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The Tramway Historical Society Inc. is located at the Ferrymead Heritage Park in the Christchurch, New Zealand suburb of Ferrymead and operates the standard gauge Ferrymead Tramway. Trams have operated at Ferrymead since 1968, with progressive extensions built between 1970 and 1984 allowing trams to operate within the boundaries of the Heritage Park. The Society also operates and own a collection of historic trolley buses and diesel buses. ==History== In 1960, following the desire to preserve trams formerly used by the Christchurch Transport Board, it was decided to found the Christchurch branch of the Tramway Preservation Association. Led by John Shanks, the group campaigned to ensure the preservation of the CTB's last two remaining tramway assets, 1887-built horse tram 50 and 1881 Kitson steam-tram engine 7. These had been offered to the Canterbury Museum, but had been refused and so ended up in the care of W. A. Clapham.〔Stewart, Graham, ''The End of the Penny Section: When Trams ruled the streets of New Zealand''. Grantham House 1973, 1975, enlarged ed. 1993.〕 As the vehicles were stored outside and were beginning to deteriorate, the Association arranged with CTB general manager John Fardell, who had come from Reading in England to oversee the transition from trams to diesel buses, to provide the Association with covered space in the former Falsgrave Street workshops for five months to carry out restoration work. Fardell and the CTB Board supported this, and so the two trams were stored in the former tramway workshops until 1965. During this time further exhibits arrived such as the Association's first vehicle, double-deck trailer 91, which arrived in 1965 and restored three years later. During 1964, the Association decided to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the closure of the Number 1 tram route to Papanui, which had been one of the final two lines to close in 1954. At the time, contractors had not yet sealed over the tracks between Blighs Road and the former terminus, and so horse-tram 50 was restored to its Christchurch Tramway Company appearance as tram 43, and transported to Papanui where it ran for a week in August 1964. This was hugely popular, and resulted in an increase of membership with the Association, which had become the Tramway Historical Society early that year.〔Dew, Leslie, ''On the Move: Christchurch Through the Years''. Volume 7 ''Tram to the Terminus'', Tramway Historical Society Inc, 1993.〕 In 1967, the Society moved to Ferrymead, where it concentrated its efforts on its current site at 269 Bridle Path Road. A traverser formerly used at the Falsgrave Street workshops was installed, a new tram barn built, and a short line was laid. The resultant tramway was opened on 6 January 1968 by Fardell, with the first tram being Kitson No. 7 with "Duckhouse" trailer 115 and double-deck trailer 91, restored to its original appearance as New Brighton Tramway Company No. 10.〔Dew, p. 86.〕 Further work in 1970 allowed electric trams to run under their own power at Ferrymead, with the inaugural electric tram operation taking place on 8 April 1970 using restored Christchurch 'Brill' tram 178. Beyond this, work continued to extend the tramway to the new Ferrymead Heritage Park development, with the current track layout being completed in 1984. A new substation was built in 1988 to power both the THS' trams, trolley-buses, and also the Canterbury Railway Society's preserved ex-NZR locomotives and electric multiple units. The THS (Inc.) is registered as a not-for-profit charitable organisation under the 2005 Charities Act. The Society also has a commercial branch, the Heritage Tramways Trust, which was created in 1993 to restore five trams for the Christchurch Tramway. These trams are owned by the THS, but leased by the HTT to the Christchurch Tramway operator. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tramway Historical Society」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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