Remembering a weeekend of tramway infamy

["Paul Nicholson" <pn1@rocketmail.com>]

A noted tramway historian has described Saturday 22 October 1960 as "a day
of infamy"!

No less than four tram lines in three cities closed on that day; Point
Ormond in Melbourne, Springfield in Hobart and Botany and Coogee in Sydney.

A small group of tramway enthusiasts met last  night (19 October) at the
Elsternwick Hotel to remember the Point Ormond tram line. The hotel is at
the former junction of the Carnegie line and the branch to Point Ormond.
There were rarely-used connecting curves from Brighton Road into Glenhuntly
Road right outside the hotel.

I was on the special tour organised by the Australian Electric Traction
Association on 22 October 1960. It was Y 469 and it my memory is correct (I
was only 10 years old) it still had the original wooden seats. The tour used
the curves outside the Elsternwick Hotel and also went to St Kilda. I think
it did the "Luna Loop" at St Kilda before returning to Camberwell.

Earlier in 1960 my mother took me down to Point Ormond on several Saturday
afternoons to spend an hour riding the shuttle. I remember X2 677 on at
least two occasions and X1 463 on another Saturday afternoon. The fare was
3d each way so a pleasant hour for a nine/10 year old and all for 1/- (10c).
I think X2 675 was the other car at Glenhuntly Depot.

The last run was during the evening of 22 October. I wasn't there but recall
being told that the late Alan Jungwirth was the driver of the last car. He
then became the "conductor" of the replacement Leyland OPS1 bus. This turn
must have been nominal because I recall the OPS1s were all one-man (no
female drivers in those days!) operated.

The latest Rail News Victoria says Point Ormond was the last one-person
operated tram in Melbourne until 1990 but I think the Footscray cars were
omo at times until their closure in 1962. They didn't run on Saturday
afternoons/evenings or Sundays but would they have been omo on weekday
evenings?

I will be joining another small group of enthusiasts making a pilgrimage to
Coogee tomorrow afternoon (21 October) to remember the trams, probably over
a cleansing ale at a suitably licensed establishment.

I would be pleased to hear of any commemoration in Hobart.

Paul Nicholson
Melbourne
20 October 2000