Who Killed the Hobart Trams?

An unofficial history of trams in Hobart, Tasmania. Raymond Donoghue.
Instagram - angusthornett

[@hellisaplayground]

Finding your video stired up many emotions for me as I am Raymond Tasman Donoghues grandson my father is Owen his fourth child I stumbled across this just now and I needed to let you know what a beautiful tribute you said for my grandfather from all accounts he was a great man he had a hard life and lied about his age to enlist in WW2 where he was a POW for the entire war in Stalag a notorious prison camp Your video bought tears to my eyes Angus thank you for making this video I'm deeply proud of my pop may he rest in peace Cheers Shaun G Donoghue

[@angusthornett]

Your grandfather was one of the great Australian heroes. Vale Raymond Tasman Donoghue.

[@ebonydonoghue994]

@@angusthornett he certainly was, I’m am very proud to share the story of my great grandfathers act in bravery.

[@hellisaplayground]

@TimeWatch where you from buddy

[@68404]

George Cross! Wow, only the Victoria Cross is higher. Be so proud of his selfless bravery and sad sacrifice.

[@hellisaplayground]

@@68404 prouder than you know my only wish would of been to meet the man But having his blood flow through my veins is good enough for me !

[@moibenson4616]

Man. Did this video bring back memories! My mother and I ( I was aged 10 then) were in Hobart on that fateful day, I CAN STILL hear that clanging bell as that tram barreled past us. What a brave MAN Raymond Donoghue was.

[@angusthornett]

Bloody hell.

[@jimmyb101]

Your deep respect is outstanding

[@grahamsawyer831]

cometh the hour, cometh the man. the world is built on the shoulders of Raymond Donahues. RIP to a genuine hero.

[@angusthornett]

Indeed

[@jashugg]

To answer your title question, the then Lord Mayor of Hobart, Basil Osborne, was very anti tram. There was some local opposition to the pressure he applied to scrap the trams, but after the April accident and runaway he quickly got his way and the last tram ran just 6 months later, as you report.

[@angusthornett]

You got it.

[@eggballo4490]

If a new light rail line is to be built in Hobart, I want it to be called the Donoghue Line.

[@tristangiblin4373]

That intro has definitely made me thirsty for a Cascade Lager haha! 🍻 Stumbled upon your channel a few days ago mate and have had an absolute blast watching all your content! I've lived in Melbourne for the past eight years, but grew up and spent the best part of my 20s in wonderful little Hobart. I've definitely learnt a thing or two of our rich history watching your videos, and also felt a nostalgic homesickness convincing me that, although not tomorrow, I certainly will return home one day sooner or later! Cheers Angus! 🙂

[@garryc7774]

Very interesting. Thanks. As one of the others has posted, and it is correct, the concrete strips weren't put in place to cover tracks, they were put in place where trams were replaced by trolley buses because the trolley buses were quite heavy and damaged the roads of the period. There is an excellent work "Hobart's Tram Trilogy', written by David Kirby, several hundred pages long and an incredibly detailed book. Ian G Cooper also wrote an excellent history of trolley buses in Hobart and Launceston, from their inauguration in the 1930s up until their last day of operation in 1968, titled "Tasmania's Trolley Buses". This book explains why the concrete strips were put in for the trolleys.

[@smurftums]

There is still a small memorial plaque at the Metro Tasmania Springfield depot dedicated to the memory of Raymond Donoghue.

[@hellisaplayground]

Yes there is and his George cross medal in the museum

[@marcusporciuscato6404]

Outstanding work! We really need more like this: high quality, short form documentaries with a focus on local history. So many gems just waiting rediscovery.

[@austramaddox6940]

Thanks again Angus. Only problem is that some of these videos remind me how old I am! I used the trams regularly until trolley buses replaced them.

[@angusthornett]

Haha

[@abigayle2370]

very touching video thanks angus :)

[@markowen135]

Hi, Just discovered your channel. Now living in Perth WA. I was 7 years old and was with my parents standing on the corner of Liverpool and Elizabeth St just in front of the Commonwealth bank when that accident occurred, remember my father helped to get the injured people out of the trams. Keep up the good work.

[@angusthornett]

Thanks, Mark. That's an amazing thing to have seen.

[@AbsintheBabe]

What gold mine of local Australian history packaged into a well crafted documentary have i uncovered? Great videos, I always love finding Australians telling stories, I'm definitely sticking around. Rest in peace Raymond Donoghue.

