Sunday's History Photo

This postcard was given to me by my Grandmother many years ago,I know one Ex South Aussie that will find this interesting.

The electrification of tramways came to the district in December 1909 with a double track line to Thebarton from Adelaide and a single track to Henley Beach; the latter section was completed first so four cars were transported from the Hackney Depot to Thebarton and a passenger service inaugurated on 23 December 1909 with horse cars carrying out the former until 9 March 1910.
To give passengers better access the former horse tram route was altered and a new one built along Parker, Albert and Holland Streets to take passengers into Hindmarsh via a reinforced concrete bridge built across the river at the end of Holland Street and then along Manton Street.
This was to change in January 1923 when a new line opened which went down the south side of the Port Road and down George Street to connect with the former line at Albert Street. The return route crossed the river on a new bridge built from Manton Street to Cawthorne Street (since demolished) and on into Light Terrace, Port Road (then Shierlaw Terrace) and the north side of the Port Road.
Electric trams served the community for nearly fifty years when, in 1954, following a decision which is still the subject of concern today, they were replaced by buses, the proponents of which contended that they were more mobile and that routes could be changed or extended at less cost; matters such as air pollution did not enter into the debate! Gangs of men commenced removing the tram lines in Light Terrace in September 1954 and the Henley Beach service was terminated in 1957. With the one exception of the Glenelg line the complete suburban network had been dismantled by the close of 1958.
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