Horse Car 24 was one of 10 horse-drawn trams taken over by Dundee Corporation from the Dundee and District Tramways Company in 1899. It last saw service in 1900, only 4 years after it was built by GF Milnes of Birkenhead, one of the best tram builders in the country. Many were sold off and used as summerhouses, and No. 24 found its way to a garden in Perth from where it was carefully recovered by the museum with help from local company, Nixon Hire, in 2014. After many years outside the exterior, still largely original, is showing its age. But the interior still retains most of its original features in excellent condition.
Work started on the 14th March 2022 on the rebuild of the last Dundee Horse drawn tram in Dundee, this will become a strategic asset for the Dundee Museum of Transport Museum. With the expected move to Maryfield tram depot to happen in 2024 this will be exactly what the public would be expecting to see in the building. Our dedicated volunteers have begun work to replace the damaged woodwork on the outside of the tram; painstakingly recreating joinery done over 100 years ago. Our aim is to restore the tram to a condition where our community can experience and appreciate the original horse-drawn tram as it originally was.
We want to take our horse-drawn tram home, and give it pride of place in a new museum at the centre of our community. The completed Tram will be used to inform and guide future generations of the transport history of Dundee.
Work completed:
- Survey the condition of the tram and measure Tram Chassis. (complete)
- Install timber Internal supports to tram and install Band straps around the tram to pull and hold the sides before a total collapse. (completed)
- Install tram on trailer for ease of access (complete)
- Create interior support structure to allow replacement of exterior (complete)
- Replace exterior fabric and windows, offside (complete)
We have just turned the tram round to allow work to begin on the near side.
It is currently estimated that the repair work, including the construction of a custom-built chassis, will cost in the region of £14,000
We would love you to be a part of restoring this important piece of Tayside's transport history by donating to our appeal and helping to realise our aspiration to complete the Tram's restoration by early 2024.