Operated by the Tramway Museum Society of Victoria, and located in Bylands, the Tramway Heritage Centre houses one of the largest tram collections in Australia with an extensive collection of cable trams, electric trams and buses from Melbourne, and electric trams from across Australia.
This tram is significant as it is the first example of American PCC tramcar technology being used by an Australian Tramway. It was the only tram of it's type built, with imported PCC gear being fitted to a heavily modified W6 class tram body. Although original plans were to import and reproduce complete PCC cars, internation and domestic issues intervened, resulting in this halfway measure. It represents a technological leap not fully embraced for almost 2 decades, until the production of the Z class trams.
Photograph of seven people standing in front a W2 class tram at Kew Depot. There are three woman in MMTB uniforms then a man in a suit and hat then three woman in MMTB uniforms.
The back of the photograph is stamped, it is quite faded, but the decipherable parts reads: COPYRIGHT The Herald & Weekly Times LTD. Melbourne Australia Not to be Reproduced ??????????? Without Written Permission
Photograph of five people in MMTB uniforms. The front row has three woman, while there are two men standing behind them.
Photograph of a woman in a conductors uniform.
A leather ticket holder for conductors to use to store books of tickets, it can hold three books on either side for a six books of tickets.
Both sides are showing wear and have markings where the leather is worn down around the area that the ticket book staples would be.
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A leather ticket holder for conductors to use to store books of tickets, it can hold seven books on either side for a 14 books of tickets.
One side is showing wear and has markings where the leather is worn down around the area that the ticket book staples would be, the other side shows no markings.
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Book with tan coloured cardboard cover, 20 internal pages. Pages 3 to 14 are text while pages 15 to 20 contain pictures, including how to properly wear a uniform. Is showing some signs of wear, with worn edges of cover, and stains on the front and back covers, pages are in good condition with very little yellowing.
Cover is plain tan. First internal cover has insciption: Melbourne And Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB logo) A Brief Summary of the Essential Features of Your Job Caution + Commonsense = Safety
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Book with tan coloured fabric cover, 68 internal pages. Book has many clippings added to the pages showing updated, replaced regulations. Is showing signs of wear, with worn edges of cover, a small deposit is stuck to the front cover in top right corner, most pages are yellowing.
Cover is plain tan. First internal cover has insciption: Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board Rules And Regulations (snip) Issued by Order of the Board. H.A. Warner, Secretary, 30/5/57 It is numbered 1651.
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Page 12 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with three photographs (landscape format) placed on page using metallic look and brown card decorative photo corners. All photographs depict trams. Hand written inscriptions are located the top photograph and under the bottom left photograph.
Hand written incription in white-out or white pen beneath photograph on - Top left: ELWOOD. DEPOT. NOTE DESTINATION SIGNS Bottom left: CAR No 5 St KILDA. STN.
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Page 13 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with two photographs (landscape format) placed on page using metallic look card decorative photo corners. Both photographs depict Victorian Railways tram No. 13 trams at Elwood Depot. A hand written inscriptions is located bewteen the two photographs.
Hand written inscription in white-out or white pen between the top and bottom photograph: TRAILER No 13. V.R. TRAMS ELWOOD.
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Page 11 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with four photographs (3 x landscape, 1 x portrait format) placed on page using metallic look and brown card decorative photo corners. All photographs depict trams. Hand written inscriptions are written under each photograph.
Hand written inscription in white-out or white pen beneath phorograph on - Top left: WORK CAR ELWOOD DEPOT Top right: CROSS BENCH CAR No 23 SANDRINGHAM Bottom left: SALOON CAR No 3. V.R. TRAMS ELWOOD Bottom Right: END VIEW SMALL CAR St KILDA STATION
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Page 10 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with four photographs (landscape format) placed on page using metallic look and black decorative photo corners. The photographs depict the driving of the first spike into tracks on the St Kilda electric railway, and trams. Hand written inscriptions are located between the top and bottom photographs and under the bottom left photograph.
Hand written inscription in white-out or white pen between top and bottom photograph: COUNCILLOR T. BENT DRIVING 1ST SPIKE ON ST KILDA ELECTRIC RLY Hand written inscription in biro at base of page beneath bottom left photograph: NO 1
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Page 8 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with two photographs (landscape format) placed on page using clear plastic photo corners. Both photographs depict trams around Bendigo. A hand written inscriptions is located between the two photographs. The brown paper has minor indenting from text written on facing page and also has some minor damage to top and bottom right corners from what appears to be the removal of adhesive photo corners.
Hand written inscription in biro between top and bottom photograph: IRONBARK HILL BENDIGO 4/3/72
Page 9 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with two photographs (landscape format) placed on page using clear plastic photo corners. Both photographs depict trams around Bendigo. Hand written inscriptions are located beneath each photo. The brown paper has some minor damage to top and bottom right corners from what appears to be the removal of adhesive photo corners.
