The Melbourne Tram Museum

The Official Tumblr of the Melbourne Tram Museum @ Hawthorn Depot. Interestium, articles, and featured parts of our collection. Come and visit us on an open day or visit our website at www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au

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We're open until 5pm today! Join us for the public launch of our new exhibition: “Hawthorn Tramways - A Century of Service.” A small ceremony will be held at 3pm. Items on display include - A fully restored Hawthorn Tramways Trust tram, HTT. Number 8 - Original uniform items, passes, tickets, and memorabilia - newly discovered photographs of the line’s opening and operation. #instatram #HTTCentenary (at Melbourne Tram Museum)

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"Hail! To the Swan-street Tram." The first Hawthorn trams were built by Duncan and Fraser, coach builders in Adelaide. They were built using Australian timber, with locally made paints and varnishes. #HTTCentenary #instatram

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Many original Hawthorn trams were sold to the State Electricity Commission for service in Ballarat, Bendigo, and Geelong. Ballarat 27 was once Hawthorn No. 10. #HTTcentenary #instatram (at Ballarat Tramway Museum)

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Then and now: Burwood Highway and Boundary (Warrigal) Road, Burwood. #HTTCentenary #instatram (at Burwood Village Shopping Centre)

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From @library_vic: Camberwell Junction c.1917. Look at those beautiful trams! #HTTCentenary #instatram (at Camberwell Junction)

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#onthisday in 1916: The Hawthorn Tramways Trust opened its first section of electric tramway between Princes Bridge (now Federation Square) and the Hawthorn Tram Depot (via Swan Street). The tramway was progressively extended to Wattle Park and Burwood, and continues to operate today as @yarratrams Routes 70 - Wattle Park and 75 - Vermont South. The Melbourne Tram Museum is proud to commemorate the centenary of the Hawthorn Tramways Trust (HTT), Hawthorn Tram Depot, and the opening of the Burwood and Wattle Park tramways. Formed by the Melbourne, Richmond, Hawthorn, and Camberwell city councils (now the City of Melbourne, Yarra City Council, and City of Boroondara) the HTT operated these lines through Melbourne's eastern suburbs for four years; then in 1920 it was merged into the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board; later absorbed into “The Met” in 1983. Hawthorn Depot was the home of the Tramways’ own uniform factory, and the Training School for generations of Melbourne tram drivers and conductors. (at Melbourne Tram Museum)

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Fun fact: our tram W7.1040 was the last W class constructed. See it today until 5pm. #instatram (at Melbourne Tram Museum)

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Happy #InternationalWomensDay! Today we celebrate the work of women in the tramways. #IWD2016 #instatram (Photo: State Library of Victoria, Argus Picture Collection H98.105/850)

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Look familiar? After nearly 30 years of faithful service, these flip-dot destination indicators from the B2 class trams have been replaced by modern LED technology and automatic onboard announcements in a huge upgrade project (130 trams!) that has just finished. Thanks to @yarratrams we've preserved some examples in our collection. #instatram

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Our special tramways book sale is today! Some rare and out of print titles on offer. The museum is open to the public 11am - 5pm. #instatram (at Melbourne Tram Museum)

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Tramway vinyl! Here's a recording of the Sydney tramway system in the 1960s. #vinyl #hifi #records #instatram (at Melbourne Tram Museum)

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#onthisday in 1890: the Hawthorn horse tramway opened between the Yarra River & Auburn Rd. #instatram (at Hawthorn, Victoria)

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ON THIS DAY in 1967: W2 class car 380 navigates some track work in Miller Street, Preston, possibly as part of a test (note the special "NOT CARRYING PASSENGERS" board on the front apron). Tram 380 has been fully restored and converted back to original W class configuration. See it at our next public open day on Saturday February 13. (Mal Rowe photo) #trams #melbourne #instatram (at Miller Street)

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ON THIS DAY, 75 years ago: the last cable tram in passenger service operated along the Northcote line (modern-day Route 86) in the early evening. A fleet of double-decker buses was brought into service for the remainder of the night, ending 55 years of cable operation. The closure happened without any fanfare or notice; in part to avoid the wild scenes experienced during previous cable tram line closures – local enthusiasts and "youths" were known to mark previous occasions by dismantling the trams for souvenirs en-route! The buses would serve Bourke Street routes for over 15 years, before these lines were converted to electric operation in 1956. You can discover more about Melbourne's cable trams and see a fully restored example at our next open day, Saturday 14 November.

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Come and explore the history of Melbourne’s trams! We’re open until 5pm today. #instatram (at Melbourne Tram Museum)

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Our tram L.106 turns 94 this week! The last of an order of six cars placed by the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust (PMTT) in 1919, it was built by James Moore and Sons, but was delivered in 1921, after the PMTT had been taken over by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (M&MTB). The L class is significant as the design was used as the basis for the M&MTB W class design of 1923. They were also the widest trams ever used in Melbourne, and the last trams designed before the founding of the M&MTB to be used in passenger traffic in Melbourne. See it for yourself at tomorrow’s open day, 11am - 5pm. (Ray Pearson photo) #instatram

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Much of the character of Melbourne’s early electric tramway infrastructure was shaped by two architects. During the M&MTB’s massive expansion of its network over the 1920s and 1930s was the responsibility of A.G. Monsborough. But prior to the creation of the M&MTB, the pre-eminent tramway architect was Leonard John Flannagan. Best known for his tramway buildings (including the Hawthorn Tram Depot, home to the museum), these only made up some of his extensive contribution to the built environment of our city. Read his story in a new article on our website.