Historic Photo of the Day: 2024-01-21

Today's historic photo of the day: Exactly twenty years ago today, Adelaide H type tram no 373 at the head of a coupled pair, arrives at the terminus in Moseley Square, Glenelg, SA, January 21 2004. Yes, this photo is not quite as aged as most I feature here, but it was twenty years ago today and this was my last ever ride on an H type in regular service. H type trams sere a part of my childhood. Visits to my grandmother in Somerton Park invariably involved a tram ride, so these wonderful old vehicles hold a special place in my heart. In fact, they would be in no small part responsible for my interest in trams. The H types entered service in 1929 as part of the conversion of the Glenelg line from a broad gauge steam railway to a standard gauge electric tramway. Whilst they did run on other lines around Adelaide until the closure of the bulk of the system in 1958, they then spent the remainder of their impressively long lives running between Victoria Square and Glenelg, until they were finally replaced in 2006. After retirement, no 373 was acquired by the Tramway Museum Society of Victoria, and transported to their site at Bylands, Vic, where it is today one of a number of trams on static display. Modern Citadis and Flexity trams still today terminate at this same spot in Moseley Square, although the terminus has been re-modelled and the network has been extended at the other end of the route and nowadays they run through to Royal Adelaide Hospital, Entertainment Centre or Festival Plaza.