[@angusthornett]

Glad you enjoyed. Cheers

[@bozlakian3329]

Once again Angus, fantastic ! What a man Raymond was, doing everything he could in the face of a terrible situation 😔

[@ebonydonoghue994]

That’s my great grandfather 🥰

[@bozlakian3329]

@@ebonydonoghue994 Really ? What an amazing act of bravery he done. Your family must be so proud of him & his actions 😊🙏🏼

[@ebonydonoghue994]

@@bozlakian3329 yes I am, my grandfather is Raymond’s 4th son Owen, we are definitely proud of the brave man he was, some people probably think I am lying but if you have done research about Raymond you’ll see his son Owen in one of his biography’s, I am a very proud Great granddaughter:)

[@NoName-ds5uq]

Great explanation, thanks! I never knew about the tram collision, though it was only 10 years before I was born. Raymond Donahue was a true hero and deserves to be remembered! I was parked just 50 metres down Elizabeth St from Warwick St today…

[@hellisaplayground]

That he thank you for your thoughts ❤️

[@wanderirivers8151]

Very nice. I like that bit at the end about remembering.

[@novisiblemeans]

Great story and another great video. Thanks Angus.

[@hawthorngrove3629]

I remember my Mum pointing out the places the trams ran when I was young. I really enjoy your videos, keep them up.

[@angusthornett]

Thank you.

[@ebonydonoghue994]

I am very glad to have come across this video, thank you Angus for sharing your knowledge and the story of my great grandfathers heroic act in bravery :)

[@hellisaplayground]

Legend

[@bardsong5569]

Love your drone footage, really good views of Hobart streets, and a good history lesson!

[@TheCollingsShowVlog]

Thanks for sharing the story of Hobart's trams, especially the story at the end. What a hero!

[@Rex_Stuph]

Thankyou for making these. It's nice to see the local history documented as you do.

[@angusthornett]

Thanks for the support.

[@gilbydog7350]

Great video Angus. Lived in Hobart for the last 18 years of my life but I learned alot from your video. Some of the roads you showed, such as Augusta Road and Sandy Bay Road looked very familiar. There is no place like your home town.

[@angusthornett]

Cheers, mate. I'm trying to get the subscribers up, so that the channel can become sustainable and I can continue to post content. If you feel so inclined, don't be afraid to share my videos on facebook and alike.

[@xidongyang5533]

Love your video and perspective description for Hobart tram in the past. I believe a modern tram system is really demanding for fast development of TAS and Hobart to improve public transportation.

[@CowboyJojosAdventures]

Great sharing this wonderful, yet tragic end to trams in Hobart. Brilliant!

[@jamescrocker2474]

Fascinating stuff. First time hearing Raymonds story.

[@hellisaplayground]

Great Australian hero

[@BillWoodillustrator]

That bus crossdressed as a tram has got to be the saddest thing…

[@bonfirejeon4451]

I love seeing this. It gives off such an odd but pleasant feeling to see your own city on a video online.

[@angusthornett]

Good stuff, mate. I'm trying to increase the subs up so that the channel can become sustainable. If you feel inclined, don't be afraid to share my videos. That helps, so that I can post more videos.

[@leandabee]

Fascinating Angus. Salute to you Raymond 💞

[@marcusluciani1620]

Really enjoyed that. Proper hero that Raymond bloke.

[@tasmaniahutadventures]

awesome history of our home mate done well rip Raymond you bloody legend....great video champ 👍🍺

[@hellisaplayground]

Absolutely my friend my pop was a true Aussie battler!

[@tasmaniahutadventures]

@@hellisaplayground respect bro love from Hobart

[@hellisaplayground]

@@tasmaniahutadventures cheers bro Hobart boy born n bred !

[@tasmaniahutadventures]

@@hellisaplayground do you have any pics of him on a tram that would be cool as....same bro love this island called home...happy Easter too

[@tassiet3658]

I’ve always wondered what happened to the trams. Thank you for another incredible video. Hopefully you’ll get to 1000 subs soon!

[@angusthornett]

Thanks, mate.

[@samcragg88]

Another fantastic video! Really look for to watching these video about our city’s history.

[@cloudstreet8214]

Great episode.

[@brad4013]

This history of the Hobart trams is fantastic. You got out and showed where they ran and told us the stories. Brilliant!

[@temptationsailingteam8480]

Great video. When I was a kid my Mum told me that the concrete roads were there because the trolley buses (buses on road wheels powered by overhead wires) were so heavy. I always wondered how true that was.

[@steveerkle5900]

You are actually correct ...the concrete road was put down to take the extra weight of the trolley busses ... It was the same up here in Launceston ... Only connection to the trams was the fact that most of the trolley bus routes were the same as the trams

[@tresparivet6348]

Thanks for making and posting. Brilliant.

