Hong Kong: The Peak Tram

 The Peak Tram began operation in 1888, carrying riders from downtown to the top of Victoria Peak. The trip is less than one mile each way, but has a height differential of 368 meters, or about a third of a mile up. The photo above is of Garden Road Station.

There are six stations in all, four along the route plus the two termini. At Garden Road Station, at the bottom of the hill, the waiting platform area has some old equipment on display.

 While none of the original cars exist from the early generations of tram vehicles, a replica of the first is on display.

 There are also cases with additional displays.

 The current cars are larger than the originals, but are designed to be reminiscent of the original system.

 The station at the peak is appropriately called The Peak, and there's an entire brand centered around the transportation system. Inside this building are shops and restaurants.

 Across the plaza, additional dining and shopping options are available. There's a convenience store over there as well.

 A fourth generation tram car is on display at the top, and it looks like it's possible to go inside at times. I arrived quite early and nothing was really open in the area.

 The weather in Hong Kong was foggy for most of my stay, so this is about the best you'll get of downtown.

 It's not that far away, but Kowloon is barely visible across the harbor.

 There really isn't that much to do at the top, especially early in the day, and with foggy weather there isn't much to see either. But you can walk up to the very top. Along the way, I came across a small park with some nice flowers and trees, called Mount Austin Road Playground.

 Instead of going to the park at the peak of Victoria Peak, I took a wrong turn. The stairs on the left were an okay shortcut, but I continued following the stairs on the right which led me to a private residence.

 This isn't that residence. This is a nice wall though outside one of the beautiful houses on the hill. I didn't make it to the peak, but given the weather Victoria Peak will be better visited on another trip.

 Back near the Peak tram station, there's a small overlook.

An hour of hiking wasn't long enough to clear the haze.

 These shots are across the harbor and I had to do a bit of processing to make them as clear as you see now.

The tram operates from 7 A.M. to midnight. Round trip tickets are HK$40 (about $5). Departures occur about once every 10-15 minutes.