List of defunct utility companies in Victoria

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The Australian state of Victoria has a number of defunct energy supply and distribution utility companies.

Contents

The North Melbourne Electric Tramways and Lighting Company

The North Melbourne Electric Tramways and Lighting Company [1] operated an electric tramway system beginning in 1906, with the network being based upon the suburb of Essendon. [2] The company also supplied electric power to the neighbouring suburbs from its power station on Mount Alexander Road, near the intersection with South Street. [3] The power generation side of the company was acquired by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria in 1922, [4] when its 15-year franchise expired, and the tram side was acquired by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board on 21 December 1922.

Melbourne Electric Supply Company

Sign over the entrance to the Geelong Tram Depot Melbourne Electric Supply Company.JPG
Sign over the entrance to the Geelong Tram Depot

The Melbourne Electric Supply Company was registered in 1899 as the Electric Lighting and Traction Company of Australia, led by F. W. Clements and assisted by Herbert Reah Harper. [5] The company's records go back to 1892. [6] It was registered in England,[ citation needed ] and started supplying power to Melbourne and Geelong before purchasing the South Australian Electric Light and Motive Power Company in Adelaide and Port Adelaide, in the colony of South Australia. [7] The company was renamed to the Melbourne Electric Supply Company in 1908. [8] The company operated the Richmond and Geelong power stations. In July 1910, it was granted a 30-year lease to operate the electric tramway system in Geelong. [9] [10] The company was acquired by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria in 1930, before the expiration of the 30-year franchise of the electricity business.

Electric Supply Company of Victoria

The Electric Supply Company of Victoria was a British company with its headquarters in the English city of Liverpool. It was formed in 1903 as a subsidiary of the British Insulated Wire Company. The company operated power stations and electric tramways in the regional cities of Bendigo and Ballarat. [11] The Electric Supply Company of Victoria was acquired by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria in 1934, [4] when its 30-year franchise expired.

Metropolitan Gas Company

Decauville track and tip-wagons being used at Metropolitan Gas Co. of Melbourne in conjunction with an hydraulic lift raising the trucks, ca 1904 Installation at Metropolitan Gas Co. of Melbourne, showing the 'Decauville' Track and Tip-Wagons being used in conjunction with an Hydraulic Lift raising the trucks.jpg
Decauville track and tip-wagons being used at Metropolitan Gas Co. of Melbourne in conjunction with an hydraulic lift raising the trucks, ca 1904

The Metropolitan Gas Company was set up for the supply of town gas to the city of Melbourne. it was absorbed into the Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria in 1951. [12]

Ballarat Gas Company

The Ballarat Gas Company was set up to supply town gas to the city of Ballarat in 1857. [13] The company was wound up upon the introduction of natural gas to Ballarat in early 1970s.

Geelong Gas Company

The Geelong Gas Company was set up to supply town gas to the city of Geelong in 1858. It was purchased by the Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria in 1971 when natural gas was introduced to the city.

State Electricity Commission of Victoria

The State Electricity Commission of Victoria was a state owned utility established in 1919 to manage the generation and distribution of electricity in Victoria, as well as to maintain and operate the three provincial electric tramways acquired from the Electric Supply Company of Victoria Ltd. (Ballarat and Bendigo) and the Melbourne Electric Supply Company Ltd (Geelong). The commission was split into three parts in 1993: generation, transmission, and retail. In 1994 these parts were again split and later privatised.

Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria

The Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria was established in 1950. It took over two of the three main gas utilities in Melbourne - the Metropolitan Gas Company [12] and the Brighton Gas Company, and over time acquired the other local gas authorities and private gas companies. As part of the conversion to natural gas, in 1971 the G&FC acquired the Geelong Gas Company, one of only two remaining private gas companies in Victoria at the time. The Ballarat Gas Company closed at the time. The G&FC was disaggregated in the 1990s, privatised and wound up in June 1995.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Footscray railway station</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Footscray railway station is the junction for the Sunbury, Werribee and Williamstown lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the western Melbourne suburb of Footscray, and it opened on 17 January 1859.

