It's curious how enthusiasts come by their obsessions. A vintage postcard of a tram, for instance, triggered surveyor Alan Cheung Shun-kwong's consuming interest in streetcars.
'I was amazed the photo was taken in Central a century ago,' he says. Although it has yellowed with age, Cheung says the image of the city's old-style transport and colonial architecture is a work of art.
Drawn by the romance and nostalgia of it all, he started collecting tram memorabilia, buying pieces at auctions and specialist shops or swapping with other enthusiasts. Over the past two decades, Cheung's collection has swelled to more than 600 items, including postcards, photos of trams and street scenes, model streetcars, vintage tickets and even superintendents' reports. Half of these will be displayed at an exhibition in Diamond Hill marking the 105th anniversary of Hong Kong trams.
Cheung, 57, was pleasantly surprised to find that a number of fellow enthusiasts were young people. 'Because trams are slow I thought young people might not like them as much as middle-aged folks,' he says.
Younger tram buffs have injected fresh energy into the hobby. Because model streetcars and paraphernalia are scarce compared to trains or cars, Eric Lee Tsun-lung began making his own a decade ago, using everyday material such as cardboard and toothpicks.
The 10 models that he assembled, which will also feature in the exhibition, reveal his vision of how trams might develop.
