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| Established | 1962 |
|---|---|
| Location | Bylands, Victoria, Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°21′13″S144°57′59″E / 37.353541°S 144.966356°E |
| Type | Tramway museum |
| Collection size | 53 |
| Website | www.tramway.org.au |
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.
The TMSV was founded in 1962 with the aim of establishing an operational tramway museum. It was believed at this time that Melbourne would follow the other tram systems in Australia and abandon its tram system, which was one of the main reasons for founding the museum. In 1970, the former Station Masters residence on the now closed Bylands railway station situated on the Heathcote Junction to Bendigo railway line, was purchased. The surrounding railway precinct was leased the following year to with the goal to establish a "transport museum". The lease was purchased outright in the mid-1980s.
The museum has 1 km (1 mi) of electric track, which was previously a part of the Heathcote Junction to Bendigo railway line. The museum initially operated a horse tramway, utilising restored and recreated horse tramway carriages. Electric tram services commenced in the mid 1980's and operated until 2009. The Tramway Heritage Centre currently operates as a static museum.
The Tramway Heritage Centre has a tramway electric supply substation, two running sheds, an exhibition shed/workshop - that was used as part of the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880, various buildings for the storage of un-restored trams, cable tram cars, motor vehicles and a visitors centre.
MMTB Trams [1]
L 101, W 220, W1 427, W2 509, W2 568, W2 643, SW2 644, W2 646, W2 650, W3 667, W4 673, SW5 739, W5 782, W5 795, SW5 840, SW6 887, SW6 902, W6 996, W7 1001, X1 467, X2 680, Y 612, Z1 5, PCC 980, Malcolm tram from the movie Malcolm
MMTB works trams [2]
Grinder 1, Bogie tank car 7, Scrubber car 10 (Ex Sydney K 763), Sleeper transport car 15 (Ex Q class 198), Ballast trailer 24
Other Victorian Trams [3]
Prahran & Malvern No. 46, Victorian Railways No.34, Victorian Railways No.52, Ballarat 17, Ballarat 23, Ballarat 36, Geelong 9, Geelong 22, Geelong 40
Interstate trams [4]
Adelaide H 368, Adelaide H 373, Sydney R 1845,
The Tramway Museum Society of Victoria publishes a quarterly newsletter, Running Journal. [5]
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Melbourne's tram classification system is based on classes originally devised by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (M&MTB). At first this was largely based on the order in which the original tramway operators had introduced each different type of tramcar between 1906 and 1920.
The C-class was a group of 11 trams built by Duncan & Fraser, Adelaide for the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust (P&MTT) in 1913, numbered 25 to 35. All retained their fleet numbers when passed to the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (M&MTB) on 2 February 1920, after it took over the P&MTT. They were designated C-class sometime after October 1921, and by late 1923, all M&MTB drop-end-and-centre Maximum Traction trams were grouped together as C-class trams. The 22E Maximum Traction trucks were of JG Brill design, although manufactured by Brush in England.
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.
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.
The L-class was a class of six trams ordered from James Moore & Sons by the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust (PMTT). However, by the time they were delivered in 1921, the PMTT had been taken over by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB).
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.
The N-class was a class of 10 trams built by Duncan & Fraser, Adelaide for the Hawthorn Tramways Trust (HTT) as numbers 11 to 20, all passed to the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (M&MTB) on 2 February 1920 when it took over the HTT, becoming the N-class and being renumbered 117 to 126.
The P-class was a class of eight trams built by Duncan & Fraser, Adelaide for the Hawthorn Tramway Trust (HTT) as numbers 25 to 32. All passed to the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board on 2 February 1920 when it took over the HTT becoming the P-class and being renumbered 131 to 138.
The Q-class was a class of 24 trams built by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB). They were built as part of the MMTB's plan to quickly increase the size of its fleet at its Holden Street Workshops. Twenty were rebuilt for use on all night services and in this role they travelled across the network.
The S-class was a class of 18 trams built by Duncan & Fraser, Adelaide for the Melbourne, Brunswick & Coburg Tramway Trust (MBCTT). The first 12 entered service numbered 1-12. All passed to the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) on 2 February 1920 when it took over the MBCTT becoming the S-class and renumbered 154-165. The other six were delivered directly to the MMTB as 166-171.
The Y1-class was a class of four trams built by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board built as a modified version of the Y-class to trial one man operation. Initially used on East and West Preston routes from Collins Street, from 1934 they were transferred to the Toorak line. From 1936 they were used on Burwood services from Camberwell depot. In 1933, 613 was used on Victorian Railways' Sandringham railway station to Black Rock line.
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.
