Launceston Tramway Museum

20/08/2026

At today’s Council meeting the Launceston Tramway Museum expansion was discussed. This has been a long and at times frustrating process — first submitted to Council in 2012 only to have those plans invalidated by subsequent Council decisions. Despite setbacks, barriers and other difficulties a motion has finally been pushed.

While the motions content was disappointing, as it does not position the project where we had hoped, it still represents an important step. An amendment pushed by Councillor Tim Walker puts a firm 6-month timeframe on the Council to deliver results. All of the Councillors present today have expressed support for the project which is appreciated.

It is time to get on with the project and get it done. This is the sort of project that will reinvigorate the city, encourage tourism, preserve Launceston’s heritage, upscale our operations and foster a stronger community.

In 1912 the then City Engineer drove pilings into the very ground we seek to develop in anticipation of a future tramway expansion. Triumphantly the City Engineer would declare that: “This will, I think, fill requirements for all time…”. 114 years later, on the groundwork laid out by the then Council, we will achieve what was envisioned for site.

The museum/workshop expansion is part of the start of our exciting 5-year plan including the expansion of the rail network towards Glebe Gardens, electrification and operation of tram no.1 (hopefully some very exciting news on this in coming weeks). Further to this are 30 semi-permanent exhibitions, a temporary exhibit gallery for rotating displays or visiting exhibitions from across Tasmania, a learning hub, display of a larger variety of objects and vehicles including a trolley bus, half cab Leyland and tower truck.

This transformation will not infringe on us delivering the most affordable volunteer heritage tramway of its kind in Australia so it is accessible to all the community and the economic benefit can be absorbed by local business (hotels, restaurants/cafes, conference centres, and other tourist attractions).

As we move forward, we would encourage anyone interested in providing tangible support for the projects realization to get in contact.

16/08/2026

Launceston Tramway Museum Workshop Manager Butch explains the track specifications and details you may have wanted to know about the tramway in Inveresk.

You know about rails and sleepers, but what about nibnecks, fishpla...

15/08/2026

Throughout the lifetime of the Launceston Municipal Tramways the service supported a tremendous number of passengers.

206,985,208 passengers were recorded, although the total number was likely higher.

When Launceston’s trams began running in 1911, the city had a population of around 20,000, yet almost 2 million passengers rode within the first 12 months of the service.

The Launceston Municipal Tramways peak was in 1947 with 9,250,114 passengers. This peak occurs not long after the decision was made in 1946 to replace the trams with Trolley Busses. 1946 in its own right was also a successful year with 8,751,881 passengers.

27/06/2026

Michael Leslie worked on the buses and trolleybuses for exactly 40 years from September 2 1964 until September 2 2004. Michael revists the Howick Street depot of Metro Tasmania in Launceston to recount just a few of his many adventures.

Michael Leslie worked on the buses and trolleybuses for exactly 40 ...

21/06/2026

Bob Carroll, one of the volunteer tram drivers at the Launceston Tramway Museum, recounts some of his experiences from a career of more than four decades at the railways.

Bob Carroll joined the Tasmanian railways as a teenager cleaning locomotives in Devonport. He soon became a driver and covered many routes throughout the Tasmanian network.

Bob Carroll joined the Tasmanian railways as a teenager cleaning lo...

20/06/2026

With the sad news of the upcoming closure of Boags Brewery in Launceston, another of our heritage tramway advertisements will no longer reflect an active local service. Our collection includes around 500 advertisements of businesses and films.

The film advertisements showcase some well-known titles such as Dawn Patrol (starring Tasmanian Errol Flynn) and Captains Courageous. The trams themselves were the lifeblood of the city’s theatres/cinemas by advertising films and transporting passengers to them. A letter to the editor in the 16 April 1947 Examiner tells of overcrowding on a tram on a theatre route, painting a picture of the large patronage of Launceston's trams:
“Five minutes after 7.30 a tram came along and a small one at that. People were squashed in everywhere and, of course more were waiting to be picked up at almost every stop… but a percentage were in the inside of the packed tram were going to the Star theatre ꟷ and what a mess as they tried to get out! Women were screaming, and I saw one faint…”.

With the ceilings and other places inside of the trams being prime locations for advertising many businesses benefited from the opportunity. Within a single tram there could be many different businesses advertised or, in some cases, an entire tram’s advertisement spaces could be rented out by local businesses. In 1914 James Leonard Craw drapery occupied all the advertising spaces in Tram no.18.

The advertising posters in our collection covers a large number of businesses such as the Mayfield Bakery, Findlay’s and Mitchell Motors. Local businesses would further benefit by assisting prospective consumers with the Conductors telling people where to alight to go to certain businesses, Ludbrooks being one of the main beneficiaries.

Of the advertisements in our collection, one stands for its endurance — Bridestowe!

A selection of these heritage advertisement posters can be viewed in Tram no.29 during a ride throughout Inveresk, placed to showcase authentic examples used during the trams lifetime.

17/06/2026

Since joining the Launceston Tramway Museum in 2018, volunteer tram driver Brad has built memorable experiences and had a blast along the way.

Brad shares some reflections on this time in the accompanying video. With over 7 years volunteering he is one of a number of long-term volunteers whose dedication has made a significant impact on the community. Our thanks go to Brad and to all volunteers who generously share their expertise and enthusiasm.

Tram driver Brad recalls some of the memorable moments from his tim...

15/06/2026

On 12 March 1913, Tram no.2 derailed in High Street and crashed into the gardens opposite the property called ‘Bifrons’. Motorman W. Spearman lost control after passing Adelaide Street when descending a steep gradient and the brakes not gripping. The trams Conductor Stanley Ling attempted to apply the brakes from the rear of the tram to no avail. As the tram hit the sharp curve it left the track, passing through an iron fence. The trams descent would be halted by a tree and its wheels would get embedded in the soil which prevented it from plunging further off an embankment.

It was fortunate that there were only three passengers on board, including Arthur Green (Secretary of the Launceston Gas Company), Miss Tyson and Mr. Gannou who all remained in their seats and only sustained minor bruising and shock. Conductor Ling was accused of jumping off the tram, although other accounts (including the tram crew) say he was thrown off by the force of the crash.

The crash would be attributed to a combination of factors including environmental from rain that occurred shortly before the incident and human error from the Motorman.

08/06/2026

Have you ever wondered how our points work? Volunteers Butch and Terry explain how the points are switched, what the colours mean, how they are maintained and what drivers and conductors need to look out for.

Butch and Terry from the Launceston Tramway Museum explain the func...

04/06/2026

In 2024 the Launceston Tramway Museum Society inc completed a business case for its proposed museum and workshop expansion. The business case details not only the benefits of the physical facilities but also set out 5 years of planned follow-on investment.

These investments includes new rail experiences (Glebe Gardens via the Black Bridge), new exhibitions, public programs, temporary and traveling exhibitions (including contributions from other groups) and heritage interpretation across Inveresk and the wider city. Some of these supported initiatives outside of Inveresk are well advanced and may even be delivered before the first shovel goes into the ground.

We are now finalising and refining the specifics of this 5-year plan, with an overview of this plan to be shared later this year.
The plan forecasts a 5-year economic benefit of $20,094,000. As the project delivery progresses and outcomes are achieved, the annual benefit is projected to grow to $6,696,000. These benefits are not those that flow directly to the museum but the broader economy ꟷ including hotels, cafes and restaurants, conference centres, retail and other businesses.

We believe this project is vital to strengthen the cities tourist, cultural, economic, heritage and educational landscape. Projects of the scale and importance as this are essential drivers to sustaining a vibrant and resilient local economy.