Tramway Historical Society

Type

As delivered - single truck single saloon with open ends. The ends were enclosed very soon after entering service.

The first two Roslyn Electrics nos 1 & 2 as they appeared in early the first year of operation. No 3 was identical to these two vehicles. The open fronts were closed in very soon after the service began to give the motorman some protection from the elements. Photo: Evening Star c 1900.

Body of Roslyn no 3 (aka Dunedin no 81) in storage in the Trambarn at Ferrymead. Photo: Stephen Taylor 4 Oct 2008.

Not the real thing, but a photo of Lester Hopkins' superb model in 1/32 scale of Roslyn No 1 running on his layout at the 2000 Model Railway Show in Christchurch almost exactly 100 years after the line opened on 23rd October, 1900. Photo: G Caldwell October 2000.

Date Built

1900 by J G Brill & Co,, Philadelphia

Written Off

Withdrawn from service 1948, scrapped 1950.

Acquired by THS

From

Donated by Martye and Albertas Siuipys, Hazelwood Travel Hotel, Cargill Street, Dunedin

Restored

Body only in storage awaiting restoration.

The Roslyn Electric Tramway was the first public electric Tramway in New Zealand, officially opening for service on 23rd October 1900, with a gauge of 3'6", to replace a short horse tram route. This tramway was operated by the private company "Roslyn Tramway Company Limited", and they purchased an initial two electric trams to open the service and placed an order for a third identical tram - No 3 - in October 1900 from J G Brill and Co., Philadelphia.

The Roslyn tramway was taken over by the Dunedin City Corporation Tramways (DCCT) in 1921. The three Roslyn trams were renumbered as follows: 1 to 88, 2 to 89 and 3 to 81. The line closed on 1st July 1936 and the service was replaced by buses.

Number 81 had been transferred to the main Dunedin city system and re-gauged to 4'8" - probably about 1923 - and converted to a rail grinder and breakdown car. It was last used in 1948 and scrapped in 1950.

Note: Roslyn no 1 (later Dunedin 88) was scrapped in 1936 when the line was closed, and the body was obtained by the Otago Early Settlers Museum. It currently resides at Ferrymead awaiting restoration on the body work to be undertaken by the Heritage Tramways Trust for the Otago Early Settlers Museum.