Tram No. 1029
W7 1029 in Albert Road 1980. Photo Greg Fitzgerald.
Tram 1029 is a member of the 40 strong W7 class completed by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board between March 1955 and August 1956.
The class was the final development of the ubiquitous W class tram that commenced in 1923. Built for the conversion of the Bourke St lines from bus to electric trams,
the trams were designed to be as quiet as possible with sound proofing, resilient wheels, double helical gears and a different layout in the drop centre,
though this was still earmarked as the Smoking area. No. 1029's steelwork section of the body was built by Ansair Industries with the wooden coachwork undertaken
by the MMTB at Preston Workshops. The tram entered service on 1/12/1956 based at either North Fitzroy or the East Preston depots where it ran from for the whole of its service life.
During 2018 VicTrack commenced a process to find new homes for some 134 trams stored at Newport Railway Workshops. Over 1500
applications were received. The Museum was allocated trams SW5 836 and W7 1029. Our thanks to VicTrack for this tram. Being an open format tram, it makes it very suitable for days of heavy loading, functions, bus parties etc.
W7 1029 is moved into the workshop - Photo Paul Mong 12-2-2020.
W7's 1029 and 1030 meet at the intersection of Spring and Bourke St Melbourne with the Victorian Parliament House in the background. Photo Dave Macartney c1969.
Technical Details - as built or modified by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board.
| Builder |
Body frame built by Ansair Industries, Essendon Airport and completed by Preston Workshops. |
| Type |
Bogie, drop-centre combination |
| Truck (bogie) |
MMTB No. 15 and fitted with resilient wheels |
| Wheel size |
28" nominally (700mm) |
| Length |
46'6" (14.17m) |
| Width |
9'0" (2.74m) |
| Height |
10'4" (3.14m) |
| Bogie Wheelbase |
5'2" (1.575m) |
| Bogie Centres |
28'0" (8.53m) |
| Approx Mass |
17.5 tons (17.7 tonnes) |
| Motors |
General Electric 247 |
| Controllers |
MMTB RC2 (Remote Control built by the MMTB) |
| Brake Valves |
Westinghouse Self-Lapping Drivers Brake Valve - Type W |
| Compressor |
Westinghouse DH16 |
| Compressor Governor |
General Electric MLA1 |
History
| 1.12.1956 |
Entered Service after construction at Preston Workshops |
| 10.1970 |
Head and tail-lights fitted |
| 2.1980 |
Received a 01 (the highest level) overhaul |
| 9.1985 |
Painted in The Met livery |
| 12.9.1995 |
Transferred to Newport Workshops East block for storage |
| 16.8.2019 |
Transferred by VicTrack to the Museum's Bungaree facility along with tram SW5 836. |
| 12.2.2020 |
Transferred to the Museum's new workshop facility at Bungaree with work on repairing and repainting to a serviceable condition commenced. |
Car history information provided by Geoff Warburton
Ballarat Tramway Museum Inc. - PO Box 632 Ballarat Vic 3353 Australia - info@btm.org.au - phone +61 3 5334 1580. A0031819K
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