HISTORY OF THE TRAMWAY
A tramway associated with the proposed Mangrove Point jetty was surveyed in 1894. On May 5th 1895 the contract for the construction of the jetty and tramway connection to the township was awarded to J. & J. Wishart jnr.
The length of the jetty was 2953ft (900m) by 15ft (4.57m) wide with a jetty head 340ft (103.63m) by 30ft (9.14m) wide plus a cattle race on the right hand side and a 25lb (11.34kg) 2ft (.61m) line on the other. It was completed within a year, but apparently was not officially opened until 20 December 1902. In the meantime a goods shed (combined customs and goods) was built and rolling stock supplied. The line then linked the township (length 1mile (1.609km) via two small jetties one was named Streeters and the other Male.
This tramway line was completed during 1898 and by the end of that year there were 5 trucks and a 1 ton crane in use. By the end of 1901 the truck numbers had doubled and a passenger car was under construction.
The
1904 Public Works Dept Annual Report reported “traffic increased so
much in the last 2 years and although the rail are of medium weight
and the sleepers of steel, they are hardly equal to the demands
placed on them… It is noted that the tramway needs converting to a
3ft 6in (1.10m) gauge with heavier rail and rolling stock to copy
with the marked increase in use”.
Early motive power on the line was provided by 2 horses.
The official opening of the line is reported to be 20 December 1902,
although the line had been in regular use for the previous 5 years.
This appears to have happened with several public works in the
north-west; perhaps dignitaries to perform the ceremonies were few
and far between in those days!
By 1904 there were 2 ½ miles (4.02km) of track, and rolling stock had
increased to include 18 one-ton (1.016tonnes) trucks, 2 four-ton
(2.032 tonnes) trucks, 2 eight-ton (8.13 tonnes) bogie trucks,
one passenger car and one crane. Traffic having increased
greatly, the tramway could hardly equal the demands placed on it and
conversion to 3ft 6in (1.10m) gauge was considered urgent.
The new line had a loop along Carnarvon St and Dampier Tce so as to
avoid the need to ‘run around’ the train, as well as a branch to
Streeters Jetty and a spur opposite Mary St (now Haase st)
into the Water Supply Reserve.
The involvement of the tramway with the development of Broome is
clearly evident. It is noted that Brome was not proclaimed as a
municipality until 28/9/1904. As a result 1906/7 saw the
conversion of the tramway from 2’ to 3’6” (1.10m) with 45lb
(20.41kg) rail. In the 1906-7 financial year relaying of the
tramway to 3ft 6in (1.10m) gauge with 45lb rails was commenced.
A number of reinforced concrete sleepers and Powellised timber
sleepers were used for testing purposes. Eight 3ft 6in gauge
wagons were sent to the tramway in that year. In the same year
the port was visited by 77 steam and 7 sailing vessels.
In conjunction with this work the goods shed was extended by 38’
lengthwise, the platform was made continuous, 8 new wagons entered
service and a new passenger car was ordered.
Gauge conversion was completed the following year and at the
township end the new line ended in a loop along Carnarvon Street and
Dampier Terrace making it unnecessary to run around the train.
A new 3ft 6in gauge passenger car was supplied in the same year.
Business continued to prosper for the tramway with the addition of a
rainproof shelter with necessary siding, an additional office for
customs and another siding in Dampier Tce.
To facilitate an efficient service a 9.5 ton steam locomotive was
delivered in 1910 to relieve the load on the horses. A request
for the engine (for the tram service) had been made in 1909 when the
Premier and Minister for Works visited Broome and were conveyed by
tram.
Horses
were replaced in the year ending 30th June 1910 by an Orenstein &
Koppel 0-4-OT steam locomotive “Coffee Pot” builders number
4058. At the same time further sidings were provided at
Dampier Terrace and the depot. In the following two years, five
new trucks, a meat van, a travelling water tank, and two further
passenger cars were supplied, whilst an engine shed and pit were
completed.
