Once Upon a Tram

The Howth Tram linked Dublin to the coastal towns of Howth Head from 1901 to 1959 ; although only 2 miles apart, Sutton and Howth were joined by 5 miles of tramway. Its double-decker, electric-powered trolley cars left from Sutton, making stops at the Geenfield Road, Carrickbrack Road, and St Fintan’s Cemetery stations. The tram passed by Baily and the Stella Maris Convent before arriving at Howth Summit. Due to restructuring of the Irish transport service, the line (the last in Ireland) was closed on the 31st May 1959 and replaced by buses that were not as functional on the steep, narrow streets. Once Upon a Tram was filmed a few years later, just before the tracks disappeared. It takes us on a ghost ride like a final tribute. One of the Howth Tram cars is now on display at the Irish National Transport Museum in Howth Castel, near what was once the last stop of the tramway line. The film was shot in 16mm Kodachrome, very used for its color accuracy and dark-storage longevity. The beginning scenes shot in 35mm black-and-white were added later, with the idea of a showing at the Cork Film Festival in 1960. For financial reasons, the producers were unable to make a 35mm sound copy. In 1997, the Irish Film Archives came into possession of a 16mm internegative, printed from the original 16mm Kodachrome and the 35mm negative of the black-and-white footage, when a laboratory was liquidating its film stock. The producers’ initial aim to make a colour sound copy finally became a reality. The soundtrack of the black-and-white element was slowed and remixed with the optical soundtrack of the 16mm copy of the colour footage. The two elements were then combined and reworked to create the final 16mm optical sound colour copy. The work was carried out by Film and Photo Ltd in London. More on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_of_Howth_Tramway

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