Getting the tram across Middle Harbour took some engineering
The tram system that operated on the southern portion of the Northern Beaches prior to 1940 was isolated from the rest of the Sydney tram network. Bringing new rolling stock in or taking it out for major repairs was a challenge.
The first trams were brought by barge from Darling Harbour, risking the swell at the Heads to be craned off onto tracks laid on the goods wharf at Manly. However, as the fleet grew, this was not a practical route.
Once the line from Manly to The Spit opened in 1911, taking the tram cars across the sheltered narrow stretch of Middle Harbour to the existing tramway on the Mosman side became an option.
A unique barge or punt was built for the job. It had in-built tracks sitting on a large, elevated trestle. An onboard diesel engine was used to pull the barge across the water via a cable and also to raise or lower the trestle section to allow a horizontal run to the shore-based tracks, irrespective of the tide.
Its designer was John Job Crew Bradfield, later to become a household name for the Sydney Harbour Bridge but at that stage working in the tramways section of the NSW Department of Public Works. It had its first use in 1912 and proved successful.
There had been an initial thought to use the punt full time, as part of the passenger service. Commuters would remain on the trams as they drove onto it, journey across the water and continue on their trip on the other side.
It was realised that this would not be practical and instead passengers had to dismount, take the ordinary punt and join another tram on the other side. Once the Spit Bridge opened in 1924, a covered pedestrian walkway was provided.
