Congratulations to all who made Saturday’s 50th Anniversary event a success. I was there from the early days when everything was done with hand tools and a great deal of Blood, Sweat and Tears.

I was sorry that I was not able to attend due to the illness of us both.

I trust that the STM will continue its successful progress as the premier tramway museum in Australasia.

Noel Reed. SPER No 007 One of the last of the original team.

From:TramsDownUnder@... [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, 16 March 2015 10:07 PM
To:TramsDownUnder@...
Subject: Re: [TramsDownUnder] SPER - 50 years of electric operations

While we are in a nostalgic mood with SPER, I thought I would add my two bob's worth.

In 1959 a friend gave me his copy of Destination Circular Quay. Not only was I fascinated by all the ancient trams long gone from the streets of Sydney but also mention of a tram museum.

Maybe later that year, two high school friends and I decided we wanted to go and have a look so the parents of one of the others took us there and left us for several hours.

Being familiar with the fine sandstone edifice in College Street Sydney, a rusting green corrugated iron shed in the bush was not exactly what I was expecting to find as a museum but that did not matter as it was full of the treasures which we had come to see.

It was great to see most of the tram car classes shown in Destination. I particularly remember a controller of the O class was unlocked so I spent some time practising notching up with it.

Something else I will never forget is that I don't know if anybody else was present day but Laurie Gordon certainly was. His matter of fact way of saying things heavily accentuated with very colourful language left a lasting impression!!

February 1965 I started work and one of the first pay packets was used to become a museum member.

I did not contribute much to museum advancement but I remember on a few occasions applying paint to the LP and possibly the F class as well.

The impending commencement of electric operation was an exciting time, and I was present during some of the very earliest test runs.

The speed was not fast and there was not much power available but it was great to see the trams move and hear their air compressors pump up.

On one occasion during this testing I remember seeing Bill Parkinson who was driving a tram being ordered out of the cab by Ken McCarthy because Bill was not yet aged 21.

Prior to electric operation the public was offered rides on the vintage Cadillac railmotor which had come from a coal mine in the Newcastle District. I remember Mike Giddey furiously using the hand petrol pump as it went along. Mike is still active in the museum today, especially in special work construction.

I did however miss the official opening of electric services at the old National Park site for the simple reason my holidays fell at that time and I was in Bendigo that very day riding Birney cars amongst the others.

As for Tony's reminiscences of the Camden tram, from about the May school holidays 1960, every school holidays a trip to Camden was a must.

Departure from Central was something like 10:05 AM and I think the train was the Southern Highlands Express hauled by a 36 class locomotive or occasionally a 38. This went direct to Campbelltown and connected nicely with the Camden line. The return home was exactly as Tony describes.

From the same time regular riding of the remaining five tramlines commenced until they were vanquished one by one, as were regular holiday trips to Randwick Workshops. All these activities ended one by one as they were sent to oblivion by Those Who Know Better.

In the dying years of the old site I became involved in tramcar maintenance, a wonderful way to learn a lot more on the workings of tramcars.

Let's hope that a new generation of enthusiasts will soon eventuate to keep this museum going and expanding over the next 50 years.

Regards,

On 16 Mar 2015, at 5:18 pm, Tony Gallowayarg@... [TramsDownUnder] TramsDownUnder@...> wrote:

The first time I went to STM was in early March 1965. I was 6 years old and my father had found out about the museum and we went out for a look. In earlier years my favourite weekend activity had been riding the train to Camden - electric train to Liverpool, steam to Campbelltown and then the single car and loco to Camden.

One one occasion I even rode the engine as it ran around the car at Camden. These are my earliest memories of being interested in railways, although I was told I had travelled on trams as an infant I have no memory of that.

With the demise of the Camden line that finished, and other railway excursions were indulged, like riding rail motors to Richmond. My grandfather, who retired unfit from the railways when he became a TPI war veteran, took me to Darling Harbour on a couple of visits to see his old work mates, where I’d have short rides on the 19 class shunting there - it was a different world then. These trips finished by 1964 or so when his work mates had mostly retired.

Anyway, the day I went to Loftus must have been the weekend before operations began at the old site as someone told my Dad that the trams would be running the next weekend, and it was planned that we’d return when the trams were running. I remember clambering around cars that were out of the shed on the day.

In the May school holidays that year we went to Melbourne, where we rode many trams and also Puffing Billy from Belgrave to Menzies Creek. The visit to the museum followed by the Melbourne trip really stimulated my interest in tramways.

Unfortunately, my father succumbed to his war wounds on June 6 that year, and the next time I went to Loftus was when I was about 10. After I was allowed to use public transport by myself when I was around 12 I made regular visits and eventually became a member in 1972.

Tony G

On 16 Mar 2015, at 1:32 pm, Matthew Geiermatthew@... [TramsDownUnder] TramsDownUnder@...> wrote:

A special event was held yesterday to mark 50 years of electric operation.

Howard Colins of Sydney Trains was the enthusiastic VIP to drove 154
through the ribbon.

Two ribbon breaking runs were done - one next to Cross Street on the
current site, the other adjacent to the old site at Loftus oval.

I don't have any photos of the actual ribbon snapping as my camera was
in video mode. Currently being processed by youtube.

A photo was also take of all members standing alongside 154. Some one
else will have to post that one, I didn't get a photo of my own as I was
in the frame myself.

<MG_Loftus_50th_154+guest+goldenkey.jpg><MG_Loftus_50th_Ribbon_breaking_at_oldsite.jpg><MG_Loftus_50th-The_Cake.jpg><MG_RNP_50th_154+guests.jpg>

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2015.0.5751 / Virus Database: 4306/9311 - Release Date: 03/15/15