Affected routes were 64 & 69 (5 was O.K.) which were supposed to be
replaced by buses, although I did see a tram along Balaclava Road with
route 64 on the indicator.
The rails used look like ordinary Flat Bottom on wooden sleepers
fasten with a kind of Pandrol Clip. They are replacing the usual
tramway profile rail with flange-groove.
Amongst the usual rail based maintenance vehicles was a 4 wheel hopper
wagon built by Goninan complete with NSWGR profile buffers. I've not
seen this before so it came as a bit of a surprise seeing a railway
wagon on tramtrack. The axlebox covers were marked Goninan.
All-in-all, the ride down Dandenong Road should be a lot better than
it has been in the past.
Which brings me to a story my wife told me many years ago when she
come home ashen-faced from working as a connie for a short time
shortly after we were married.
It seems that it was a rather warm night in January going up Dandenong
Road to the City and the windows on the tram (W-class) were all shut.
My wife asked the driver if he would open a few of them to get a bit
of air circulating through the car. He left his cabin, whilst the tram
was in motion(!!) and opened a few windows. The tram went over a bump
in the road and the driver's compartment door slammed shut.
The driver went back to his compartment but could not open the door to
get in - it was jammed. After trying somewhat frantically to open it
and with the tram going at a reasonable speed up Dandenong Road,
through red traffic-lights and pass contending passengers, a state of
sheer panic was reached by the crew. The driver went to an open door
and contemplated abandoning ship. My wife, brave girl that she is, was
made of sterner stuff, she begged the driver to have another go at
opening it. He went back for one last attempt and fortunately for them
both (and me, we were only married a month) it opened. The driver
later on quit the trams and joined the police force, presumably
because it was safer.
As you imagine, the Dandenong Road tram-reserve holds a special place
in the Brown family.
Les Brown.