Physical description

Black and white photograph of the construction of the tram track in St Kilda Road, during 1925 or 1926 by the Foundation Construction Ltd, with a concrete mixer tracked vehicle and two aggregate or crushed rock trucks.



Photo from the Collection of the Department of Infrastructure now with the Public Records Office - image number H514. Note: this photo is now out of copyright and was not an original VR photograph, but one copied from another source and collected as their Heritage series.



See Image 3674i2 and 3674i3 for a digital image of the card photograph at the PRO on 7/1/2019 that this photograph comes from.



Further notes from Rod Atkins 11/7/2019:

The cement mixer was state of the art machine at the time. "Buddy" in the USA were making them but this one is slightly different and may have been made by a company call AAC in Sheffield U.K.

You can just make out the word " ….field" etc … on the water tank .



The sign; now this is very interesting. "The Foundation Company" is the Australian company of the one in London.. from The Argus at the time.

run by no less than by Herbert Del Cott Ply Ltd. (you can just make that out in the bottom line of the sign.) A rather interesting person in Melbourne society between the wars. His name pops up a lot in The Argus. was not short of a pound either....

Had his "Buick" stolen from Russell Street in 1920. Had some issues with wages on Wellington Street conversion. Looks to have run a electrical business before seeing opportunity with cable tram replacement coming up.

In the 1930' lived in Stevenson Street, Kew. Travelled a lot to Europe. (Austria) …..

Inscriptions & markings

Has Department of Infrastructure copy right stamp on rear and number "H 514" in ink on rear and "2-1"