“the Red Lady” + Sydney Tramway Festival 2024

Trains, trams and automobiles.

1) F1 arriving into Platform 1 at Sydney Central station with car C 3426 leading. It was the leading car on the official “first train” to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge on opening day in 1932. (Vincent Cavanagh)

My father and I were in attendance on Sunday (25 February 2024) for our first Sydney Tramway Festival, which is held annually in Loftus, NSW. We had booked tickets for the Sydney Tramway Festival Express from Sydney Central to Loftus, and back, aboard the Sydney Single Deck Suburban F1, a.k.a. “the Red Lady”, which is operated under partnership between Transport Heritage NSW, Historic Electric Traction and Sydney Trains.

2) F1 readying to depart Central, Platform 1. Motor car C 7396 is on the Loftus end of the train. (Vincent Cavanagh)

3) Passing through Oatley station, where the first electric train ran from here to St James on 16 August 1926. (Vincent Cavanagh)

We departed Sydney Central at 9:28am, travelling on the Eastern Suburbs Line to Redfern before continuing on down the Illawarra/South Coast Line proper towards Loftus railway station. We arrived at Loftus two minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival at 10:20am.

​Upon leaving F1 we were greeted on the platform and issued our tickets to the Sydney Tramway Museum by museum staff. The price of the entry tickets was included in the booking for travelling on F1.

4) Two kinds of heritage transport greeting us at the entrance to the Sydney Tramway Museum: a penny-farthing bicycle and Brisbane ‘Dropcentre’ #295. (Vincent Cavanagh)

5) ​1975 Holden FC ‘Yellow Cab Co.’ taxi, Sydney Bus Museum. (Vincent Cavanagh)

6) Model A Ford in resplendent red paintwork among the line of members’ vehicles from the Model A Ford Club of NSW.
(Vincent Cavanagh)

​We had only about an hour-and-a-half or so to look around the museum before we had to return to the station for our return journey to Sydney Central at approximately 12:05pm. Thankfully when we got to the museum gates, we found out that the museum had reserved the coupled Sydney O-Class trams (#1111 and Powerhouse Museum #805) for the passengers arrived from F1.

We promptly took our seats as the tram set was about to head off on its shuttle along the rails to the Sutherland railway substation and back again, passing Loftus TAFE, University of Wollongong’s Sutherland campus and the Sutherland Army Depot.

​7) 1920s P-Class #1497 ‘Toastrack’ tram returning from Sutherland railway substation, as viewed from Powerhouse Museum #805.
(Vincent Cavanagh)

8) ​Powerhouse Museum O-Class #805 coupled behind Sydney Tramway Museum #1111 awaiting their next run up the line to the substation. (Vincent Cavanagh)

​O-Class #1111 (Double-One Double-One) and a missed candid photograph moment. (Vincent Cavanagh)

​The Tramway Festival itself was not solely concerned with trams. The museum was host to classic automobile clubs, model ship builders and other modellers who were set up inside of Sutherland substation—sadly, we didn’t have any time to go in look ourselves—and the Sydney Bus Museum, which had brought along a heritage Sydney double-decker bus and Yellow Cab Co. taxi for visitors to ride in for the price of a gold coin donation—yet again, too little time.

​9) Ballarat ‘Dropcentre’ #37 queued behind R1-Class #2001, both awaiting their next journeys.​ (Vincent Cavanagh)

10) ​Model A Ford ‘Yellow Cab Co.’ taxi, Model A Ford Club of NSW.​ (Vincent Cavanagh)

​11) Ex D-Class, #134s Scrubber tram standing outside the Museum Tram Shed. (Vincent Cavanagh)

​After grabbing lunch from the 1st Sutherland Sea Scouts BBQ set up under the awnings of the Railway Square waiting shed (1907–1973) and a transference of monies inside the Museum Bookshop we made our way back to Loftus station to await the return of F1 from a siding in Waterfall station.

12) ​​“Street” mural of former NSW Rural Fires Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons at Erskineville station, on our way back to Central. (Vincent Cavanagh)

13) State Rail Authority (SRA) map of Sydney System network, circa mid-1980s, above the doorway in C 3426. (Vincent Cavanagh)

14) F1 in Sydney Central Platform 1 at the end of the morning Sydney Tramway Festival Express shuttle. (Vincent Cavanagh)

15) F1 awaiting the start of the evening shuttle. Motor car C 7396 on the Loftus end of the train. (Vincent Cavanagh)

We returned to Sydney Central at 12:55pm and made our farewells with F1. The second, and last, shuttle of the day would be leaving at 1:30pm.

All in all, it was a very full day out indeed.

​
Vincent Cavanagh
27 Feb 2024.

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