photo(s) (AUS) Melbourne tram museum @ Hawthorn Depot.

[Pakenhamtrain]

As part of Melbourne Open House the Melbourne tram museum opened it's doors for free over the weekend.
The Museum is normally open Every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month for a gold coin entry($1 $2 dollars)

 

The Museum is located in the former Hawthorn Tram Depot. The depot was built by the Hawthorn Tramways Trust in 1916. The location being near on the junction of thier Swan St/Riversdale Rd Line(Now route 70) and Power St/Richmond Line. Out of the depot ran the City to Burwood route(Now part of route 75), City to Wattle Park(Now part of route 70) and the Richmond to Power St route(Part of route 75)

In 1920 the Melbourne and Metropolitian Tramways Board took over the HTT. While it was planned to expand the depot the growth meant a new larger depot was built in Camberwell. With the converson of Cable trams to Electric trams the depot picked up the City to Hawthorn via Bridge rd route.

 

In 1925 it became the home to the Driver and conductor school and opened it's own uniform factory in 1940.

It was relatively unchanged until the arrival of the SW6 class trams with work required to fit the larger trams.

With the increase of motor traffic the depot was closed in 1965 but it was retained to store suplus trams and kept the training depot. With the removal of the training depot and the uniform shop being subcontracted the place left until it was placed on the Victorian heritage register. In 2002 it was redeveloped into residential housing and became the home of the heritage tram collection.

VR.53. This tram was an order of 3 trams for the Victorian Railways Broad gauge Line from St Kilda to Brighton Beach. It was built at Newport Workshops based around the M&MTB SW6 class tram. Following the closure of the VR tramline in 1959 it was sold along with the other two trams to the M&MTB where after a bogie change to allow it to run on Standard Guage it was allocated to Essendon depot where it mainly ran on the Footscray to Moonee Ponds line(nowdays route 82) It was renumbered in the 70's to 700 and was withdrawn in 1980.

W7.1040. This tram is the last of the W class tram fleet built. The W7 fleet was built to cope with the traffic on the Bourke St routes. It was originally part of an order of 70 but a change in government that didn't like trams resulted it in being cut to 40. With the opposition trams in that era the W7s were built to be as quiet as possible. It was withdawn in 1992.

T.180. 180 stared life in 1917 as MBCTT.16. it was built for the Melbourne, Brunswick & Coburg Tramways Trust and were the first trams in Melbourne to have line breakers. Of note is Brill ‘Radiax’ truck. Designed to help the tram travel around a sharp corner more smoothly. This design while it worked was relatively unsuccessful due to the complex nature and the ease of maintenance of a bogey. It was renumbered T.180 in 1920 when the M&MTB took over the MBCTT. It's relatively in original condition apart from the fitting of a standard desto box.

NMETL.13. NMETL.13 is the oldest surviving electric tram in Melbourne. Built in 1906 for the North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Company in Adelaide as a kit from J.G. Brill Company of Philadelphia. In 1922 the M&MTB took over the NMETL and reclassed the tram to V.214. They were the only Toastrack trams built for Melbourne. No surprise given Melbourne isn't exactly warm come winter. Thier only form of braking unitl the and accident in 1923 was the handbrake. There were capable of towing a trailer but an accident involving V.214 crashing into another tram with a trailer saw air brakes fitted and the usage of trailers banned.
it was withdrawn in 1925 and was converted into a freight car in the 70's it was rebuilt to original condition.

W5.774. 774 was built in 1936 by the M&MTB at Preston Workshops as part of a 120 strong fleet to run on the Elizabeth Street routes which were being converted from Cable to Electric. The W5 class were the final evolution of the 3 door drop centre with canvas blinds. 774 was the last to be convered to two door air operated doors. In the 70's it was fitted with head and tail lights on the aprons. It was withdrawn in 1989 and allocated to the tourist tram fleet.

W2.510. The W2 class were the biggest type of tram in Melbourne with some 406 trams. 180 were built as new and the rest were conversions from the W and W1 fleet. It was the symbol of the standard Melbourne tram for many years so much so that the design is used on roadsigns in Australia today.

510 was built in 1928 and spent its career at Kew, South Melbourne and Malvern Depots.

