 The last tram ran from 1906 to 18 March 1961. | |
 | |
| Established | February 1964; 61 years ago (1964-02) |
|---|---|
| Location | La Rochelle, Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 26°14′03″S28°03′13″E / 26.23406°S 28.05355°E /-26.23406; 28.05355 |
| Type | Transport museum |
| Founder | James Hall,City of Johannesburg |
| Curator | Gaisang Sathekge |
| Website | jhmt |
James Hall Museum of Transport is atransport museum that aims to preserve and promote the history of hundreds of years of transport in South Africa in particular, and Africa in general. It is the largest transport museum inAfrica. It is located atPioneers' Park beside theWemmer Pan inLa Rochelle, Johannesburg,South Africa.[1][2] It was established in 1964 by Jimmie Hall and theCity of Johannesburg.[3][4]
The museum exhibits carriages from the period 1870 to 1910. These includeCape carts, two-wheeled carriages that were specially adapted for use on the South African roads; alsorickshaws, hearses,mail coaches andox wagons.[5]
Some of thetwo-wheeled vehicles housed within the museum arepenny-farthings,tandems, tricycles, and vintage and classic motorcycles.[6]
This collection includes several double decker buses formerly used in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. There are vehicles from Daimler,Leyland,AEC andGuy. A 1952RT double-decker London bus has been preserved, in working order, and is used for sightseeing tours. It also has a 1958 Guy double-decker diesel bus, one of 30 ever produced.[7]
The exhibit has a range of fire engines andfirefighting equipment, from a 1913Merryweather Steam Pump to a 1947Dennis with an 8-cylinderRolls-Royce engine. Others include the 1936Magirus Deutz with a 45-metre extension ladder and aFord Thames fire engine from the Randburg Fire Department.
Firefighting artefacts included in the exhibit are extinguishers,fire buckets,fire alarms, hand pumps, and hoses, and the original alarm board and switch box mechanism from theBerea Fire Station.[8]
Other fire engines include:
The museum has variety of motor vehicles with the oldest being a 1900Clément-Panhard.[4] The Clément-Panhard took part in the 1928Emancipation Run and finished with an average speed of 22kph.[9] It has a 1959 Mayoral Rolls-Royce.[4]
The museum has a number of steam powered vehicles on display. From "Texas Jack", a famoussteam tractor used in theWitwatersrand mines. ASentinelsteam wagon served to transport coal and haul away scrap at the mines.[10]
Other vehicles include:
The museum houses the firsthorse-drawn tram which was in use in Johannesburg from 1891 to 1902. It had maximum speed of 11 kilometres per hour (6.8 mph), drawn by two horses on a track laid in the middle of the road.
The museum also has the last tram ever ran from 1906 to 18 March 1961, and double-deckerelectric trams on display.[11]
Other trams andtrolleybuses include:
