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IN ISSUE NO. 203• TMSV/MTM 2011 review• Beaumaris car update• A guernsey for Essendon• TRAMORAMA• That royal tram ride

• RUNNING BACK

INSIDE:BYLANDS

NEWS

Tramway MuseumSociety of Victoria

News from Victoria’s Original & Biggest Tramway Heritage Centre No. 203 / 2011 $2*

SEASON’SGREETINGS

Knowing her love of thehorses, perhaps the Queenwould have preferred to travelon the Beaumaris tram we’refeaturing inside this edition ofRunning Journal.

No doubt the Duke wouldhave been happy to take thereins.

But on the evidence of thesepictures (courtesy the LondonDaily Telegraph) Her Majestywas totally relaxed andcomfortable in the refurbishedand special-liveried Z3 158with Joyleen Smith, a driverwith many years experience, atthe controls.

The Queen almost nevertravels by public transport, soshe and her historic fewminutes on a St Kilda Roadtram deserve a mention inRunning Journal.

No doubt, eventually, we’ll beable to do the same for our firstPresident.

Finally, maybe somebodyshould send the Queen the tee-shirt in the bottom picture.

She’s certainly qualified towear it these days.

TOUCH ON,TOUCH OFF.HM USES THEROYAL MYKI.

Running Journal is a publicationof Melbourne Tramway Museum,330 Union Lane, Bylands VIC 3762.

Melbourne Tramway Museum is aregistered business name ofthe Tramway Museum Society ofVictoria Inc., PO Box 976,Ringwood VIC 3134, AustraliaABN 12 739 015 600

Victorian Registration A0001864Ewww.tramway.org.auemail: secretary@tramway.org.au

Running JournalEditor: Tony MilesDesign: perceptioneering®

email: journal@tramway.org.au

Running Journal No. 203 / 2011 q 72q Running Journal No. 203 / 2011

BEAUMARIS HORSE CAR.THE LATEST NEWS.

Readers will recall the article in No 200 which detailed the role played

by TMSV/MTM in rescuing the body of asingle-deck Beaumaris horse car. (*

)It had lain for years in a Black Rock backyard

where it served as a garden shed..The rescue was organized by the Friends of

Black Rock House; a voluntary body dedicatedto the preservation of an historic property inEbden Street, Black Rock.

One of the stops on the short-lived BlackRock - Beaumaris section of the standard gaugeVictorian Railways electric tramway was directlyopposite Black Rock House.

After removal from the site the body wastransported to the courtyard of the stableblock at the House.

As detailed in RJ 200 the initial intentionwas to restore the body and display it on site.Several key members of Bayside City visitedBylands to view our fleet and discuss possibleoptions for preservation.

In late 2010 we held a committee meetingfollowed by a shared information afternoon atBlack Rock House to enable members fromboth groups to view the tram body andparticipate in a presentation on the history,present and future of the TMSV.

Late in August 2011 I was contacted by thePresident of the society who informed me thatthe committee had reached a decision that TheFriends would not proceed further with plansfor the future and offered the tram to us.

I immediately accepted on behalf of theTMSV/MTM as we had given an undertaking atthe outset of discussions that we would ensurethe preservation of the tram.

Apart from this, set out below are thereasons why it is imperative that this relic bepreserved. There is an aura of mysterysurrounding this vehicle as it is virtuallyunrecorded in known historical sources..

Note that these details are presented ingood faith and if any reader is able to providefurther information it will be gratefully received.

• The only Melbourne horse car survivingin original form and only car fromBeaumaris.• Single deck vehicle almost certainly builtby Duncan & Fraser.

• Indirect evidence suggests that this tramwas fleet number 9.• As far as is known it never ran in regularservice, available only for private charter.

The car comes with a dowry of $4100 whichwill be dedicated to its restoration.

We are fortunate to have in stock all theoriginal components of a suitable Stephensontruck. This originated from the double-deckBeaumaris car which was rescued by the TMSVmany years ago but subsequently lost.

The car will be transported to Bylands overthe next few weeks and probably placed ondisplay in the Exhibition Hall for the time being.

Our thanks are due to The Friends of BlackRock House and their President, Carolyn Brown,for entrusting us with this important relic.

John Rawnsley with Brian Weedon

Although it’s little more than amonth since I took over the role ofChairman from Mal Rowe, I thought itworthwhile briefly to list for membersthe main achievements of the year.