X2.676 was built in 1930 by the M&MTB as a fleet of 6 for the Footscray tram system but it saw elsewhere including use as an all night tram. With the Footscray system closing in 1962 it was transferred to hawthorn where it was used as a training car. In 1978 the marker lights were fitted and it was painted in the chocolate and cream livery which it never had worn.
http://i.imgur.com/mBLVIUn.jpg?1
Inside X2.676

S.164. 164 is again another tram built for the Melbourne, Brunswick & Coburg Tramways Trust entering service as number 11. With the M&MTB taking over the MBCTT in 1920 it was renumbered S.164. Other than the standard desto box it's had no real modifications. It was withdrawn in the early 1950s.

PCC.1041. 1041 was the first tram built since 1956 with the change of premier to one who was more welcoming to investing into public transport. 1041 was built at Preston in 1973. Using the bogies and traction equipment from earlier PCC car 980.
The start of this tram's career started not that well. it failed at launch but the M&MTB had approval to buy 100 new trams known as the Z class. Being a prototype tram wasn't exactly a reliable vehicle and it was withdrawn in 1984.

1041 has the honor of the last tram being built by the M&MTB at the Preston Workshops.

http://i.imgur.com/zCwMRQj.jpg?1

Inside 1041. Of note to the left is the conductors seating area. Unlike other trams these had the conductor in a fixed position near the front of the tram.
http://i.imgur.com/sirTkqV.jpg?1

An MTA era map showing the neighborhood zones.

http://i.imgur.com/A1JVZda.jpg?1

The desto list. This tram was fitted with flipper destos.

http://i.imgur.com/9AgTcL6.jpg?1

The controller for the desto.

Y1.613.  It was one of 4 built in 1930. Designed to reduce fare evasion by having passengers walk through the front where the conductor would be. These were not liked by the unions due to the fear it would bring one man crews. It was moved to Hawthorn for driver training in 1973 until the closure of the driver school in 1990.

[img[http://i.imgur.com/SCu0W9N.jpg?1[/img]

L.106. 106 was the last tram ordered by the Prahran & Malvern Tramways trust and entered service in 1921. After the takeover of the PMTT it was put into the L class. It spent most of it's life in Malvern, Glenhuntly, South Melbourne and Essendon depots. It was withdrawn in 1969 but kept around as a standby tram. In the 1980s it was used on a special service to the Zoo before finally being retired in the 90s.
The L class was the basis for the W class tram.

X.217. 217 was one of two imported Birney Lightweight Safetycars. These were ordered to meet the challenge buses. Providing a cheap and simple way to provide services on low patronage routes. They were the first trams in Melbourne to have air operated doors. It was withdrawn in 1957.
http://i.imgur.com/yHbbG5O.jpg?1

Inside X.217

L.104. Like L.106 104 has a relative similar history

HTT.8. 8 entered service in 1916 for the Hawthorn Tramways Trust funnily enough in the very same shed it resides in how. When in 1920 the MMTB took ofver it was re classed M.114. In 1930 it was sold to the SEC and used on the Bendigo System. it was retired in 1956.

W.380. 380 is an original W class tram entering service in the 1920's. in the late 1920's early 30's it was converted to a W2 class. Unlike other cars it never received marker lights.

Y.469. This tram was an experiment for tourist services. Like the Y1 it was designed to have the conductor at the front of the tram.

W1.431 The W1s were en evolution of the W class design and were designed to replicate the seating of a cable tram with closed and open sections. 431 entered service in 1927.

http://i.imgur.com/d9d2fy5.jpg?1

Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company Dummy 8 and trailer 256. The Cable trams were the first trams in Melbourne and ran for 55 years before electric trams took over. Most of the cable trams were of a relative similar design. Due to the strength needed to operate the levers many of the grip men were Ruckmen for the VFL and VFA.

Cable trams were allocated to route and were painted as such. In this case Dummy number 8 and trailer 256 are painted for the Toorak Road line.

 

http://i.imgur.com/RpEK4if.jpg?1

A life size tram in the training room.

A diagram showing the paths for electrical current.

Another diagram showing how the electical system works in a tram,

Training notes.

The latest edition of the Musuem is Z1.81. This is what PCC.1041 lead to. The new order of Z1 trams.  81 was into service in 1977 and spent the next 28 years in service before being retired from service in 2006. In the same year it was decorated for the Commonwealth games in a special Pakistani livery and had one last hurrah on the city circle.

http://i.imgur.com/xIwUY9D.jpg?1

Inside.

http://i.imgur.com/OjKgDzi.jpg?1

Strangely enough while the desto equipment was removed the controller left behind. Given that there are still some Z1 trams still in traffic perhaps they could of kept if for spares.