Hong Kong Tramways – Depots timeline
November 3, 2014 Hugh Farmer Articles, Hong Kong Companies, Transport
HF: I have compiled a timeline about Hong Kong Tramways Depots using the sources given below. It is admittedly a rather rough framework. As further information comes in I will refine it.
I would like to especially thank Joseph Tse who has considerable knowledge of HK Trams (and also the Peak Tram and Tuen Mun Light Rail) as can be seen by the links below.
This article is twinned with Hong Kong Tramways – Depots images, the first Indhhk article linked below.
1904 2nd July tramcar No.16 left the Russell Street Depot for its first test run. The depot was located near the generating staion at Bowrington Canal) which provided easy access for electricity (1)
Russell Street was the only depot in the early days – able to house the entire fleet of 120 cars
It was extended and renamed Sharp Street (5)
1932 The King's Road Depot, at North Point, was temporarily used to park trams, and was closed after the Sharp Street Depot was extended (1)
With the upsurge in the number of trams, the original depot at Russell Street became overcrowded by 1932, prompting Hong Kong Tramways to secure the King's Road Depot site for tram parking purposes (storage for 30 cars). (5)
[Since 1950 HK Tramways have built their own trams. Where?]
1951 King's Road depot closed (5)
1951 With the expansion of the fleet the Russell Street Depot in Causeway Bay was extended and renamed Sharp Street Depot (1)
1954 King's Road Depot closed and Russell Street Depot expanded and renamed Sharp Street Depot (5)
c1977 "An aerial view of Russell Street market place and the tram depot' Black and white photo (4)
c1980 "Russell Street Market Place and the tram depot (Times Square today)." (4)
1986 July The Executive Council approved HK Tramways' plan to relocate "its depots" to Sai Wan Ho and Sai Ying Pun. (1)
1989 Sai Wan Ho (East Depot) (officially opened on 28th Apri)l and Whitty Street (West Depot) were in use and Sharp Street Depot closed on 20th March. (1)
Whitty Street (West depot) – officially opened on 27th May 1989 (2)
1989 Sharp Street depot was closed in March and redeveloped into the Times Square office/shopping complex, Causeway Bay (1)
Additional information from IDJ:
The Sheung Wan site came about in the 1980s when whoever owned the Sharp Street East site decided it was ripe for
re-development. As well as the new Sheung Wan facility, another site was brought into use at the eastern end of the line to basically house trams overnight rather than trundle them right through the city every night for stabling. This enabled an early morning start of their service days from each end of the extremities of the line. Additional stabling is/was somewhere down near Shaukiwan at the end of the line in a high-fenced compound.
This article was first posted on 24th October 2014.
Joseph Tse's – Main website www.facebook.com/amazingdingding
Joseph Tse's – The Old/Russell Street Tram Depot http://hkgtrams.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/old-depot/
Joseph Tse's – Whitty Street Tram Depot http://hkgtrams.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/whitty-street-depot/
Joseph Tse
http://www.hktramways.com/en/copinfo/milestones.html
Hong Kong Trams: A close-up guide, B. Arenz, Pacific Century Publishers, 1988
Early Hong Kong Transport, Cheng Po Hung, HKU, 2009
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Tramways#Current_depot
Hong Kong Tramways – Depots images
HK Tramways- Date of First Service
Trams, HK, linking 1881 and 2014 by way of 30th July 1904
Trams, Kowloon – the when, the where but not the why not…and proposed cross harbour tram bridge!
Tramways, Hong Kong, 1904 Proposal for Kowloon trams extending to China
The Hongkong Electric Tramway – c1908 report and images
Tramways, Hong Kong, 1984 Report
Tramways, Hong Kong – Bowrington Canal generating station
Tramways, Hong Kong, Dick, Kerr and Company, Preston, UK, makers of first cars 1904-1905
Tramways, Hong Kong, date if first full service
Alfred Dickinson, Consulting Engineer HK Tramways
Dick, Kerr and Company, Preston UK – makers of first HK Tramways cars 1904-1905