SHOWBUS AUSTRALIA BUS & TRAM IMAGE GALLERY
Melbourne Trams sold overseas
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 In Seattle, Kings County Metro started a city water front service in 1982 with former Melbourne W class trams. There were five operational cars, with 512 identified nearer the camera in this 1986 view. The other cars noted were 272, 482, 518 and 605, all class W2.
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 A 1986 view of W2 class tram 482 in Seattle.
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 Eighteen years later and 482 was still doing stirling service. Not only was it working a lot harder as the sea front had developed into a great tourist attraction, but it was looking in better condition than back in 1986! |
Tram 272 was also in excellent condition in August 2004, seen here with the Seattle skyline behind. The Melbourne trams have since been joined by a fleet of modern trams on a new Center City Connector route on new tracks. Revisiting Seattle in October 2014 it was surprising to find the track abandoned and the purpose built tramshed buried under the new Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park. The line was closed to prepare for this construction in November 2005. The five trams, plus 525 which had been acquired for spares, were put in store. Various proposals have been put forward to resuurect a vintage tram service, but in 2016 cars 482, 512 and 518 were sold to St Louis for the Delmar Loop Trolley tourist service. With their initial storage site being demolished 272 and 605 were moved to Arlington in the state for storage and a possible plan to modify them for use as an attraction on the Center City Connector track.
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 In June 2017 this abandoned tram stop, fully equipped for disabled access, was one of the few reminders of the Waterfront Service.
Picture ref B6540 |
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