There's an old Sydney saying still in use: "He shot through like a Bondi tram!" meaning he got out of there fast.

From the Wiki:

North Bondi via Bondi Junction Line

"Services operated from either Circular Quay (via Bridge and Elizabeth Streets) or Railway Square (via Elizabeth and Liverpool Streets), to Oxford Street. The line then passed down Oxford Street to Bondi Junction, were it branched off from Bronte services, to run down Bondi Road to Fletcher Street, Campbell Parade and then to the North Bondi tram terminus. A feature of this line was the large 3 track terminus cut into a hillside at North Bondi, which opened in 1946. The line opened in 1884 as a steam tramway to Bondi, then to Bondi Beach in 1894. Electric services commenced in 1902. The line closed in 1960. The tram line followed the current route of bus 380 as far as North Bondi."

I asked about the old saying when I was last at the Tramway Museum at Loftus and the story goes that the speed limit for Sydney trams on all lines was 50km/h but on the last leg of the Bondi line a coasting tram could hit 80km/h.

Sydney's tramways had an almost excellent safety record too, despite being subject to practices that would send an insurance company to the wall these days.

Of course there were a few spills like this R1-Class unit at Bradley's Head near Taronga Zoo...

R-Class trams weren't known for strong brakes but I do note the attention to detail from the conductor - after this slight accident he managed to tie down the trolley pole whilst waiting for a salvage crew.

Here's another at the same site, a later R2-Class tram which went in at high tide.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

All this talk of trams is making me feel quite nostalgic.

In my past life I drove trams here in Melbourne. There was nothing quite like the joy of driving a Preston Depot "W" class with a Clyde controller! The earlier trams had a elegance & romance about them that can't be captured by their modern counterparts. Also having a series/parallel controller (GE or Clyde), Westinghouse air brakes, a heap of sand and skill & dexterity, I believe, makes a "W' class tram much safer than the latest types with their electronic gizmos. Much simpler too and less to go wrong.

The maximum speed of a "W" class tram is 50kmh and probably the same for most other tram types using the same running gear. However you could go much faster on a long stretch of a downward incline such as St. Georges Rd or Lygon St, past the cemetery. In fact the police tried to book me once for doing 70. The copper pointed to the pressure gauge thinking it was a speedo! Then there were the St. Kilda Beach/ Flinders St speed trials. The record was seven minutes. The best I could do was nine.

Trams in Melbourne survived largely due to the foresight & cunning of Tramways Board Chairman Sir Robert Risson. Sir Robert under the guise of important maintenance work had most of the tram tracks set in concrete. The Government had made plans to replace trams with buses and Sir Robert figured if the tracks were set in concrete it would be too costly to have them ripped up. I believe some of Sydneys tram tracks still exist, albiet under a layer of asphalt!

I have the videotape of "Shooting Through!" Sydney had a amazing tramway network. The mass people moving scene at Randwick that Brad mentioned is something to be seen. It almost brings a tear to my eye seeing the demise of the Sydney trams. There is the heartbreaking scene of some trams being set on fire. The NSW Government wanted to destroy as much as they could after the last trams ran so as to make it impossible to reopen it should public protests prevail.

Running heritage Sydney trams on the Central to Lilyfield light-rail route can't be done. Whilst the gauge of 4ft, 8 1/2 is the same, the overhead voltage is 750 volts DC as opposed to 600 volts DC. Also the over head wires are designed to only work with pantographs. My theory is that this was done on purpose so as to make it impossible to ever run heritage trams on the new light rail system.

Cheers.

It almost brings a tear to my eye seeing the demise of the Sydney trams. There is the heartbreaking scene of some trams being set on fire. The NSW Government wanted to destroy as much as they could after the last trams ran so as to make it impossible to reopen it should public protests prevail.

It was an act of bastardry not seen elsewhere outside a theatre of war in my opinion. The people responsible for it should be utterly condemned.

It is true that the system as it was could not cope with the increasing number of private cars that shared the roads with it, largely due to Sydney's narrow streets though there were alternatives such as what exists now with the Railway - Lilyfield line. In parts the trams share the road, in parts the road has been cordoned off for the exclusive use of trams and pedestrians and elsewhere the trams run on a reservation. This sort of thinking is what will see trams run down George Street again but I doubt any city will again run a system the size of what Sydney did have. It was the third largest in the world at its peak.

