P-class Melbourne tram
| P-class | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Manufacturer | Duncan & Fraser |
| Assembly | Adelaide |
| Constructed | 1917/18 |
| Number built | 8 |
| Fleet numbers | 131-138 |
| Capacity | 52 (as built) 44 (as modified) |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 13.83 metres |
| Width | 2.62 metres |
| Height | 3.10 metres |
| Wheel diameter | 838 mm (driving) 508 mm (pony) |
| Weight | 17.9 tonnes |
| Current collector(s) | Trolley pole |
| Bogies | JG Brill Company 22E |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
The P-class was a class of eight trams built by Duncan & Fraser, Adelaide for the Hawthorn Tramway Trust (HTT) as 25-32. All passed to the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board on 2 February 1920 when it took over the HTT becoming the P-class and being renumbered 131-138.[1][2]
Built with 52 seats, this was decreased to 42 when an aisle was cut through the crossbench seats. In 1945/47, 132 and 137 were sold for further use on the Ballarat network, while 133, 135 and 138 saw further use in Bendigo.[1]
Preservation
Four have been preserved:[1]
- 132 by the Tramway Museum Society of Victoria as Ballarat number 36[3]
- 133 by the Bendigo Tramways as number 25
- 137 by the Tramway Museum, St Kilda as Ballarat number 34[4]
- 138 by the Bendigo Tramways
References
- ^ a b c Cross, Norman; Budd, Dale; Wilson, Randall (1993). Destination City Melbourne's Electric Trams (5 ed.). Sydney: Transit Publishing Australia. pp. 61, 125. ISBN 0 909459 18 5.
- ^ P Class Vicsig
- ^ Ballarat No 36 Tramway Museum Society of Victoria
- ^ Ballarat tram 37 Tramway Museum, St Kilda