[@mxeeds]

Thanks Angus I live in Lenah Valley and have been curios about the trams. How about a video about the tea gardens that were spread around Hobart

[@chrisrees3304]

You are doing wonderful stuff Angus, and it will be appreciated far into the future. Thank you.

[@TheCrunchifiedOne]

I really like this video mate, especially the time for reflection left after the story of Raymond. Thank you.

[@blairdenholm4167]

Well done, Angus. I'd love to see some sleek, modern trams back in town.

[@Nath-the-explorer]

Have to say I love you Videos, I'm originally from Launceston but now live on the mainland for the past 12 years, I used to go down to Hobart all the time when I was a child and teenager but didn't have much of an interest in history but the past few years I love it! Was back down in Hobart 2 weeks ago and loved the old building where in the past didn't appreciate them! Watching your videos has pointed out many past features of Hobart I never knew existed and walked or drove past many times years ago! Off Sandy Bay road up from the Casino there used to be a caravan park I used to stay at and never knew it used to have a large cemetery next to it! Think there would be lots of history in places like Richmond, Evandale and even Launceston for many potential videos which I'm sure you would be great at doing! Thankyou for the content!

[@angusthornett]

Glad you enjoyed, mate. I'm trying to get subscribers up, so that the channel can become sustainable. If you're so inclined, please share my videos.

[@DandamanV]

I love these kinds of KZbin channels, and I am chuffed that Hobart has gotten its very own public transport historian now! Keep up the good work mate.

[@james7149]

I’m grateful for finding your fascinating vlogs that hopefully mean histories and heroes are not forgotten. You have a gift for narrative and achieve so much information and interest in the length of these vlogs…that’s not an easy thing to do. Looking at the changes seen from the beginnings of Hobart I see evidence that maybe some things never change when we look at the kinds of issues facing Hobart and Tasmania today… i.e. big business, local and state governments and I suppose it’s money heads them all off in the end…

[@stripeyhorse]

Congratulations on 1000 subs mate. Now the race for 5k. Keep up the great videos…

[@scanlonpat3433]

As always; informative and wonderful. Thank you.

[@pmacgowan]

I was born an grew up in Hobart 1960 to 1985, I never knew there were trams … thank you

[@DuffTV]

Another really nice story. Thanks. Enjoying all these. Keep them coming

[@thattassiewargamer]

I’ve just discovered your videos and I’m glad I did. Your videos are well shot, informative and enjoyable. Keep up the great work.👍

[@angusthornett]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed, dude. I'm trying to get the subs up so that the channel can become sustainable and I can post more videos. If you feel inclined, don't be afraid to share my videos. That helps a lot.

[@camwoodland1586]

Great storytelling mate!

[@dcaonoek]

I just watched the Bridges vid and now this. These are very good videos mate! Keep up the great work!

[@angusthornett]

Thank, Dane

[@SchwaAlien]

In general it’s a shame the electric tram systems weren’t updated in a stepwise fashion to keep up with the times, including eventually separating them from regular traffic into an LRT style system as is used commonly today. Vancouver retained the electric trolley system and adapted it for the busses (mostly hydroelectric source) and it still runs today, but we are only now getting an actual tram replacement in the form of a electric SkyTrain-Subway system in this particular 1888 area just outside downtown.

[@stevewiles7132]

I love the smell around the Cascade brewery, it reminds of my years at Courage.

[@vickiegracie6776]

Fantastic commentary...easy listening & engaging information...so much I didn't know about the trams, the roadworks & the tram collision....bravery in the face of all obstacles .😢🙏🤗

[@pj1043]

I remember Hobart having the trolley buses & passenger trains when I was child before moving to the mainland. It sad 😢 Hobart got rid of the trains as well around the mid sixties.

[@philipmallis]

Great video, very interesting!

[@milkybar06]

Thank you for sharing this information

[@AWF1000]

Tbh though, I can understand why they got rid of them. Thinking about it makes me think damn it would be so crowded on the road and that huge accident was proof. Though I wish Trains were back. Would be good for a long distance transport to Launy or Devonport.

[@angusthornett]

They had their time. Need to find new things.

[@allanmaccaul1465]

Great video mate..👌

[@catrionahall8435]

These have been so informative. Thank you.

[@angusthornett]

You're welcome, Catriona.

[@AJGeeTV]

Thank you for this very informative video.

[@snoopy13946]

Exceptionally well done. Hobart is very suitable for a modern tram system to be brought back or some form of light rail.