The Tramway Museum Society of Victoria Incorporated (TMSV) owns a large collection of trams from Melbourne, Ballarat, Geelong, Adelaide, and Sydney as well as preserved buses and other work vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Electricity Commission of Victoria</span>

The State Electricity Commission of Victoria is a government-owned electricity supplier in Victoria, Australia. It was set up in 1918, and by 1972 it was the sole agency in the state for electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply. Control of the SECV was by a Board of Commissioners appointed by the Victorian Government. After 1993, the SECV was disaggregated into generation, transmission and distribution companies, which were further split and then privatised in the mid to late 1990s. However, electricity supply agreements with the Portland and Point Henry aluminium smelters were retained by SECV, which continued as their electricity supplier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board</span> Government-owned authority in Victoria, Australia

The Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) was a government-owned authority that was responsible for the tram network in Melbourne, Australia between 1919 and 1983, when it was merged into the Metropolitan Transit Authority. It had been formed by the merger of a number of smaller tramway trusts and companies that operated throughout the city.

The Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria (G&FC) was a government-owned monopoly supplier of household gas in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1950 and took over two of the three main gas utilities in Melbourne – the Metropolitan Gas Company and the Brighton Gas Company. As part of the conversion to natural gas, in 1971 the corporation acquired the Geelong Gas Company, one of only two remaining private gas companies in Victoria at the time. The Ballarat Gas Company closed at the time. The G&FC was wound up in June 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geelong Power Station</span>

The city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia was once home to two coal fueled power stations - Geelong A and Geelong B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy in Victoria</span>

Energy in Victoria, Australia is generated using a number of fuels or technologies, including coal, natural gas and renewable energy sources. Brown coal, historically, was the main primary energy source for the generation of electricity in the state, accounting for about 85% of electricity generation in 2008. The amount of coal-fired power has decreased significantly with the closure in 2017 of the Hazelwood power station which supplied around 20% of Victoria's electricity, and to a lesser extent with the exit of Anglesea power station in 2015. Brown coal is one of the largest contributors to Australia's total domestic greenhouse gas emissions and a source of controversy for the country. Australia is one of the highest polluters of greenhouse gas per capita in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust</span>

The Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust (PMTT) was a former tram operator in Melbourne, Australia. The trust was formed in 1907, with its first line operating in 1910. Its functions were taken over by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board in 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essendon tram depot</span>

Essendon tram depot is located on Mount Alexander Road, Travancore, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Operated by Yarra Trams, it is one of eight tram depots on the Melbourne tram network. Despite the name, the depot is located three kilometres from the suburb of Essendon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Australia</span>

The earliest trams in Australia operated in the latter decades of the 19th century, hauled by horses or "steam tram motors". At the turn of the 20th century, propulsion almost universally turned to electrification, although cable trams lingered in Melbourne. In cities and towns that had trams, they were a major part of public transport assets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Bendigo</span>

Trams in Bendigo have operated since 1890. They ceased to operate as a means of public transport in 1972 but part of the main network continues to operate today as a tourist attraction. Limited trials have also been made in 2009 with operating commuter service, but with minimal usage by the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Ballarat</span>

Trams in Ballarat were first used for public transport in 1887. They ceased to operate as a means of public transport in 1971, but a section continues to be operated today as a tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Geelong</span>

The city of Geelong in Victoria, Australia, operated an extensive tramway system from 1912 until 1956, when the service was replaced by buses. Unlike Victoria's other major regional cities, Ballarat and Bendigo, which have kept some track and trams as tourist attractions, no trams or tracks remain in Geelong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballarat Tramway Museum</span> Tram museum in Ballarat, Victoria

The Ballarat Tramway Museum is an operating tramway museum, located in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The museum is run by volunteers and has a fleet of trams which operate on part of the original horse tramway around Lake Wendouree and the Botanical Gardens. It has a large research collection, archive of information and more than 3,500 items about the Ballarat tramways. The trams in Ballarat operated on a large network through the city from 1887 until 1971.

Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company was a streetcar and bus transit operator serving the region around Bridgeport, Norwalk, Derby, New Britain and Waterbury, Connecticut. It was formed in 1901 by United Gas Improvement Company of Philadelphia to manage the streetcar operations of the Connecticut Light and Power Company, which at the time included Central Railway and Electric Company, Norwalk Street Railway, and the Waterbury Traction Company. The newly formed Connecticut Railway and Lighting acquired Bridgeport Traction Company, Derby Street Railway, Milford Street Railway, Shelton Street Railway, Meriden, Southington and Compounce Tramway Company, and the Cheshire Street Railway. Connecticut Railway and Lighting was leased to the Consolidated Railway and in turn the Connecticut Company between 1906 and 1936. Streetcar operations were discontinued in 1937 when all lines were converted to bus. Transit operations continued until 1972, when all remaining bus operations were suspended and taken over by Connecticut Transit, except in Bridgeport- by the Greater Bridgeport Transit District in 1975.

Herbert Reah Harper was a British born, Australian electrical engineer who played an important role in the development of first the Melbourne electric supply and then the State Electricity Commission of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duncan & Fraser</span>

Duncan & Fraser Limited was a vehicle manufacturing company founded in 1865 in Adelaide, South Australia that built horse-drawn carriages and horse trams, and subsequently bodies for trains, electric trams and motor cars, becoming one of the largest carriage building companies in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E-class Melbourne tram (1914)</span>

The E-class was a group of 10 trams built by Duncan & Fraser, Adelaide, for the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust (P&MTT) in 1914, numbered 36 to 45. Number 36 was converted to a different form by the P&MTT c. 1916, and was later designated D-class. All retained their fleet numbers when passed to the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (M&MTB) after it took over the P&MTT on 2 February 1920, and they were designated E-class sometime after October 1921. By late 1923, together with other all M&MTB drop-end-and-centre Maximum Traction trams, they were re-classed as C-class trams. The 22E Maximum Traction trucks were of JG Brill design, although manufactured by Brush in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J-class Melbourne tram</span>

The J-class was a class of twenty trams built by the Meadowbank Manufacturing Company, Sydney for the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust (PMTT). All passed to the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board on 2 February 1920 when it took over the PMTT becoming the J-class retaining their running numbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M-class Melbourne tram</span>

The M-class was a class of 17 trams built by Duncan & Fraser, Adelaide for the Hawthorn Tramways Trust (HTT) as numbers 1 to 10, and 33 to 39. All passed to the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board on 2 February 1920 when it took over the Municipal Tramway Trusts, becoming the M-class and being renumbered 107 to 116, and 183 to 189.

References

  1. "The North Melbourne Electric Tramways and Lighting Company Limited". The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918) . Moonee Ponds, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 6 August 1914. p. 5 Edition: Morning. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  2. "Railpage.org.au Melbourne's Tram History". Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
  3. A brief history of The North Melbourne Electric Tramway & Lighting Company
  4. 1 2 Public Records Office: Agency VA 1002: State Electricity Commission of Victoria Archived 6 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Guide to Australian Business Records: Electric Lighting and Traction Company of Australia (1899 - 1921)
  6. "Melbourne Electric Supply Company Limited records". Guide to Australian Business Records. 19 July 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2020. Date Range: 1892-1906.
  7. Spoehr, John (2003). Power Politics: The Electricity Crisis and You. Wakefield Press. pp. 11–12. ISBN   978-1-86254-606-6 . Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  8. Guide to Australian Business Records: Melbourne Electric Supply Company Ltd
  9. "Geelong Electric Line". The Argus. Melbourne. 13 July 1910. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  10. Geelong tramways — a short history
  11. Ballarat - Some Background Archived 20 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  12. 1 2 Australian Science at Work: Metropolitan Gas Company
  13. The Ballarat Gas Company's Act 1857