 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2021) |
| Colonial Tramcar Restaurant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1982 |
| Closed | 2018 |
| City | Melbourne |
| Country | Australia |
| Website | www.tramrestaurant.com.au |
The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant was a restaurant operating from a converted fleet of three vintage W class trams in Melbourne, Australia from 1982 until 2018.
The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant Company was formed in 1981 by Melbournian businessman Paul Stephen-Daly to operate restaurant trams, with 1927 W2 class tram number 442 acquired for conversion after 55 years of Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board service.[ dead link ] [1] Conversion work commenced in 1982 at Preston Workshops, with the drop centre floor raised to give a level floor throughout, and a single entry door provided on one side of the tram. Two saloons were provided either side of a central kitchen and washroom, one saloon seating 12 while the other seats 24 patrons.
It was based at the Metropolitan Transit Authority's (MTA) South Melbourne depot. [2] [3] [4]
The service started on 2 November 1982 (Melbourne Cup day) with the single tram, as amendments were required to the Liquor Licence Act to allow for the service of alcohol on a mobile restaurant. [2] The driver and conductor were provided by the MTA while onboard staff are Colonial Tramcar Restaurant employees. [3] [4] Until 1992, the restaurant had to carry a conductor to comply with tramways union regulations about two-man teams operating all trams (in case the brakes failed). This conductor cost the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant $50,000 per year until conductors were removed from all trams in the 1990s. One of the conductors was a lady who could be seen knitting throughout the entire service.
Two 1948 SW6 class trams, 937 and 939, were later added to the fleet in October 1992 and February 1995, respectively. [5] [6] With the closure of South Melbourne depot in February 1997, operation was transferred to Southbank depot. [7] In 2006, the 442 was retired and replaced with a third SW6 class tram 938. [8] In 2011 nos 937 and 939 were withdrawn from service and replaced with 935 and 964. All had distinctive burgundy livery, and could seat 36 passengers each.
The restaurant, which had one lunch and two dinner sittings each day, advised booking well in advance. The trams wwere boarded from the Clarendon Street Junction stop near the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. They then ran on selected standard tram routes through the city and some nearby inner suburbs, returning to their origin. The ride in the restaurant tram was generally quite steady. Food was prepared offsite in a commercial kitchen and loaded onto the trams in a raw form. Each tram had its own chef and all of the food was cooked as the tram moved. The menu provided a limited choice, as did the wine list. However, unlimited alcohol was included in the fixed, prepaid meal price.
On 11 August 2012, 30 diners and three staff had to be evacuated from restaurant tramcar #05 (SW6.964) after it caught fire in East Melbourne [9] on Nicholson Street.
In 1985, The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant became the first restaurant in Melbourne to ban smoking.
The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant was a four-time winner of the coveted National Tourism Award (1984, 1988, 1992, and 1993). It was also a nine-time winner of the Victorian Tourism Award (1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2002) and was welcomed into the Hall of Fame in 1993. Hall of Fame is awarded to an entrant that has won the same category over three consecutive years.
In October 2018, Yarra Trams announced that the restaurant trams had been withdrawn from service and were no longer allowed to operate on the network due to safety considerations. [10] [11] [12] At the same time, Yarra Trams said it was working with the restaurant operator to enable a "stationary dining experience" to continue.
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The W-class trams are a family of electric trams built by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) between 1923 and 1956. Over the 33 years of production, 752 vehicles spanning 12 sub-classes were constructed, the majority at the MMTB's Preston Workshops.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), known to the general public as The Met, was a Government of Victoria owned corporate body that operated suburban passenger trains, trams and buses in Victoria, Australia. It was set up under Section 15 of the Transport Act 1983 and commenced operation on 1 July 1983. It was a statutory body set up to manage the trams formerly operated by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board, the metropolitan train operations of the former VicRail, and the operations of the former Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority.
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The H type Adelaide tram was a class of 30 trams built by A Pengelly & Co, Adelaide in 1929 for use on the newly constructed Glenelg tram line. They remained in regular revenue service until replaced by Bombardier Flexity Classic trams in 2006.
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The Melbourne tram network began in 1884 with the construction of the Fairfield Horse Tramway. However, the purpose of the line was to increase land prices in the area, and it soon closed during the depression in 1890. The first genuine attempt to construct a tramway network was the construction of the Richmond cable tram line by the Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company in 1885. Over the next few years, 16 more cable tram lines were constructed, as well as numerous other horse tramways. The depression of the early 1890s slowed further expansion of the cable network. The first electric tram line was the Box Hill and Doncaster tramway which opened in 1889. This was a pioneering line in what was then the countryside and thus didn't receive much patronage. It closed in 1896. The next attempt at an electric tramway was Victorian Railways' St Kilda to Brighton line, which opened in 1906. Later that year, the North Melbourne Electric Tramway & Lighting Company opened lines to Essendon and Maribyrnong. Many local councils formed their own tramway trusts and built tramways within their own constituency. The most successful of these was the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust.
The Melbourne Tramcar Preservation Association is a tram preservation society in Haddon, Victoria, Australia.