Mal has covered many of these, but Iwill remind you of some of them again.

� Commencing in Maythe accreditation committeehas been meeting regularlyand is progressing well withthe necessary documentation.

� Also in May the TMSVparticipated for the secondtime in the annual MitchellShire tourism expo held atWellington Square shoppingCentre in Wallan.

� Throughout the year there hasbeen close liaison with theEngineers Dep’t at MitchellShire in relation to matterssuch as drainage of the railreservation, relations withadjoining land-owners etc.

� Several car clubs have heldsuccessful tours to Bylands.Among these have been theVeteran Car Club of Australia(Vic) early in July. On theseoccasions we offer a museumtour and a fully cateredbarbeque lunch. These havebeen extremely beneficialfrom a public relations point

of view and financially for themuseum.

� Needing crushed rock for ourdrive we approached GalliQuarries at Kilmore East whovery generously donated 26tonnes and have agreed tobecome a permanent sponsor.

� We have purchased a stereosystem for the Exhibition Hall,a small fridge for soft drinks atreception and an overheadelectronic video projector foruse at meetings.

� Most of the Federal Gov’tgrant for members amenitieshas been spent this year andpurchases have included a gasbarbeque for use at functions.

� A considerable amount of newequipment has been obtainedfor the workshop including arouter, bandsaw and manyhand tools. Over comingmonths we will install manyadditional tools which havebeen donated from aMelbourne workshop.

� We have been involved inongoing discussions with theDepartment of Transportregarding our accreditationand also participated inseminars on rail safety hostedby the Registrar Tourist andHeritage Railways.

� A curator is about to beappointed to the museum tooversee conservation andrestoration issues relating toour collection. Watch for anannouncement soon.

� The Men’s Shed movementwhich is now establishedthroughout Australiaapproached us early in theyear. Following discussionsthey have leased from us theBristol portable buildingadjacent to Union Lane andare now well established. Theyare completely refurbishing thebuilding including establishingplanting outside. The museumwill have use of the front (Northern) section of the main

building together with theEastern annex.

� As mentioned at the AGM inNovember the Friends of BlackRock House have decided torelinquish the Beaumaris horsecar and have offered it to uswhich we have accepted. Itcomes to us with a grant inexcess of $4000 for which weare grateful to the BendigoBank.

� Yarra Trams are now donatinghalf the cost of producingRunning Journal, whilstMitchell Shire are contributinghalf the cost of 5000promotional brochures for themuseum. Our thanks to boththese bodies for their support.

� Finally, on 3rd November atthe invitation of the KilmoreAgricultural Society weparticipated in a presentationby local community groups.We presented a stand withHO/OO operating modeltramway, photo display, salesitems and brochures. This wasa huge success attracting ahuge amount of attention,giving us a terrific opportunityto hand out hundreds ofpromotional flyers andcreating goodwill by beingactive in the local community.

So I think the above is an indicationof a successful year. Thanks to all thosewho have contributed and supportedour efforts.

However, the coming year presentsmany more exciting opportunities anddevelopments for TMSV/MTM.

Watch this space!

John Rawnsley, Chairman

en route*

2011. THE VIEWFROM THE CHAIR

4 q Running Journal No. 203 / 2011 Running Journal No. 203 / 2011 q 5

Pic 4: NMET&L car at FlemingtonBridge. Passengers transferred here fromNorth Melbourne cable trams or theFlemington Bridge railway station. As thedriver ‘swings the pole', the conductorsees passengers aboard. They may wellbe on their way to "Henley on the Mar-ibyrnong", a premier early 20th centurysporting and social event. They areheading to "Saltwater River" - or Maribyr-nong River as it became known after itreturned to a version of its original abo-riginal name some time around 1913.This car became V class 214 freight car17, then V214 and is currently paintedas NMET&L Co 13 again and ondisplay at Hawthorn Depot.Pic 5: This old and rather battered ballasttrailer at MTM Bylands was once a trailerof the NMET&L Co. Trailer use wasdiscontinued after a fatal accidentinvolving V214 and a local boxing heroin the early 1920s. The trailers wererecycled for civil engineering purposes.This truck is one of a very few survivingBrill 74T trailer trucks in the world.

