Historical information

Newspaper report on the issue of the disposal of former SEC Bendigo trams following the closure of the system. The Adelaide-based tramway museum (AETM) was allocated Birney No. 29 by the SEC and agreed to by the Minister for Fuel and Power Mr Balfour. When they tried to collect it, the loading was stopped, with the agreement of the City of Bendigo, quoting Mayor Cr J P Pearce. The newspaper gives the background to the issue of the retention by Bendigo of the former SEC fleet. Following this action, no other tramcars that had been allocated at the time left Bendigo. In 1975, the Government paid the Bendigo Trust to reconstruct a Birney that had been scrapped before the closure of the Bendigo system which was given to the AETM. See the AETM website for further details - tram 303. Story by Barry Cail. See item 8779 for the Herald Sun report of the same date.

On the bottom left-hand corner of page 2, (see second image) is an item titled "Question on Tourist Trams", outlining several questions that Mr Floyd (Labour, Williamstown) will ask the Minister of Transport Mr Wilcox about the operation of Tourist trams, safety and insurance, and whether tourist trams will run in Ballarat.

Significance

Yields information about the Bendigo system following closure and the retention of tramcars.

Physical description

Newspaper - page 1 of The Bendigo Advertiser 24/10/1972 - newsprint