EXCLUSIVE: The Dundee Museum of Transport has launched a crowdfunder to create an exhibition celebrating Dundee’s trams

Picture: Dundee Museum of Transport

Dundee Museum of Transport has launched a crowdfunder to help create a new exhibition celebrating the city’s long and rich tramway history.

The exhibition is planned to open in 2026, marking the 70th anniversary of the last tram running through Dundee’s streets.

It will first go on display at the museum’s current base in Market Mews before moving permanently to the Maryfield Tram Depot, which is set to become the museum’s new home in 2027.

The museum hopes the project will highlight how trams shaped the daily life of generations of Dundonians, from the first horse-drawn carriages of the late 19th century to the electric trams that carried millions between homes, mills, shops and the seaside.

The history of Dundee’s trams

Dundee’s tram journey began in 1877 with horse-drawn trams, before steam-powered vehicles arrived in the 1880s.

The turn of the 20th century brought a major transformation as the city embraced electric trams, which became an iconic part of everyday life.

From 1900 until their final farewell in 1956, trams were seen as a modern and reliable way to travel, linking the city centre with growing suburbs and industrial areas.

The last tram journey on 20 October 1956, drew huge crowds, with more than 5,000 people watching as the final tram made its last ever run from Maryfield to Lochee.

Soon after, Dundee’s once-thriving fleet was scrapped, ending a chapter that had defined the city’s transport for over half a century.

Fundraising campaign to create a lasting legacy

Now, with the support of the public, the museum hopes to capture those memories and preserve them for future generations.

Alongside financial donations, it is also inviting Dundonians to donate tram-related objects and, most importantly, to share their personal stories of travelling by tram.

The exhibition will explore not just the vehicles themselves, but also the role trams played in shaping Dundee’s identity, industry and community life.

As the museum prepares for its move to the Maryfield Tram Depot in 2027, the project offers a chance to honour a past that still resonates with many Dundonians today.

The crowdfunder is now live, with a six-week fundraising goal. The museum says every contribution will bring them closer to creating a fitting tribute to one of Dundee’s most distinctive eras of transport.