Re: MELBOURNE TRAMWAY TRACK DIAGRAM

[David McLoughlin <davemcl@REMOVEiprolink.co.nz>]

Ron BESDANSKY (formerly Ron BEST) wrote:
> 
> Has there ever been an accurate map of Melbourne's tramways showing opening
> & closing dates, duplication, electrification etc? (Like the ones in David
> Keenan's book about the Sydney system.)

No.

The closest I have seen was one drawn up by Stephen Watson of 9 Lorne
Street Moonee Ponds (it says this on the map) which seems to be his own
private effort. It was published in 1993 and was sold in bookshops and
like places. It shows where all the horse, cable and electric lines ran
and gives opening and closing dates. However it does not give track
layouts.... the lines are just shown as bold lines on the map. And there
are some errors that leap out: for example, it shows the Holden Street
line connecting St George's Rd with Lygon Street as being fully closed
in 1939 when it was still open, at least as far as Nicholson Street,
well into the mid-1970s (I have a photo of 1041 using it).

About the best track map which has been published is the one in the
latest (1993) edition of Destination City which itself was an update of
the map in David Keenan's 1985 book Melbourne Tramways.

But this one does not show closed routes (ie Pt Ormond, the Footscray
local lines, the two VR lines) or deviations (such as on Route 1 into
Nolan Street when the Arts Centre was built) and nor does it have
anything to indicate when a line opened.

A really decent decent Melbourne map would need to show the electric
tram track layouts as well as the cable car system. AFAIK there has
never been a proper track map of this published. The map in Mind The
Curve is just schematic and doesn't show the track arrangements at all.
Additionally, some cable car lines (Johnston Street Bridge, Port
Melbourne) were not converted to electric trams so this would need
covering too. Of course they are shown in Stephen Watson's map but as I
said, this doesn't show the track layout.

Hey, from writing this it is obvious there is a good opening for a
decent map of Melbourne's trams. Maybe Stephen, if he is still around,
might make another version.

David McLoughlin
Auckland New Zealand