The Christchurch Tram. PhotoNewZealand

Christchurch Tram

Posted by Roy Sinclair in Central South Island Travel Stories
Wednesday, 5 April 2006

For over a decade the clang of tram bells has become a friendly feature of Christchurch. Beautifully restored Christchurch heritage tramcars have become as much a part of the city’s identity as the meandering Avon or, indeed, the grand gothic-style Christchurch Cathedral that stands as the city’s proud centrepiece.

On the 2.5 kilometre City Loop, electric tramcars trundle through Christchurch’s principal attractions. Among them is Cathedral Square, these days a peoples’ place. At noon the Town Crier announces the events of the day from Four Ships Court. And the semi-retired Wizard of Christchurch still mounts his steps to deliver his outlandish philosophy tainted with elements of truth.

 

Motormen (and motor women) tell the facts and folklore of the city as their trams frequent Worcester Boulevard with its striking twenty-first century Christchurch Art Gallery, vibrant Arts Centre established on a former university campus, Canterbury Museum, and Christchurch Botanic Gardens. Rounding the corner into Rolleston Avenue they will chat about Christ’s College, modelled on a classic English public school, and displaying an enviable collection of gothic-style buildings. 

Motormen are as much a part of the attraction as the heritage tramcars they drive. Their banter will recall former university students; Ernest Lord Rutherford, the Nelson-born father of nuclear physics; William Pickering,  pioneer Kiwi rocket scientist in America; Apirana Ngata, New Zealand’s first Maori graduate; Helen Connon, first woman in the British Empire to graduate with an honours degree, and others.      

On the far side of the loop, after skirting Hagley Park, are the preserved Armagh Street dwellings – one is the  brick cottage built in 1864 for Dugald MacFarlane, a veteran of the Battle of Waterloo; the Spanish Mission New Regent Street, and recently-completed Cathedral Junction looking as resplendent as any grand English railway station.

The Christchurch Tramway has five heritage tramcars and two trailers. Some were restored during the 1970s and 1980s by dedicated members of the Tramway Historical Society at Ferrymead Heritage Park. Two trams, including a stylish restaurant tram, are from Melbourne.

Christchurch trams have become a focus for visitors, as well as a meeting place for weekending locals relaxing in the inner city. Parents delight in sharing the nostalgia of a past era with eager children – their small greasy noses predictably smearing freshly cleaned windows and risking a scow from the motorman, or conductor.

At weekends the trams pause while passengers share the antics of  Worcester Boulevard buskers, delightfully among them Rex and his performing Polly. Not so long ago Rex had an industrial accident and lost an arm. He found Polly, a terrier border-collie cross, at the council’s dog pound. They teamed up.

Polly, a cute trickster, rides a small bike, jumps through a hoop, and barks on cue to Rex’s rendition of `How much is that doggie in the window?’

Rex says, 'Polly keeps the wolf from the door. But if the wolf knocks on the door I will invite it in and train it.'     

The heritage trams recall an era - 1905 to 1954 - when  sparkling green and cream electric tram cars ruled Christchurch Streets. Tram staff wear uniforms reminiscent of that era. Conductors use the same two-bells to signal the tram to start. Motormen reply with the same old-time code of  bells.  

And if the gleaming paint work on crafted wood suggests an era of glamour, it may not necessarily reflect hardships of former times. An occasional old-time 'trammie' will still ride on the City Loop and chat about those days.

'Winter was worse,' recalls sprightly 92-year-old Geraldine Bowman who still wears her former conductor's uniform for special tramway events.

'When you had to pull down the poles and change them around, water would always run up your sleeves. Sometimes, sparks would be flying everywhere.'

'At the end of a day, working on Christchurch trams, you would go home at night thinking, 'I'm not going back there again.'

She laughs, 'But you always did.'

And today’s tram staff will smile in reply. Some things still happen that way, including water up the sleeves of a nicely laundered white shirt. I know only too well. I am also a motorman on the Christchurch Tramway.

Post a comment

 *  *    *  *

Fields marked with  * are required.