A bit of History of Brisbane - 1954 film

[GuyG]

I received this via email today and thought others might find it interesting.

Brisbane City In The Sun - YouTube

[stevep]

that's great - I was born in Brisbane in 1952 & lived there for 23 years & I still remember it like that.

thanks:):thumbsup:

Steve

[incisor]

i remember walking to the markets in roma street with dear old dad every saturday and catching a tram back to rosalie with a few bags of goodies...

[UncleHo]

Ooh! Yes, that's the Brisbane that I grew up in,and remember so well,the pre-war and early post war cars and trucks, the "drop centre" trams and the old Victoria Bridge (3rd one) and I remember the sign on both ends for the Trammies,"One Car per Span",the Hales cruise boats "Mirimar", "Mararna" and "Mirabelle" (last seen working cruises on the bay from the Georges River in about 78) the City Hall as the tallest building in town,and St John's Cathedral is magnificent inside,(I was Confirmed there) and I believe that St Stephen's is it's equal, and the mural of Coolangatta,pre high rise, when the steam trains still ran down to there. but Queen Victoria Park is still there intact :) unlike the Belle View Hotel.


cheers

[V8Ian]

Did you notice the tropical cabbed trucks at Countess St and the BCC Daimler bus, Uncle?

[Reads90]

Brisbane river looked a lot cleaner in those days

[Scouse]

Are you sure it was 1954?


I would have thought more like 2004.







:wasntme:

[Bigbjorn]

Did you notice the tropical cabbed trucks at Countess St and the BCC Daimler bus, Uncle?

Body builders called them "C-cabs". New trucks were quite commonly built in this style into the late 60's. Quite a few early ones (pre WW2) had four across seating with a passenger outboard of the driver. There were still lots of late thirties through forties trucks in use through the sixties, KB & KS Inters, Lend Lease Chevs, jail bar Fords, blitz conversions.

BCC drivers bitch about it being hard work driving modern automatic air conditioned buses. How would they like to do a shift in one of the 1940's Daimlers or AEC's? Armstrong steering, poor brakes, low power, some had crash gearboxes, nice warm engine handily placed alongside the driver for climate control in summer, diesel fumes to breathe all shift.

[V8Ian]

Body builders called them "C-cabs". New trucks were quite commonly built in this style into the late 60's. Quite a few early ones (pre WW2) had four across seating with a passenger outboard of the driver. There were still lots of late thirties through forties trucks in use through the sixties, KB & KS Inters, Lend Lease Chevs, jail bar Fords, blitz conversions.

BCC drivers bitch about it being hard work driving modern automatic air conditioned buses. How would they like to do a shift in one of the 1940's Daimlers or AEC's? Armstrong steering, poor brakes, low power, some had crash gearboxes, nice warm engine handily placed alongside the driver for climate control in summer, diesel fumes to breathe all shift.
And the crappy ones had Wilson(?) preselect, that broke many drivers' legs.

[Bigbjorn]

And the crappy ones had Wilson(?) preselect, that broke many drivers' legs.

The Daimlers had pre-selector boxes. AEC's and the Albions had non-synchro boxes. The Albion box was pretty good, a constant mesh box, but I am pretty sure the AEC's were still pre-historic sliding gear crash boxes.

Albion were the only pommie outfit who could make a good gearbox, but then they were Scottish. Came the takeover by Leyland and the beaut Albion 6 speed got redesigned, turned around & inside outed, fitted with fragile splitters and weird shift patterns.

[PhilipA]

I was born in Brisbane in 1949. I used to get the drop centre school special to Norman Bridge from East Brisbane State school most days.Used to watch the cricket at the Gabba over the fence

Did anyone notice the Jeep Station Wagon in one shot. That is the only one I have ever seen in Brisbane.

They talk about the Mirima which is still operating, but don't mention the SS Koopa, which I travelled on to Bribie Island. It was a coal fired ship and quite an adventure with all the smoke and all.

Another city that made the stupid decision to get rid of the trams, some of which were off grade or what is called light rail these days,eg Salisbury,Belmont ( although I didn't know until now that it was part of an old steam tramway)
Anyone wanting nostalgia about Brisbane suburban trains only has to go to the Zig-Zag railway. As soon as I got in a carriage I thought it looked familiar! with its filigree of QR on the baggage racks.
Regards Philip A

[Bigbjorn]

Sorry, the Belmont BCC tram was nothing to do with the Belmont Shire Council steam tram. The steam tram ran off the Cleveland line between Norman Park and Morningside stations. Followed the line of Fitzgerald St. and Skyline Drive to near the Camp Hill Bowls Club where it deviated up what is now Wiles St and Ferguson Rd to Old Cleveland Rd and followed OCR To Baynes siding which is now part of Carindale. Closed for good in 1926. Traces could be seen up until the late sixties.

The BCC Belmont electric tram followed OCR from Stones Corner to the terminus at Mayfield Rd. It was extended after WW2 from Bruce St. Camp Hill to provide transport for the vast new housing estates of what became Carina.

[PhilipA]

Brian, I just googles Belmont last night as I couldn't remember the name of the terminus on Old Cleveland Rd. On the entry the writer said that about 700Metres followed the old track, which I assume was the off grade bit in the middle of old Cleveland Rd near the terminus.
There was a map which tended to support this, But I know nothing about it. I was surprised that I had never even heard in my life about the steam tram seeing I didn't live far away.
Regard sPhilip A

[Bigbjorn]

Stations on the steam tramline were Seven Hills on Skyline Dve at Claudia St; Mt. Bruce on Skyline Dve at Ursus St; City View on Old Cleveland Rd. at Arrol St; Mayfield Rd; Carina between The Broadway and Bernecker St; Baynes Siding on OCR near Creek Rd; Belmont opposite the state school near Scrub Rd. The cutting off the Cleveland Line under Bennetts Rd eventually was filled in by use as a tip. The steam tramline ran alongside OCR from near Camp Hill School to its terminus at Belmont.

The BCC electric tramline ran down the middle of the main road.

At Skyline Dve the steam tram ran down the middle and divided the road into Oateson Dve on one side and Skyline Dve. on the other. They were two normal separate two way roads and now is a divided four lane road. It is now shown on maps as Oateson Skyline Dve but no-one locally uses the Oateson part of the name.