Hand written inscription in biro - Between top and bottom photograph: GOLDEN SQUARE 4/3/72 At base of page: QUARRY HILL TERMINUS 4/3/72
Page 6 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with three photographs (landscape format) placed on page using clear plastic photo corners. All photographs depict trams in Bendigo. A hand written inscription appears beneath the top left photo. The brown paper is indented in some places from text written on facing page and also has minor damage to bottom right corner where it looks like an adhesive photo corner has been removed.
Hand written inscription in biro under top left photo: 4/3/72 BENDIGO
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Page 7 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with two photographs (landscape format) placed on page using clear plastic photo corners. Both photographs depict trams around Bendigo. A hand written inscription is located between the two photographs. The brown paper is indented with text written on the facing page and also has minor damage in two places (top and bottom right) that looks like places where adhesive photocorners have been removed.
Hand written inscription in biro between top and bottom photograph: BENDIGO / CALIFORNIA GULLEY 4/3/72
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Page 4 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with two metallic look postcards (landscape format) placed on page using clear plastic photo corners. Both postcard images depict trams in Ballarat. Both postcards have come loose of two of their photo corners (top and bottom on the left) and are not secure on the page.
Printed text to back of postcard at top: BALLARAT TRAMS / 1887 to 1971 / A series of four postcards. / NO. 2 EARLY ELECTRIC TRAMS / Electric trams first ran in / Ballarat on 18th Aigust, 1905. / Twelve of the horse trams were / converted to electric cars by lengthening them at both ends. / Eight of the remaining horse / trams were used as trailers to / the motor cars. / The electric trams were / given a secret trial during the / previous night to the opening / date, but the drivers clanged / the gongs so much that it / brought people out of their / beds in night attire. They / formed an unofficial guard of / honour around Wendouree / Parade. / The trams were gaily decor- / ated for Opening Day. As the / line of cars came down Camp / Hill (Sturt Street) filled with / local dignitaries, the brakes on / the last car failed and it crashed / into the one in front. The win- / dows of both cars were / smashed, and the occupants / who had been sitting in state / made an undignified exit. / Seating accommodation was / from 32 to 36. Six small electric / trams were purchased from the / Sydney Tramways in 1905 and / were converted to a similar / pattern to the 12 re-built / Ballarat horse trams. In 1906 / two open summer cars with / open cross seats (popularly / called toast racks) / were intro- / duced. These trams were packed at week-ends with / families en route to picnic by / the lake. A fine printed vertical line runs down the centre of the blank writing space to the left of the body text. Above is written: POSTCARD Printed text to right of image on bottom postcard: BALLARAT TRAMS / 1887 to 1971 / A series of four postcards. / NO. 4 THE LAST DAYS OF THE TRAMS / Despite opposition from reg- / ular tram users, the decision / was taken in 1971 to replace / the trams with buses. A brief / statement issued in July by the / Transport Boar marked the / end of the eighty-four years / during which the trams were an / integral part of the life of / Ballarat: “The change-over to / buses will begin on 23rd / August when buses will replace / trams to the Gardens via / Drummond Street North and / Victoria Street services. The / change on the Gardens via / Sturt Street West and Mt. / Pleasant will take place on 6th / September, and on the Sebas- / topol-Lydiard Street North / routes on Monday, 20th Sep- / tember.” A fine printed vertical line runs down the centre of the blank writing space to the left of the body text. Above is written: POSTCARD
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Page 5 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with two photographs (landscape format) placed on page using clear plastic photo corners. Both photographs depict trams, one in Melbourne (top), one at Lake Goldsmith, Victoria (bottom). Hand written inscriptions appear benetah each photo.
Hand written inscription in biro under photographs. Top: BALLARAT TRAM St-KILDA RD MELBOURNE 1971 Bottom: LAKE GOLDSMITH 7/11/71
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Page 2 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with two photographs (landscape format) placed on page with plastic photo corners. The bottom photograph also has decorative metallic card photo corners beneath the newer plastic ones. Both photographs depict trams in streetscapes. The photo corner plastic is perishing and one photograph (top left) is loose on the page. Hand written inscriptions are written under the both photographs and also appear on the back of the loose photograph. One inscription beside the bottom photo is scribled out.
Hand written inscription in biro under photographs. Top photo: VICTORIA ST TERMINUS Bottom photo: LYDIARD ST BALLARAT Beside bottom photo, scribbled out: SORRENTO STEAM TRAM To back of loose photograph - In top left corner with an underline: 8 To centre: Victoria St Terminus / Ent Route to Sardess / 20th Aug 1971
Page 3 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with two metallic look postcards (landscape format) placed on page using clear plastic photo corners. Both postcard images depict trams in Ballarat. The bottom postcard has come loose of two of it's photo corners (top and bottom on the right) and is not secure on the page. A hand written inscription is written in pencil behind the bottom photograph.
