Queensland State Archives posted a photo:
HAVE you ever wondered where the word tram derived
its name?
In the 18th century, when the demand for coal increased and
the traffic became greater, flat iron plates were fitted to the
faces of the wooden ‘rails’ to lessen the heavy wear and tear
and t(he cost of replacement.
Then an intelligent individual, perhaps one of the horse-drivers,
further improved the track by introducing a turned-up. edge or
trammel- from which the word tram is taken— to keep the
wheels from slipping off.
Queensland State Archives Item ID 436317, Photographic material