HOBART MACQUARIE VISITS THE TASMANIAN TRANSPORT MUSEUM
22 Aug 2018
On a recent Club excursion members from The Hobart Macquarie Probus Club went to the Northern Suburb of Glenorchy and experienced an interesting and informative visit to the Tasmanian Transport Museum.
It was a travel down memory lane for many members as number of vehicles types on display were used by them as children going to school, and adults commuting around Hobart, or on intrastate touring.
The Museum is segmented into sections which contain various transport vehicles.
There is a comprehensive locomotive “stud” in the round house displaying large and smaller steam locos, including a unique Tasmanian APT System (Mt Lyell 2) used on the West Coast of Tas and a purpose build light USA Built loco used for hauling loads timber out of Timber Plantations. Along side these are Diesel Electric Engines and Rail Cars used on Suburban Lines.
Rolling stock (Carriages & Trucks) to match these locos are also displayed. Historic carriages are hitched to a restored and maintained steam loco. giving steam train rides to people on monthly open days.
A Separate Section houses and displays vehicles which are powered by electricity, “The Electric House”. Here we saw Trams, both single and double bogies and double deckers. Beside the Trams was a number of Trolley Buses (over head power), including the 1st Trolley Bus “run” in Hobart. Hobart was the first City to use Trolley Buses in the Southern Hemisphere. They all work.
Another Section is a big Garage where petrol and diesel driven buses/coaches are on show. Included in this area are “service buses” and a rarity, a “country service bus” which is configured with six doors on each side of the body, giving access to bench seats across the body for passengers, “nice and snug”. Freight was carried on a long roof rack. A “show piece” is the Trans Australia Air Lines Coach which “ran” from Hobart - Airport – Hobart transporting airline passenger that used TAA Aircraft. You don’t get that service today!
The Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) Museum has a Campus on the site with a display of historic Fire Engines, Equipment and Appliances. An interesting vehicle is a one that is fitted out as a hearse and may be used in the funerals of deceased members of the TFS.
Adding to the “Transport atmosphere” is a number of relevant buildings which have been relocated to the Museum site, including the New Town Railway Station and Botanical Gardens Signal Box from the Hobart Suburban Network. The TFS Display is housed in a garage/building “made up” of parts of old/redundant TFS Buildings from around the State.
It was not only as “big toys for big boys” day, the ladies were very interested in the various modes of travel in days gone by.
To complete the day out and to compare experiences and swap memories it was lunch at the nearby Ganada Tavern”.
The photos show the Group seated in one of the single bogie Electric Trams and then enjoying the “post visit luncheon”,
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