Hand written inscription in pencil behind postcard at base of page: W.4. Printed text to left of image on bottom postcard: BALLARAT TRAMS / 1887 to 1971 / A series of four postcards. / NO. 3 LATER ELECTRIC TRAM SYSTEM / In 1934 the State Electricity / Commission took over the Bal- / larat trams from the Electric / Supply Company of Victoria. / During 1935-37 the whole sys- / tem was reconditioned by the / Commission. / For the Coronation of King / George VI, No. 28 was decor- / ated for the occasion. It ran / for three days – 12th, 13th / and 14th May, 1937, and was / painted red and cream. / During the Coronation cele- / brations of Queen Elizabeth II, / the trams carried two flags / mounted vertically fore and aft / on the roof. / Some huge loads were / carried during the second / World War period and owing / to man power shortages, con- / doctresses were employed / from September, 1942 to July, 1946. At one time, the total / reached 23. Printed text to back of bottom postcard: BALLARAT TRAMS / 1887 to 1971 / A series of four postcards. / In the early fifties, loading / on the trams was heavy. When / the lag in housing was over- / taken, however, breadwinners / started to leave the trams and / travel to work in cars. Increas- / ing affluence in the sixties ac- / centuated the trend. Soon the / trams were running with mount- / ing annual losses. Most of the / passengers travelling in these / times were concession holders: / students, pensioners, deserted / wives and T.P.I.'s A fine printed vertical line runs down the centre of the blank writing space to the left of the body text. Above is written: POSTCARD
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Page 1 of Ray Pearson's photo album. Brown card page with two photographs (landscape format) placed on page using clear plastic photo corners. The top photo depicts a scrubber tram and the bottom a 'Jelbart Roller' tram at the Ballarat tram depot. The photo corner plastic is perishing and both photographs are loose on the page. A hand written inscription is written under the bottom photograph and inscriptions also appear on the back of both photos.
Hand written inscription in biro at base of page, under bottom photograph: JELBART ROLLER BALLARAT DEPOT To back of loose photograph at top of page: In top left corner with an underline: 4 To centre: Front of Scrubber Tram / Ballarat Depot / 20th Aug 1971 / Sebastapol lyte Car To back of loose photograph at bottom of page: In top left corner with an underline: 6 To centre: Jelbart Roler SEC / Tram Depot Ballarat / 20th Aug 1971
Inside cover page of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with four photographs (landscape format) placed on page using clear plastic photo corners. All photographs depict trams at the Ballarat depot. The photo corner plastic is perishing and one photograph (top left) is loose on the page. The remaining three photographs remain in place, though not securely. Hand written inscriptions are written under the bottom two photographs and also appear on the back of the loose photograph.
Hand written incription in biro at base of page, under bottom two photographs. Left: BALLARAT DEPOT / 20 Aug. 1971 Right: SCRUBBER CAR To back of loose photograph - In top left corner with text seperated by underline: 1/A / End of film To centre: Bogie Cars / Maxim Traction / Ballarat Depot / 20th Aug 1971 / No 39 + No 43 / Both Ec PMTT Repeat text patterm is printed on photopaper: A KODAK PAPER Three faded red ink stamps depicting a rectangular logo: This is a / KODAKCOLOR PRINT Beneath logo: SEPT. 71-M
This uniform was provided to an Irishman who had been sponsered by the M&MTB for travel from Britain to Australia for work as a tram driver, he kept this uniform in mint condition through the years and has never been worn in service.
This uniform is significant due to its excellent condition, a rarity for an uniform of it's age.
Blue M&MTB uniform. Blue trousers with a red strip up the outside of the leg. Blue jacket with with three pockets, two at waist height, one on left chest, red M&MTB emblems sewn onto the lapels and and three silver buttons with M&MTB logo. Blue overcoat with three pockets, two at waist height, one on left chest, three plain plastic buttons.
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This photo album was collated by Ray Pearson, a tramways history enthusiast and collector. It was donated to the museum in 2012 along with one other photo album, by his grandson.
This photo ablum is significant for containing a large volume of historic photographs of vehicles, personnel and events related to the the Victorian tramways - particularly Victorian Railways, Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong tramways - from c1920's to c1994.
Brown rectangular photo album (landscape format) containing photographs, newsclippings, postcards and other paper documents. The album contains 25 separate leaves plus a front and back cover. The album is bound on the left edge with brown cord, tied in a knot at the front. The spine and page edges are tattered and many of the photographs and documents within are loose.
The front cover has a printed decorative border, rectangular in shape with a geometric pattern. The corners of the border also have decorative geometric shapes. Printed inscription within the border: PHOTOGRAPHS Hand written inscription in white-out or white pen: TRAMS of VICTORIAN RLYS. / BALLARAT. BENDIGO. GEELONG. Hand written inscription in black biro pen: RAY PEARSON collection Hand written inscriptions in biro and white-out or white pen for photographs and documents within. Sticker on inside left of back cover. Printed fine rectangular border with logo (depicting a lion holding a flag within a shield shape) and text within. On left: DICKINSON / LION BRAND / PHOTO ALBUMS On right: When ordering ask for / THE LUCETTA / ALBUM / Size of Leaf / No. 3011 10 X 8 / Also Stocked in / No. 3010 8 X 6 / No. 3012 12 X 10 Bottom edge outside of border: BRITISH MADE.
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