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B1269 Omnibus, horse-drawn, metal / wood / vinyl, Sydney Tramway and Omnibus Company, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1890-1896. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 6, B1269 Omnibus, horse-drawn, metal / wood / vinyl, Sydney Tramway and Omnibus Company, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1890-1896. Click to enlarge
  • Image 2 of 6, B1269 Omnibus, horse-drawn, metal / wood / vinyl, Sydney Tramway and Omnibus Company, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1890-1896. Click to enlarge
  • Image 3 of 6, B1269 Omnibus, horse-drawn, metal / wood / vinyl, Sydney Tramway and Omnibus Company, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1890-1896. Click to enlarge
  • Image 4 of 6, B1269 Omnibus, horse-drawn, metal / wood / vinyl, Sydney Tramway and Omnibus Company, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1890-1896. Click to enlarge
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    Image 5 of 6, B1269 Omnibus, horse-drawn, metal / wood / vinyl, Sydney Tramway and Omnibus Company, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1890-1896. Click to enlarge
  • Image 6 of 6, B1269 Omnibus, horse-drawn, metal / wood / vinyl, Sydney Tramway and Omnibus Company, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1890-1896. Click to enlarge

Horse-drawn omnibus

This 24 passenger horse bus was part of Sydney's first public transport system. In the 1880s Sydney's main streets were laid with durable hardwood blocks. The city was filled with the sound of steel-tyred buses and other vehicles rumbling over these blocks, accompanied by the clip clopping of countless horses' hooves.

The horse bus was usually hauled by two horses. At peak times, or up steeper hills like William Street to Kings Cross, four horses were used. Upstairs seats, reached by a …

Summary

Object No.

B1269

Object Statement

Omnibus, horse-drawn, metal / wood / vinyl, Sydney Tramway and Omnibus Company, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1890-1896

Physical Description

Coach-like horse-drawn bus, consisting of a wooden body with a series of five sash windows along each side. Inside there two rows of blue upholstered seats running the length of the vehicle. At the rear of the vehicle is a short winding stairway which leads to the open seating area on top of the bus. The omnibus seats 24 people. The bus has four spoked coach wheels. Overall colour scheme is beige with dark blue, red and gold leaf detailing. Total weight of horse bus is approximately 1.25 tonnes.

Short URL

https://ma.as/207261

Dimensions

Height

3000 mm

Width

2200 mm

Source

Credit Line

Gift of Rudders Ltd, 1954

Acquisition Date

29 August 1954

Cite this Object

Harvard

Horse-drawn omnibus 2023, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 27 March 2023, <https://ma.as/207261>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/207261 |title=Horse-drawn omnibus |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=27 March 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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