Currently, Melbourne's is the largest but is only 1/3 the size in terms of the size of the fleet.

I agree that whilst modern articulated trams are more comfy (and weatherproof!) they do lack the character and romance of the old beasts.

When I drive to work each morning I drive over what used to be the tram Terminus outside Top Ryde City shopping centre (Blaxland Road). The road has corrugations in it due to subsidence from roadbase that ballast the hardwood sleepers that supported the old tracks. Last time they resurfaced the road they didn't let the roadbase settle correctly.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Like you note, 750 volts seems like a dirty trick to block using old restored classics.

The old trams could be used with an inverter coupling the 750 volt feed to the 600 volt bogies and control gear. When the line opened in 2007 they had a vintage track scrubber tram side by side with one of the passenger trams. I seem to remember the pantographs being up on both vehicles though I could be wrong. If the former is correct then a DC-DC converter or DC-AC-DC inverter would be required but shouldn't be too difficult to fit.

If in the future they restore the six trams located at Rozelle I am sure they'd just fit 750 volt bogies and control systems. The original bogies are gone anyway by the looks.

To be honest the choice of 750 volts seems odd since Sydney's current trams were made in Victoria (Number 1 fell off the truck that was carrying it from Melbourne to Sydney). Perhaps the traction is European...

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

"the overhead voltage is 750 volts DC as opposed to 600 volts DC"

With rewinding of the motor(s) and/or with modern electronics couldn't 750V be used for the old trams? And change to a pantograph from the old wheel pick-up would be a small sacrifice to be able to ride on these again. Should be a great tourist attraction.

But suppose OH&S would kill it.

An enduring memory is standing in the queue at Sydney's Olympic Park station in 2000, and hearing the electric suburban trains' electronics whistle in increasing pitch as they stepped up in speed, train after train after train. Something like this might work for the old trams.

and hearing the electric suburban trains' electronics whistle in increasing pitch as they stepped up in speed

That is unique to the M-sets. The others have different equipment that maintains a constant pitch until a certain speed is reached. It sounds good on the underground lines if the driver is in a hurry.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

A "gunzel" mate and myself were discussing the Sydney light-rail today. He too mentioned the old scrubber car and reckons it was modified to take the 750 volts. He couldn't give any of the technical details of the mods though.

Like my vintage electronics, I also like my trams to be as original as possible. It is pity the Sydney light rail isn't compatible for vintage trams. I may make one concession and allow the vintage trams to have pantographs though. Maybe the powers to be think that if Sydneysiders want to see vintage trams they can always go down to Loftus.

I was reading today that another Melbourne tram, a W6, is about to be run on the Market St, Fishermans Wharf to the Castro heritage route in San Francisco. Directly underneath the length of Market St is the MUNI light-rail tunnel. Though rarely used, there is a physical and electrical connection between the MUNI light-rail and the Market St heritage route.

I also forgot to mention in my previous post that the later "W" class trams had MMTB (Melbourne Metropolitan Tramways Board) built RC2 controllers. Though my favourites were the Preston Clydes.

I remember seeing a Melbourne tramcar (an earlier W2 I think), running around the waterfront routes in San Francisco when we were there. They had some amazing tramcars (or as Americans say, "streetcars"). From memory, I think they also had a fleet of trams from Italy or somewhere, running amongst the PCCs.

I'll send some photos to Brad.

Chris

The W6 (916) tram I've just read is already in service in San Francisco. The W2 (496) is the one I rode on in SF.

I have driven both trams many years ago when they were still in service here.

San Fransisco bought quite a few of the Melbourne W-Class when they were being retired.

On another note, I've heard that the new lines opening in Sydney in the next few years will have a concealed 'third rail' instead of catenary wires. I can't say that tickles my fancy. If someone jams something in the slot in the middle of the road it brings the whole line to a stand-still. I hope someone tells Gladys that as she seems to be in favour of it for aesthetic reasons.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

W2 496 is the one I saw. I didn't get to ride on it, but I remember seeing it several times along the trackage near the waterfront and Fisherman's Wharf.

This was back in 2009 when we went there.

The other trams running alongside the W's and PCCs were from Milan, weren't they?

Chris

Thank you for uploading the photos Brad!

Chris