roads

Brisbane had electric trams from 21 June 1897 to 13 April, 1969. The official opening of the electric system took place on 21 June 1897, when a tramcar was driven from Logan Road, Woolloongabba, to the southern end of Victoria Bridge. The service commenced with 20 tramcars running on 15 miles of track and by 1922 there were 181 tramcars and more than 42 miles of tramway routes. As the tramway system spread out into the suburbs, it was not possible to supply all the energy from one point in Countess Street. In July 1913, additional generators were established in Light Street, off Breakfast Creek Road Voltage in the system was increased to 600 Volts. In 1915, a third generator was established in Logan Road. At the end of the First World War, it was obvious that the tramway system had become a necessity for mass transport of the people and it was generally felt that it should be owned and operated by a public body rather than a private company. The Greater Brisbane Act was passed by Parliament in October 1924 and on 1 October 1925 the new Brisbane City Council took over control and administration of the area previously covered by twenty cities, towns, and shires. The Act required that the tramway system be handed over by the Trust to the new Council, and this was done from 1 December 1925. Since that date, the system has been administrated by a Committee of Aldermen of the Council. An adequate system of power supply to the trams was a matter of urgent attention by the Trust in view of the high cost of generation and the limited output of the three existing power stations at Countess Street, Logan Road, and Light Street. It was obvious that the only economical method of feeding power to the trams would be a modern power station generating a high voltage alternating current and transmitting power to a number of substations at strategic points throughout the system. The earliest electric tramcars were converted from the older horse-drawn cars and also some new electric cars were locally built. In the twenty-five years of the Brisbane Tramways The company's control of the fleet was increased from 20 to 181 tramcars, most of these being built-in Brisbane with imported electrical equipment. The cars were of various sizes and types ranging from the combination car with a seating capacity of 34 persons, through the 10 bench and 12 bench cars seating 50 to 60 persons respectively, to the center aisle car seating 56 persons but with a capacity to carry 90 persons including standees. In 1925 the number of passengers carried per annum by the trams was about 82 million. The number dropped somewhat during the depression years until at the beginning of the War in 1939 it had risen again to about 92 million. During the War years due to petrol rationing and other causes, the number of passengers per annum rose rapidly to 160 million for the year 1944/45. After the War, the increasing use of private motorcars and the growth of the Council's bus fleet gradually reduced the number of tram passengers to 110 million in 1950 and about 80 million by 1960. Source: www.radschool.org.au/magazines/Vol38/pdf/Page12.pdf

In the lower right corner is "Isa Mine State School", a State School, but only MIM employees children were allowed to attend. The lower left complex was Mount Isa Mines private hospital for employees only. That's another long story.

Mount Isa Mines’ historic Urquhart Shaft and Headframe holds a special place in Mount Isa’s iconic skyline and is acknowledged as a significant piece of Queensland’s European heritage. Originally named No. 1 Ore Shaft, the infrastructure was built between 1929 and 1931 to aid in the commencement of zinc-lead production at Mount Isa Mines, hoisting its first ore in 1931. At the time, the hilltop site for the shaft and headframe was selected as it was just outside the 'known' ore-bearing regions of the zinc-lead mine and was in an ideal location to feed into the mill site and smelting workings. Today, the Urquhart Shaft Headframe, which still sits hillside, is a community landmark and a symbol of Mount Isa Mines and is one of five Queensland European heritage-listed assets originally built by the company. The Urquhart Headframe, which used an American A-frame rather than the usual four power frames of the period, was considered innovative at the time. Like much of Mount Isa Mines' early infrastructure, the Urquhart Shaft was named in honour of one of the key players in the company’s almost 100-year history. Originally from Turkey, John Leslie Urquhart, Chairman of London-based Russo-Asiatic Consolidated Limited, was one of Mount Isa Mines’ early financiers and accepted technical control of the operation while also forming a London board of Mount Isa Mines. He held the position of General Manager and Chairman of Directors from 1927 until his unexpected death in 1933. Urquhart, who also held mining interests across the globe and spoke several languages, is credited with importing the latest technological advancements in mining equipment and employing the finest workers from all over the world. He was responsible for developing the mining community known today as Mineside, which included housing quarters and dormitories, shops, a hospital and recreational facilities for Mount Isa Mines employees. Source: www.glencore.com.au/operations-and-projects/qld-metals/re...

Sir Douglas Fraser ISO, President of the QATB State Council performed the official opening on 4 April 1969 before a crowd of about 250 people. In outlining the history of the QATB in Bundaberg the Committee Chairperson (Ald D.G. Rattray) said that the original building catered for a population of 10,000 when it was constructed in 1913 and that in 1969 the Centre had to meet the needs of a district population of 48,000. The Committee had arranged the manufacture of a specially-built sulky to trail the litter. The late H.R. Lassig donated a pony to draw the sulky. This turnout - horse, litter and officer - allowed speedy travel to the scene of accidents or the sick and needy. The patient would be placed on the litter and, on the return trip, the officer was compelled to push the litter and travel on foot. The pony was trained to follow the officer who was pushing the litter. The next step of progress was in 1912 when a four-wheel ambulance field wagon pulled by two horses and complete with two stretchers was acquired. The splendid service of the QATB by this time had been worthily recognised by the public of Bundaberg and district with their most generous financial support to the extent that the Committee in 1912 decided to build a new Centre on land that had been acquired in Maryborough Street. Source: www.ambulance.qld.gov.au/docs/history/Bundaberg.pdf