The passenger tram service was heavily used by the Asian pearl
divers at the time of their seasonal trips home. It also
proved to be too popular locally and the Broome Council was requested to stop the
running of the tram except on steamer nights. It was felt that
money earned by cabbies remained in Broome whereas money from tram
fares went to the Treasury in Perth. Obviously competition was
tough!
An engine shed and pit (to service the locomotive) was completed by
June 1912. The same year 2 timber trucks, 1 meat truck, 2
passenger cars and a travelling water tank were supplied.
Water quality (due to the oxides in the water) caused concern
regarding the steam engine. Subsequently an internal combustion Dyckerhoff
locomotive ‘New Century” engine was ordered from
Germany - to be called “Kaiser”. In the next five years six additional jetty trucks
were supplied. Kaiser was delivered in 1912 (the first combustion engine in
Australia) and was later transferred to Wyndham in 1915. This was brought
about because a new jetty, with a 3ft 6” gauge tramway, was being
constructed at Stony Point at Wyndham, about one mile north of the
town jetty, to service the meat works.
Very
little is known about the operation of “Kaiser” at Broome or at
Wyndham. It must have been considered sufficiently useful to
justify its transfer in 1915. In 1944 the ‘Kaiser’ was
festooned in weeds and appeared to be set aside. This was at a
time when many older steam locomotives were still in regular
use, so perhaps the “Kaisers’ performance had ultimately not been up
to expectations. After years of disuse, and several years on
display in a park in Kununurra it was brought back to Wyndham, to be
preserved.
In 1916/17 two new jetty trucks were supplied together with
another four two years later. They were needed as the port was
busy.
January 31st 1922 and new English steam engine – known as
“Kimberley” arrived in Broome. Before the end of its working
life in 1950 “Kimberley” was transferred to Carnarvon.
In 1923/4 it handled 139 vessels with cargo handled of 7,873 tons.
Two years later demand was such that an extra track was provided for
shunting and a request was made for even more trucks to enable
economical working of traffic. Loco No. 1 had been overhauled
and returned.
1926 saw some cyclone damage to the Goods yard but the Goods Shed
survived. In fact, the Goods Shed was then made more useful
with the installation of an outside ramp. Extra shunting room was
needed and when included on the west side of the jetty enabled
shunting to be done by locomotive power instead of by hand.
Cargo handled included wood, mother-of-pearl shell, cattle, but
changes in the pearling industry resulted in reduced general cargo
and sandalwood trade had also come to a standstill.
1939 Demco meat works were built. More railway line was laid to
service the meatworks. Some trucks were modified to carry the
frozen meat.
The tramway was largely destroyed in 1942 when the town came under
Japanese air attack. Passenger services were not restored
until 28 October 1946 when a rail motor (constructed from a utility
truck with flanged wheels) provided a service between the opposite
ends of town.
Internal combustion locomotives were used in the early days of the
line, including at least two Fordson tractors, but no details are
known of these. The inevitable dieselisation occurred in the
1950’s, and by 1966 motive power consisted of two Simplex-Dorman
four –wheel locomotive, NW7 of 1950 “Katie” and NW8 of 1954.
The Simplex engines ran between the jetty and the meatworks.
The line was closed in 1966 and NW7 was transferred to Derby while
NW8 was dispatched to Port Hedland. . Unfortunately
a fire in 1970 was to destroy the Broome Goods Shed leaving just a few
twisted remains
The old Broome jetty could not meet the demands of modern shipping,
particularly considering that vessels were left sitting on the mud
at low tide when moored alongside the jetty. On 23rd July 1966
a new deepwater port facility was opened at Entrance Point, several
miles west of the town. The new jetty is serviced entirely by
road vehicles. Since then the old jetty has been completely
demolished, the tramway dismantled and the rolling stock broken up.
The death sentence for the tramway was finally executed with the opening of the new Broome Jetty in 1966.