Wellington tramway system

The Wellington tramway system (1878–1964) operated in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. The tramways were initially owned by a private company but were purchased by the city and formed a significant part of the city's transport system. Historically, it was an extensive network, with steam and horse trams from 1878, and then electric trams ran from 1904 to 1964 when the last line from Thorndon to Newtown was replaced by buses.

In 1878, Wellington's trams were steam-powered, with an engine drawing a separate carriage. The engines were widely deemed unsatisfactory, however — they created a great deal of soot, were heavy (increasing track maintenance costs), and often frightened horses. By 1882, a combination of public pressure and financial concerns caused the engines to be replaced by horses. In 1902, after the tramways came into public ownership, it was decided to electrify the system, and the first electric tram ran in 1904. Trams operated singly and were mostly single-deck with some (open-top) double-deck.

Wellington's more northern suburbs, such as Johnsonville and Tawa, were not served by the tram network, as they were (and are) served by the Wellington railway system. The Wellington Cable Car, another part of Wellington's transport network, is sometimes described as a tram but is not generally considered so, being a funicular railway. It was opened in 1902 and is still in operation. Wellington's electric tramways had an unusual gauge of 4 ft (1,219 mm), a narrow gauge. The steam and horse trams were 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge, which was also narrow and the same as New Zealand's national railway gauge.