The Cable Car Man

Wellington’s Cable Car has turned 121.   The little red trams that trundle between Lambton Quay and Kelburn rise 394 feet and are considered an icon of the city.
The man responsible is James Fulton.  
At the end of the 19th century, Wellington was growing rapidly.  Its hilly terrain meant that any land that stood still for five minutes was being built on.
With new plans for residential development in Kelburn, a cable car was proposed and some of its prominent residents founded the Kelburne (that’s how it was spelled) and Karori Tramway Company.  Land was bought with the intention of linking it to a new street, now called Upland Road.
Permission was granted by the city council in 1898, but on the condition that it had the option to purchase the cable car at a later date.
Engineer James Fulton was chosen to design the system.  He selected the route and the two car system - one going up as one was coming down - and construction started in 1899.  The line opened in December 1902 and people queued (just like they do now) to use it.
It reached one million passengers annually by 1912.
But in the 1940’s there was increased competition from buses and there was a legal dispute between the council-run buses and the privately run cable car company which ended with the council buying the cable car in 1947.  
As the old system began to wear out, there were complainants about it and an upgrade was started in 1978.  It was completely refurbished with new lines and new cars.
A number of other upgrades have since taken place to replace the electric drive and control system and upgrading the terminals.
James Edward Fulton was born in Dunedin on December 11, 1854, the son of James and Catherine.  He went into the Public Works Department in Wellington as a cadet.
After years of engineering and survey work, he was appointed resident engineer on the Wellington to Palmerston North train line - the Waikanae to Longburn section.  After going into private practice he designed the cable car, the first Kelburn viaduct and Ballance bridge in the Manawatu Gorge.
He had married Charlotte Fredericka Budd in 1885.  He retired in 1926 and died December 6, 1928 and is buried in the Karori Cemetery.
In 1909, the only death recorded (there have been several injuries) from the cable car was for John William Wakelin who fell on to the concrete blocks from the still moving car, sustaining head injuries.  
He is buried in Woolston Cemetery in Christchurch.
Picture from Te Papa’s collection

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