 70 trams (of an initial order of 100) to start with.
• A very large car shed to put them in.
• A workshop to maintain them.
• A headquarters to run them from.
• A special phone system to know where they were.
• 10 miles of old horse tram tracks removed and replaced,
• Bridges strengthened.
• A 600v DC electrical distribution system.
• 55 miles of overhead wires.
• A power station planned and contract shipping to bring a steady supply of coal from NSW. (Until the power station was completed in 1910, power was supplied by the Adelaide Electric Supply Co to the MTT’s battery house and converter station at the corner of Pirie Street. and East Terrace.)
On opening day at 2.30pm, a procession of fourteen tramcars (carrying seven hundred passengers) led by tram No 1 left Hackney Depot travelling to Gurrs Road, Kensington. As the Premier, Mr T Price was very ill, Mrs Price officially drove the leading tram under Mr Goodman’s guidance. The procession returned to King William Street and then reversed direction to return to Hackney Depot for afternoon tea.
Refs: Heritage of the City of Adelaide: An Illustrated Guide 1996.