Sydney Tramways 0-4-0Tram No. 1A (28A)
Loftus, New South Wales, Australia 		Location: Sydney Tramway Museum
Status: Display
Related Notes
Photo Copyright © Robin R Beck
Here are the notes for Sydney Tramways No. 1A (28A), a 0-4-0Tram located in Loftus, New South Wales. If you have additional information about this locomotive, and would like to share it, click the Add Note button.
Posted: Jul 12, 2018 @ 13:07:08 by Robin R Beck
The Powerhouse Museum say it is number 1A which was a Baldwin built loco. Most other sources say preserved steam tram 1A is in fact 28A stating that 1A was in too bad a state to be preserved so a substitute loco was preserved. Number 28A was built by Henry Vale & Sons. They built 13 steam trams for NSWGT at their Pyrmont works in Sydney. All were built to the Baldwin design.

Anyway, a tram called 1A was preserved 1940 and put on display at the Power House Museum from 1988 to 1999. Then it moved to their store at Castle Hill. In 2017 number 1A entered the workshops at Castle Hill where it was cosmetically restored and then loaned to Loftus Tram Museum for 6 months. On 30th July 2017 it was displayed outdoors alongside a trolley bus at the museum on the 80th anniversary of the Kogarah Steam Tramway closure. In June 2018, I had been told by staff at Castle Hill that loco is still at Loftus. Exhibits end up on extended loans, if they are put on display. The original steam tram numbered 1. Was a Baldwin steam tram works number 4617. One of four imported to Sydney. To operate a temporary tram line for 6 months. From Redfern to the 1879 Sydney International Exhibition. It proved so popular the line was extended. As built was a 2 man single control locomotive. From 1905 the steam trams were rebuilt with one man, dual control. An 'A' was added to the its number. So this loco became numbered 1A. At it height Sydney had 40 miles of track and over 100 steam trams. In the early 1900s electric trams started. Slowly taken over the inner city routes. A couple of steam tram lines lasted longer in the suburbs. The Kogarah Steam Tramway being the last. It closed on 3 July 1937, when trolley buses took over the route..