On 3/05/2013 9:07 AM, Roderick Smith wrote:
>

> I am not finding the date of extension from Port Elliot to Victor Harbor

> fast. Likewise, I am not finding the date of introduction of the horse tram

> from Victor Harbour mainland to Granite Island; I have found a reference to

> 110 years of service (ie c1900 startup).

>

> Did Adelaide have horse trams before it had electric ones?

>

Hi Rod,

My (limited!) knowledge is as follows:

The South Australian Railways had quite a few horse worked passenger services and the Victor Harbour line is just the last remnant.
Here's a pic of a couple of the vehicles being transferred by non-equine horse power.
http://tdu.to/SA_Motor_and_horse-cars.jpg

At least one of these vehicles has been preserved at Moonta on the Spencer Gulf.
Participants in last year's post-COTMA conference got to see it.
http://tdu.to/Moonta-HorseTram_2012.jpg
This vehicle was a Duncan & Fraser product - I think that earlier versions were built by the South Australian Railways.

Re Adelaide, yes Adelaide had an extensive horse tram system dating from 1875 and operated by private companies.
They were taken over by the Municipal Tramways Trust.

Mal Rowe - who reckons that the P&MTT was the system MTT transferred to melbourne