Re: Sydney - tramway relics

["Someone Else" <croyle@bigpond.com>]

Ronald BESDANSKY wrote in message ...
>There are some steel plates, about 300 mm square, with "bumps" on them,
>located just outside where the tramway was in various streets. I have heard
>various stories that they have something to do with track drains or rail
>bonding. Anybody know what they were, and why are they still there when the
>track was lifted 40 years ago?
>
>Rgds
>
>Ron BESDANSKY
>
>
If you go to the end of darling st, Balmain you can see 2 of these plates.
We opened them one night and at the bottom is a small drain. We crawled or
kind of slid up the drain and came out in a 6ft high tunnel that goes up to
the top of the hill. The tunnel once housed a counter weight to help trams
climb the hill. very interesting and smelly because when we did it there was
a dead duck in it.

Email me and i'll take you in  croyle@bigpond.com