> Oh dear , just watched Nightline on 9, monday night and they showed
> what
> looked to be Our Melbourne trams not the SLR variety. Any more info
> ???
Well David, the Melbourne and Brisbane Tramways each "owned" one
another last century (won't go into the full structure here) and had
the same parent company McIllwraith and McEachern. Brisbane almost had
the misfortune to have cable trams as well just because Melbourne had
them. Fortunately Clapp saw the light in 1890 and decide Brisbane
should electrify instead, also Dublin, Ypres, Barcelona, Montevido,
Tokyo and several other systems part of the conglomerate.
This affinitity between the systems existed through public ownership
as well with similar technologies being used in Brisbane and
Melbourne. You will even find Brisbane Tramways pointwork in Melbourne
(Malvern Depot entrance for starters). Mjr-Gen. Sir Robert Risson was
a key player in Brisbane before going to Melbourne to control MMTB.
FM's (what you saw on TV) are the most remembered and unique Brisbane
tram (Designed to be PCC cars but electrical equipment more expessive
to import (because of duties) than building a complete car in
Brisbane, so never installed. Truck design an upgrade on Melbourne 15
truck, which Melbourne then in turn adopted.
Even the BTMS works closely with Melbourne supply engineering drawings
for mass concrete track in the seventies. In the late seventies/early
eighties the MMTB trained some drivers for BTMS including myself, and
in return I revised their driver training course (as a teacher).
The FM's (Silver Bullets) apart from the pointing nose are basically a
SW6/W7 design, while the earlier drop centres were more like W2s. The
FM design dates from 1938 and predates the W7s. although its final
form with sliding doors was not introduced until 473 (30/5/47). 497
was first car in Australia to have resilient wheels (6/1949). Brisbane
had the most modern convential trams in the world right up to its
close. In fact one month after its closure it was still being cited by
Modern Tramway as the best example of a tramway in the world - best
cars and best track. Today's conventional Melbourne Trams owe a lot to
Edward Buzzacott (grandnephew of the founder of the Brisbane Tramways
- Charles Hardie Buzzacott and desigmer of the FM) and the Brisbane
Tramways.
In reality just as the City of Melbourne is a child of Brisbane, so
too is its tramways, so its not a case of the new trams looking like
"Our Melbourne" trams at all, but the old Brisbane trams.
The articulated vehicles will be modern, but probably still keep a
Brisbane still nose, for the same reason the original ones had them.
To get any length over about 43ft one has to taper the front to gain
clearance on the curves. The gauage was 4ft 8 1/2ins with 4 feet
between the tracks. FMs were 49ft long and 7ft 7 3/4ins wide - long
and narrow.
Since the streets haven't widened any the same will still apply. Its
also quite possible existing trackwork will be re-used since over 90%
of the system remained in place after closure (in mass concrete). The
only major removals were the Chermside line from the start of the
reservation, Moorooka to Salisbury, St Paul's Terrace, Exhibition Loop
and of course two blocks of Queen Street for the Mall. from memory.
The rest of the track is still there unless it was set in bitumen and
not concrete.
Cheers
Garry