Railways and Tramways of Australia

Fire sparks rejuvenation

 

A fire destroyed valuable tramway and railway heritage in Parramatta Park on 7 June 1993.

 

The Steam Tram and Railway Preservation Society (STRPS) opened a tramway within Parramatta Park in 1964. Services were worked by 1891 Baldwin steam tram motor 103A and 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotive no. 1022.

 

The Parramatta Park fire occurred at night and completely destroyed the STRPS’s shed and most of its historic rolling stock. Those destroyed included two tramcar trailers, two end-platform passenger carriages, CPH rail motor no. 5, a brake van and a replica steam tram motor. Steam tram motor 103A and locomotive no. 1022 were badly burnt. Steam locomotive 1308 was in dismantled condition and escaped damage; three goods vehicles had little or no damage. The fire was deliberately lit but the perpetrators were never caught.

 

Four days after the fire, 103A and 1022 were moved to Thirlmere, where they joined STRPS locomotive CPC2 Stepho that was being overhauled. Other items were salvaged and moved offsite.

 

Although STRPS planned to return to Parramatta Park, ultimately this was not possible. A new home was found at the Valley Heights Steam Railway and Museum in the Blue Mountains.

 

Work to restore 103A commenced. The wooden cab had been burnt in the fire but a new cab was built. 103A was moved to Valley Heights in 1999 and the restoration continued. It returned to public service in 2005 and is the only operational steam tram motor in Australia.

 

The overhaul of CPC2 Stepho continued. It was moved to Valley Heights in 1999 and steamed again in 2000. STRPS obtained several tram trailers and moved them to Valley Heights. 103A and Stepho continue to operate regularly at Valley Heights with trailer 93B.

 

The devastating losses at Parramatta sparked a rejuvenation at Valley Heights.

 

Bibliography

‘Disaster at Parramatta’, Trolley Wire, no. 254, August 1993, pp 3–8.

W Eade, ‘Phoenix arising’, Railway Digest, vol. 42, no. 2, February 2004, pp 18–20.

‘Fire destroys historic Parramatta Park trams’, Railway Digest, vol. 31, no. 7, July 1993, p 267.

‘The steam tram is back’, Steam Scene, vol. 2, no. 5, September 2005, pp 1–2.