This cable tram Gripman’s badge, or driver’s badge, was part of a tram driver’s uniform. The inscriptions on the front of the badge identify it as belonging to Gripman number 14, at the South Melbourne Car House depot of the Tramways Board. The Gripman Badge would be re-issued whenever another Gripman takes over the position. Cable trams were invented in America in 1873. In Melbourne, cable trams were in use from 1885 until 1940, with a network of up to 1200 cable cars or 'dummies' and trailers travelling at around 9.5 miles (15km) per hour along 46 miles (74km) of double tracks. The Gripman drove the dummy car, operating the heavy levers to connect the gripping gears to the cable installed in a slot in the road. To turn at intersections he would skilfully disconnect, freewheel around the corner and carefully reconnect to the continuously operating steel cable. Large winding gears in an Engine House along the line pulled the cable along, powered by steam engines and later electric engines. The gripping gears were in the centre of the car's floor with seating all around the sides, a dangerous place for curious children. , whose worried parents would guide them into the tram that was towed behind the dummy car. The Melbourne Tramways Board operated the cable trams between July 1916 and November 1919 after taking over from the privately operated Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company. In 1919, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) took over the Tramways Board. Stokes & Sons: - The maker of the badge, Thomas Stokes, migrated to Melbourne from Birmingham in 1854 and set up business in Mincer Lane as a die-sinker, producing medals, tokens, buttons and silverware, and an engraving service. He moved to Flinders Lane in 1856. After a time, in 1894, the business became Stokes & Sons Pty: Ltd, electroplates and badge makers at Post Office Place in Melbourne. The maker's mark 'Stokes & Sons' was made on badges until 1962. LOCAL CONNECTION: -t was common practice to recycle the used cables from the tramway. For example, the Wollaston Bridge in Warrnambool, Victoria, is suspended by recycled cable tram Melbourne. (Other recycled cables were used for fencing wire.) -Portland's cable tram is an example of the cable trams used in Melbourne from 1885 to 1940.This badge was used to identify a Gripman who operated a cable car tram's dummy car for the Tramways Board in Melbourne between 1916 and 1919. It represents the need for people to be able to identify workers in the service industry, a need still addressed today by staff ID badges and digital identification. The badge also represents the period in Melbourne's history when cable cars were used for public transport for over four decades, gradually changing from steam to electric power. Trams still have an important role in Melbourne's public transport. Badge, round hollow metal dome with two open metal guides on the back. A cable tram Gripman (driver) badge with embossed inscriptions on the front and stamped on the back. There is a logo of entwined letters T and B on the front. It identifies Gripman number 14, South Melbourne, Tramway Board. It was made by Stokes & Sons of Melbourne. Impressed into the front: "S / 14 / M" "GRIPMAN" Logo intertwined "T" and "B" Embossed on reverse "STOKES &o SONS"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, badge, gripman, stokes & sons, numesmatics, tramway, tram, tram driver, uniform, cable tram, identification, cable car driver, tramway board, south melbourne, melbourne tramways board, tb, mtb, mmtb, melbourne and metropolitan tramways board, tramway button, gripman button, id, identification badg, staff badge, name badge, employee, grip car, dummy car

Poster - featuring a photo of a cable tram in Elizabeth St at Pelham St, 12 small cable tram tickets and four bell punch tickets, along with a leather button ticket pin holder and four safety pins. Items placed on a large sheet of cardboard with a green overlay. The photo, pin holder and four small tickets and the bell punch strip tickets glued onto a off white sheet with brass folded pins securing the items to the green card. The rest of the tickets glued to the green card. Underneath is a small sign with the words in blue and red colours "Cable Tram Conductor's Ticket Pins". Photo - grip car - well loaded showing destination of Brunswick and a sign on the side "Direct to Football". Behind the Gripman is a conductor. Bogie cable trailer 480. In the background is the building on the corner of Elizabeth St and Pelham St (still there in 2018) and in the background is Evan Evans the flag makers building. 192H x 248W - has silver fish damage along top edge, lifting in the top left hand corner from the backing sheet and minor edge damage. Dirt marks Small Tickets from Top left hand to Bottom right hand. Tickets 1, 4 to 8 - torn from a strip - pre-purchased? Tickets 9 to 12, torn from a block. Each Ticket has been separately imaged. T1 - 1 1/2d City Tram ticket - Trip Slip -MTO-Co - pink card with purple ink - faded, punched - 27H x 59W T2 - Transfer, MMTB, from Carlton and Prahran lines to other lines as indicated by punch marks with times by the quarter hour - green print on off white card - 31H x 71W - faded. T3 - as above - but not so faded, part town in bottom left hand corner. T4 - 1 1/2d - cable tram section ticket - MMTB - brown print on yellow card - not punched - 24H x 58W T5 - as for 1 - but MMTB - green print on yellow card - heavily creased - 26H x 57W T6 - similar to 5, smaller dimensions and not heavily creased. T7 - 1 1/2d general ticket - detailing lines or section - red ink on pink card - 26H x 56W T8 - 2d - MTCo - Adult or two children under 12, single, black ink on blue card - 24H x 58W T9 - Prahran and Toorak cable tramways check ticket - transfer - conditions on ticket - has 114 in top right hand corner, orange paper, black ink, MMTB - 36H x 67W. T10 - Carlton and Prahran - as for 9, with 17 in top right hand corner, grey paper with black printing - 38H x 65W. T11 - Carlton, N. Carlton, Prahran, St Kilda - as above - 105, brown paper, black ink - 38H x 65W T12 - as for 9, but with 74 in top right hand corner - 35H x 71W Strip tickets - left to right S1 - 1 1/2D, bell punch type - 15 fares - purple card black printing - Up ticket - 182H x 39W S2 - ditto - down direction, no conductor details - 182H x 37W S3 - ditto - 3d, Up direction, orange card, black print - 182H x 39W - has some dirt marks S4 - ditto - 3d down direction - 138H x 38W - has some dirt marks. Leather buckle - cut leather with a strip to secure the pins - button hole on the base with four safety pins placed into it. Pins have rust marks and general deterioration. Leather - 90H x 45W, pins - 3 about 90H x 25W and one 55H x 16W. See Reg Item 1923 for the use of the pins and leather buckle.trams, tramways, cable trams, brunswick, elizabeth st, football, tickets, conductors, mmtb, mto co, transfer tickets, tram 480, trip slips