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A runaway tram brought to a rocky and watery end in Athol Bay near the Taronga Zoo wharf, 20 July 1952
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Title:
A runaway tram brought to a rocky and watery end in Athol Bay near the Taronga Zoo wharf, 20 July 1952
Creator:
New South Wales. Police Dept.
Letherbarrow, Colin Victor, 1924-2014.
Date:
1952
Format:
photographic cellulose negative: b&w ; 3.25 x 4.25 in.
Inscription:
Envelope no.52/1192 carries photographer's name 'Const. Letherbarrow' and date photographs taken as '20.7.52'.
Subject:
Athol Bay (Mosman, N.S.W.)
trams
tram accidents
Series:
FP08/345
Description:
This image is one of a series of 17 negatives packaged together in envelope no. 52/1192 containing images of the scene of a tram accident in which four people were injured when 'a runway tram rushed more than a mile downhill in Bradley's Head Road, Mosman', 'hurled 60 feet through the air on to some rocks - and came to rest with the driver's cabin and front seats in the Harbour near Taronga Zoo wharf.' (Sydney Morning Herald, 21 July 1952 p.1)
The incident took place on a Sunday morning in winter and those injured were the only two passengers, a man and a woman, and the driver and conductor, both of whom jumped clear just before the crash. The tide was out when the tram came to a jarring rest partly on the rocks and partly in water.
The tram was the 8.23am from Balmoral to Athol Wharf. It was, according to the Herald, 'one of the new corridor type' trams. According to the driver there was a heavy dew and wet leaves on the line and although he 'emptied the contents of the automatic sandbox on to the rails', it made no difference to his ability to apply the brakes. (The Daily Telegraph 21 July 1952 p.1) Two days after the crash a Maritime Service Board crane lifted the body of the tram from the bay, leaving the front bogie, which broke off in the smash, still in deep water. (Sydney Morning Herald 24 July 1952, p 3.)
Part of an archive of forensic photography created by the NSW Police between 1912 and 1964.
Source:
Justice & Police Museum ; FP08_0345_002
Rights:
You may save or print this image for research and study. If you wish to use it for any other purposes, you must contact Museums of History NSW to request permission.
Material Type:
Picture
Record number:
56056
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