Re: All-over advertising trams (Melb)

[David Langley <del@ancc.com.au>]

David McLoughlin wrote:

> Paul Edwards wrote:
>
> >
> > Speaking of derelict W's, I noticed the other night as I was riding past
> > that all of the Ws that were stored in the shed on the west of St George's
> > Rd ...........
>
> That "shed" is the old Thornbury Depot, which was used for the West
> Preston line before Preston Depot in Plenty Road near Bell Street was
> opened when the former Bourke St-High St cable line-then-from
> 1940-to-1956-bus route was converted to electric trams (route 88 it was
> originally) in 1956. It was not any formal part of Preston Workshops.

Part right also don't forget it provided cars for the East Preston service which
at that time ran via St. George's Road as route 9. Latterly route 9 was Northcote
to City via St. George's Road. The depot building at Thornbury was Preston Depot
which was later referred to as "Old" Preston Depot. It has never been Thornbury
Depot. It currently is a former depot at Thornbury which is also the intermediate
terminus named Thornbury (route 9A until 1937 then route 9D) although nothing
regularly terminates there now.

>
>
> Thornbury Depot was used in recent years to store a heap of decrepit Ws

They were not decrepit cars merely cars waiting access to Preston Workshops for
work. The last use of this shed was to store some of the 50 W cars not fitted
with modern door interlocks which were used until a few years ago to temporarily
replace the heritage fleet when they were out of service. Nowadays we don't
bother to provide a "reserve fleet" of W's (as it was referred to), we merely
stretch the existing fleet so thin that the rubber band will snap one day.

>
> ... one assumes they have now also been moved to the Newport dumphouse.

East Block at Newport Workshops not a dump house. They are stored in relative
security because of the wishes of the National Trust. Someday someone will wake
up to what treasures they actually have hidden away.

>
> And that this otherwise empty depot can be sold to reduce the debt of
> the state of Victoria. There is room there for a nice block of home
> units.

Z classes are too noisy for me to live there.

>
>
> David McLoughlin
> Auckland New Zealand

David Langley