The brainchild of Scottish entrepreneur Alexander Findlay Smith, The Peak Tram was the first cable funicular railway in Asia, built primarily to help increase trade to Smith’s hotel, which stood at the top of The Peak.
Hong Kong’s Peak Tram will celebrate its 130th anniversary on Wednesday, May 30 and to mark the occasion, The Peak Tramways Company has released historic images of The Peak Tram carriages from years gone by.
The brainchild of Scottish entrepreneur Alexander Findlay Smith, The Peak Tram was the first cable funicular railway in Asia, built primarily to help increase trade to Smith’s hotel, which stood at the top of The Peak.
On its first day, 600 people rode The Peak Tram, and within its first year it carried 150,000 passengers – almost all of Hong Kong’s total population at the time.
The original wooden tram held 30 passengers in three classes – first, second and third - with one-way tickets starting from 10 cents. At the time, there were only about 30 to 40 families living on the Peak, who prior to the launch of the service relied on sedan chairs to get to their homes.
The original wooden carriages were operated by coal and steam, and consisted of open rows of slatted seats at the front and rear, with an enclosed compartment in the centre to make up the three classes.
In 1989, the green metal carriages were replaced to the iconic red carriages which are still in use today and can sit up to 120 passengers.
Today, more than two million people a year take the journey up to The Peak.