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History
The Peak Tram, Hong Kong's famous funicular railway began operation in May 1888 and has served Hong Kong successfully for well over a century.
Originally, The Peak Tram was operated by coal fired steam boilers. This was replaced by an electrically powered system in 1926. A 62 seat, lightweight all-metal tramcar was introduced in 1956. Finally in 1989, the present tramcars commenced service carrying 120 passengers over 90 times per day from 7:00 am to midnight.
1921
Passengers pass four intermediate stations between the two terminals - Barker Road, May Road, MacDonnell Road, and Kennedy Road. Barker Road is named after Lieutenant General G. D. Barker, the commander of the British Forces in Hong Kong (1890 - 1895). The others are named after former Governors of Hong Kong, Francis Henry May (1912 - 1919), Richard Graves MacDonnell (1866 - 1872) and Arthur Edward Kennedy (1872 - 1877).
1926
During its first year of service, The Peak Tram carried over 150,000 passengers. Over the years this number has increased considerably and today its patronage rose to over 3.5 million, an average of over 9,500 per day. The Peak Tram is much more than a vital transport link, a landmark and must for tourists. Since its inaugeration in 1988, it has helped to shape the face of Hong Kong's development.
Victoria Peak has been almost universally called simply "The Peak" since Hong Kong's early days when it was used as a signalling post. Pioneering residents soon discovered relief from the city's sweltering summers in the cooler air above Central. The heat was intolerable in those days long before air-conditioning and refrigeration.
1948
Sir Richard MacDonnell, Governor of Hong Kong from 1866 to 1872, was one of the first to have a summer home constructed on The Peak around the year 1868.
Wealthy residents and some of the "hongs" soon followed his example. It was however quite the feat to get to and from The Peak. Grass-cutters' tracks provided the first rough routes to The Peak. Some people rode up and down on horseback, although Hong Kong's climate did not really favour the keeping of horses. Carriages could bowl elegantly around town, but most paths were too steep and too narrow for even the smallest wheeled vehicle. Most people in those leisurely days were content to allow themselves to be carried to and from town by sedan chair, but it was not the optimal mode of transport.
1959
The Peak Hotel opened in 1873 on land acquired by Mr. Findlay Smith. An ambitious man, Mr. Findlay Smith was not satisfied with the volume of business attracted by his hotel and felt more people should be encouraged to travel up The Peak. After some major lobbying for a tram, he and his partner acquired the rights to the Tramway for the princely sum of HK$2000!
It was not known how huge boilers and the other heavy equipment were hauled over such basically inhospitable terrain, but the boilers were probably assembled once they reached the engine room site. Today we can only speculate as to how they actually arrived at their destination. Transport of the 2.4-metre diameter winding drums must have been equally daunting. Laying the track itself would also have presented immense difficulties, as each piece of rail would have been approximately 7 metres long, weighing over 136 kilogrammes.
1989
On May 30, 1888 His Excellency, the Governor, Sir George William des Voeux and Lady des Voeux officiated at the opening of The Peak Tram.
From 1908 until 1949, the first two seats were reserved for the use of the Governor of Hong Kong and could not be occupied by anyone else until two minutes prior to departure time. A brass plaque affixed to the back read: "This seat is reserved for His Excellency, the Governor." In 1926, there were separate sections: First Class passengers, and soldiers and policemen (who paid two-thirds of the full fare).
The Kadoorie family's long-standing association with The Peak Tramways Company dates back to 1905, at which time the late Sir Elly Kadoorie, K.B.E., played an active role in transforming the former private company into a public limited company. - www.thepeak.com.hk/tram/location.html hong kong tram
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