Pic 6: Moonee Ponds junction inNMET&LCo days with a car entering thejunction heading north to Keilor Rdwhile another enters the junction fromPuckle St. at right. It's likely that the picwas taken on a Moonee Valley race daywith the trams running a shuttle betweenthe Moonee Ponds Station and theJunction - not far from the racecourse.The hotel at left was demolished for roadwidening, but the hotel at right remainsto this day.Pic 7: This (slightly boring) pictureprobably illustrates the 'ceremonial firstrail' laid in Mt Alexander Rd a shortdistance north of the tram depot. As wastypical of the period, the tramway waslaid in an unsealed roadway. Depot andtramway remain.Pic 8: Essendon 13 was a 'camera hog'in the early days, featuring in manypictures.50 years later it was still hanging aroundat Essendon depot in its role as No 17freight tram.

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Mal Rowe

ESSENDON GETS A GUERNSEYThe Essendon Tramways arethe oldest surviving electrictramway services inMelbourne. Essendontramways were mostlywithin the city’s boundaries,but started in Melbourne atthe Flemington Bridgeterminus of the MT&O Coand skirted the boundariesof Essendon beforeheading to the heartlands. Notable features on the1915 map opposite includethe Puckle St - MooneePonds branch, the VictoriaSt. line in Flemington andthe side of road running inMt Alexander Rd north ofEssendon station.

These images are mostly fromearly North Melbourne ElectricTramway and Lighting Companydays. They built and operated thesystem and were the oldest part ofthe system and the last to beabsorbed into the MMTB - holdingout until1923.Pic 2: Essendon roundabout - thenand now. At Essendon Station, theNMET&LCo line swerved on tothe western side of the road andstayed on that alignment up to theoriginal terminus at the corner ofKeilor Rd. One reason for this wasthat the centre of the reservationcurrently used in that location wasthen occupied by a Fire Station.The present track occupies a morenormal centre road alignment.Pic 3: The roundabout - lookingnorth. The building at right pre-dated the trams and is still there, asare several others in these two shots.Here, Napier St. runs due north(away from the camera). Inbetween the dates of the twoimages a footy traffic siding wasinstalled - and removed.

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Running Journal No. 203 / 2011 q 36 q Running Journal No. 203 / 2011

Pictures on Christmascards traditionally showedDickensian scenes, manywith thatched cottagesladen with snow and rosy-cheeked, well-to-dofamilies whose lives therest of us could onlyimagine.

Here are views of CollinsStreet that could have beenjust before Christmas (notethe bananas in the toppicture). Can anybody spotan Aussie Tiny Tim? Andsurely that’s Scrooge.

Many fellow enthusiasts areastonished when I tell them that myfavourite Melbourne tram is the Q.

At Bylands, its final passenger-carrying guise is 199. These straight-sill combinations are not muchadmired.

I fell in love very early indeed.Reclassified (together with F, G, K

,& R classes) by the M&MTB in1928 as G, I still call them Q.

My first encounter was as a smallboy when, with a group of friends, Iwent to Saturday matinees at theRivoli cinema in Hawthorn.

After the show, guess what, wewandered the streets .

Wonder of wonders, I discoveredon a spur in the northeast corner ofCamberwell depot, an unusual tram.

Four wheels rather than the eightto which I was accustomed and, mostintriguing of all, a unique chocolateand cream livery, albeit rather faded .

This, of course, was the illustriousno 190: last car surviving in theoriginal colour scheme.

It was a child’s delight. And many

happy times were spent on boardringing the warning gong and thecommunication bell.

It was the life of a conductor ordriver until enraged depot staffthreatened us with a dire fate. I can’trecall when I last saw 190 but it stillignites a lifelong interest in oldvehicles, regardless of type.

My next encounter, a few yearslater, was as a morning paper boy inNorth Balwyn.

My round was the largest. Therewere three morning papers andalmost every household had thepaper delivered.

I covered the north side ofDoncaster Road, near route 48’sNorth Balwyn terminus.

Many streets were unmade and tosay that they were appalling wouldbe an understatement.

A bike was of no use. So. as Ididn’t have a tractor, I decided towalk the round.

I found that if I left the shop inNorth Balwyn village at the right timeI could catch the all-night tram toBalwyn Road.

This was, as I recall, always a Qand one of the group stabled at Kewdepot on the open east roadconnecting to High St.

This allowed me to talk to thedriver and to watch his drivingtechnique.

Finally, I especially remember thatthe track from Bulleen Road toBalwyn Road was worn and in poorcondition.

The riding quality of the singletruck was … er … interesting.

Why Q?John Rawnsley