[@Myrtone]

Heard about the proposed riverline?

[@cblamo]

I moved down here 3 years ago and was stumped by the old unused rail infrastructure, given the long distance to the airport, and the only other public transport alternative being buses. If I could use public transportation more, I would.

[@allenjenkins7947]

I lived in Hobart for a time in the early 1960s so I remember the trolleybuses, but the trams were gone by then.

[@AnthonyRochester]

Looks like you achieved your 1K subscribers goal, well done

[@coolcat237]

I remember riding the trams as a 9 year old immigrent with my family from Springfield to Hobart on many occasions..The clunk clunk and the bell ringing telling the driver '''all clear'' was fun for us kids..It was frustrating for the cars as they had to stop behind the tram while the passengers got off and on..Then as the tram started moving again the cars would take off on the inside as many as they could until the tram stopped at the next stop..

[@demetrialowther727]

Similarly to Hobart, Launceston in the north of the state had its own tram network during roughly the same period. But it was a similar story behind its ultimately untimely demise. Opened barely a decade later and closed barely a decade before Hobart's was scrapped (the larger the network, the harder it was to just close it so Hobart's hung about for a little longer). While there are always individuals or groups that enacted these changes, the real cause was somewhat on everyone. The demise of the Tasmanian tram (and just trams in general across much of the world) is a story similar to the death of the picture theatres. As the 1950's rolled around, Australia really shifted gear towards copying the USA, and imported much of the new 'modern ideals' that were developing over there. The TV became common place in homes and stole the viewers from the cinemas, and in parallel, the private car shifted from the enthusiast or rich man's toy to being a standard household item. The topic of the car and its influence on cities in the late 20th century to now is a massive topic really, a story of both liberation and societal decay through the deconstruction and alienation of people from their cities. When the car was finally taken as 'the future' and not a 'toy', funding soon flowed to redesigning Tasmania's towns and cities to suit the needs of drivers and not the scale and needs of 'people' (outside of being drivers or dwelling in isolation in their homes). Busses replaced trams as they could use the new car infrastructure, but the first stop-gap transitional stage of this was trolley busses which were extremely heavy. The sheer weight of these trolley busses on the mostly dirt streets prompted the concreting of the tram tracks that still remain in parts of Launceston and Hobart (expensive and difficult to remove). But while many advocate for the restoration of trams to Launceston and Hobart, the problem that killed the tram remains. Cars create a 'positive feedback loop' when they are allowed to take over cities and this loop is extremely difficult to break once the city has reached a point that cars are no longer a convenience but a 'need' just to live a 'basic decent life'. In summary, the speed of a car means people can live further from work for the same commute time, housing then sprawls to match this new freedom and overall urban density plummets, suburbs can then be split between exclusively residential and commercial uses with cars bridging them. This leads to a point that the average house is now so far from the nearest general store, school, workplace, etc. (even just the nearest bus stop) that the idea of walking to do any of these things becomes impractical or highly inconveniencing. As such, the point is reached that the car has cemented its own 'need'. With people then reliant on cars, why would they need a tram, even if they could walk to the thing in under 15 minutes (not including needing to wait for one). Busses still survive to accommodate the few who can't use cars and their ability to share existing car infrastructure is the key to this survival. Today, as long as the car is the 'default' means of commute and urban design continues to design car-centric suburbs, trams will never come back, at least to the suburbs. Trams could work once apartment density reaches a threshold though and might be able to return to the innermost areas of old Hobart in a not-too-distant future, but for now, the future of rail transport in either Launny or Hobart will be limited to the idea of nodal-based light rail where people drive from their house to the nearest station and take the train to the CBD to skip highway/main road congestion (which is close enough to a viable model that it could work... at least for Hobart where the rail corridor runs through built-up areas and congestion is now such that driving is getting 'handicapped' on main routes).

[@AKAThatKid]

this was fantastic. subbed

[@liamwood-baker8580]

This is such a great video!

[@jareddiamond6607]

Your pretty good at this. Very good. tks

[@jdillon8360]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. I never even knew that Hobart once had trams. What a tragedy that last story was. I'm surprised that the tram wasn't fitted with emergency air brakes. That would have prevented the accident.

[@warrenbackhouse9447]

My grandfather George BACKHOUSE was a cleaner/fitter, conductor and driver from September 1893 to July 1898.

[@warwickclark2143]

This is great! Subbed

[@NaturaBreeze]

Same goes for Sydney...Perth etc.....tragic loss of beautiful trams

[@George-pl7eu]

Fuck I wish we still had them they would be sooo useful bloody council. Is ruining Hobart

[@angusthornett]

They ain’t coming back.

