06/09/2026
Did you know?
This image shows ‘Montrichard’ House, the former Tram Converter Station No. 14, at 13 Derwent Avenue, Magill, photographed in about 1996.
Tram Converter Station No. 14 was one of the converter stations completed by the Municipal Tramways Trust (MTT). It was commissioned on 27 August 1948 and played an important role in Adelaide’s electric tram and trolleybus network.
The station converted 7,600-volt AC electricity supplied by the Electricity Trust of South Australia into 600-volt DC power, which was used to operate Municipal Tramways Trust (MTT) electric trams and trolleybuses.
Designed by Caradoc Ashton, Fisher and Partners, the building has an unusual construction history. Its walls were made from poured concrete, rather than brick, due to a shortage of bricks at the time.
As Adelaide’s public transport system needs changed, street tram services were gradually replaced by diesel buses from 1952. Station No. 14 closed in 1956 and was purchased by Research Laboratories of Australia Limited in 1959.
Today, this former piece of Adelaide’s electric transport infrastructure survives as a private residence.
A fascinating example of how historic buildings can be given a new life while preserving a connection to Adelaide’s transport past.
