Type: Single Truck Birney Safety car
Built: 1924, JG Brill & Co, USA
Capacity: 32 seated, 80 crush load
Motors: 2 x 25 hp
Weight: 7.6 tons, xx t
Length: 28 ft 0½ in, 8.55 m
Width: 7 ft 9½ in, 2.37 m
Height: 10 ft 3.75 in, 3.14 m
Eight of these "Birney" safety cars were imported into Australia between 1924 and 1925.
Four of these came to Adelaide and were used on the isolated Port Adelaide system.
When that system closed in 1935 they were sold to the SEC for use first in Geelong and then, from 1947, in Bendigo.
When the main Bendigo system closed in 1972 we were lucky enough to obtain one of the four, our number 303 (Bendigo 27).
It had been restored to Adelaide livery and numbering, and entered service at St Kilda on 8th August 1976.
A number of trams, including 303, were repainted between 1995 and 1998.
The remaining three Adelaide Birneys are preserved in Bendigo, one in Adelaide livery (302) and two in Bendigo colours (301 - 30, 304 - 28).
Of the other four Birneys brought to Australia, two started in Geelong and were then transferred to Bendigo in 1947 where they remain as Bendigo Nos 11 & 15.
The final two were for Melbourne where they were the X Class. 217 remaims operational as part of the PTC historic fleet, but 218 has been dismantled.
These seven trams are a significant portion of the remains of what was once a prolific class of tram.
This car is currently in storage in the North Tram Shed.
Here is a couple of photos of the Birney, taken during the fleet shuffle. First, a profile view.
Small, Large.
Then a side view.
Small, Large.