[@chiggalatachogga6489]

So good man

[@angusthornett]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed, mate. I'm trying to get the subs up so that the channel can become sustainable and I can post more videos. If you feel inclined, don't be afraid to share my videos.

[@DarcieRichards]

Hope they will reinstate them one day... the public transport system here is dire. Since there is a population boom in Hobart, I really hope they consider bringing something like this back. It just makes sense as there are still so many old tram tracks around that could maybe be put to good use again! Buses are not the way of the future.

[@ogfdeadmantaz4145]

Loved the story mate and I'm Tasmanian lol well done bruv

[@angusthornett]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed, mate. I'm trying to get the subs up so that the channel can become sustainable and I can post more videos. If you feel inclined, don't be afraid to share my videos. That helps.

[@fatalshore5068]

I'm not crying! I have something in my eye!

[@jesusislukeskywalker4294]

🙏 R.I.P Raymond Donahue

[@robbraslin1121]

my grandfather les wilkins use to operate the trams he was one of the only people to roll one apparently

[@ElYmmit]

We have these concrete scars all over Newcastle when we transitioned to a car-centric post WW2 wasteland. Whilst the state government did grace us with 2.6km of modern light rail it was poorly thought out and has no concrete plans for extention yet..

[@johnfisher247]

Its very like the lack of freight and passenger services on the railway line between Launceston and Hobart. Instead large container trucks use the narrow road between the two cities. As I used to live in Maquarie Street and the tramline passed my front door next to All Saint Church. I am familiar with the concrete in the road. The tram rails were not all removed but actually concreted over. The concrete is very slippery for car tyres and often cars find it hard to break. Another strange Taswegian issue has been the supply of gas with the pipes laid under Maquarie Street. Gas was then abandoned only to be recently reinstated with new pipes laid down Maquarie Street and the older pipes exposed and pulled up. Tasmania is a place in which people leave school two years earlier at year 10 instead of year 12 in the rest of Tasmania. The education system is substandard. This is reflected in decision making and a myopic view of the world. Tasmania licked the shoes on Chinese investors and President Xi was welcomed with open arms. The gullible Tasmanian government being manipulated by a far more calculating fake friend. Tasmania also is captured by a type of unthinking fashion victim woke fadism. On one extreme there are those that want to woodchip the forests...on the other and those that want to marry Tasmanian devils. Any questioning of their left wing agenda results in formal complaints to the antidiscrimination commissioner.

[@elba9066]

I thought you might mention the light rail proposal for the disused rail track around Hobart

[@gavinhenderson5862]

Good work.

[@peterlovett5841]

The concrete roads are not the product of the trams but rather the electric trolley buses that replaced them. I remember the trams well and for several years used them regularly.

[@ogfdeadmantaz4145]

🔥🔥🔥🔥 been saying for years now we need them back our government is a joke so want trams or trains in Tasmania we need them

[@christinefarrall9391]

I grew up in Hobart.

[@guriqbalsinghchhina6748]

sweet hobart thanks for video to remind all the street names.

[@benjaminparkinson5255]

Just wondering do you have a car

[@angusthornett]

Yes

[@pennylynch913]

Im from Hobart. Sad we lost the trams. Hobarts bc so ugly now. Citys looking dirty at the moment. I dont enjoy going as much these days.

[@mikelkane]

I hope some days the Trams and Railways came back.

[@rsinclair6560]

Who killed the trams in Hobart? The General and Mr Ford. Not only Hobart, Ballarat, Bendigo, Sydney and if it had not been for unions in Victoia, that system would have shut. You may research a documentary called 'Taken for a Ride'. The General...General Morors U.S.A. That ol' grey dog...Greyhouse Bus Line; was owned by GM. In 1991, tram lines still existed down the dead end track to Mowbray Race track.

[@matthewmerkas]

3:40 I was waiting for the school bus haha

[@useryt9558]

God content. Nice channel.

[@garydavo07]

“A truck every five seconds” 10 seconds later , no trucks!

[@louiseddington5524]

Bring em back ay

[@zbjz]

So the wonderful trams were all taken down because a stupid lorry crashed into one? One tram is replaced with many cars which are all now more likely to cause a crash?

[@joekrusec9066]

And the trams were next to the footpath, at least they were thinking. Not like in Melbourne, where patrons have to risk their lives crossing traffic to get from the tram to the footpath (and vice versa).

[@Tsass0]

So Hobart will be looking at restoring modern trams to replace old tech. buses