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M&MTB W4 No 673

M&MTB No 673 at South Melbourne depot. Photograph Clive Gibson.

M&MTB W4 No 673 at South Melbourne depot.
Photograph Clive Gibson.

The unpopularity of the W3 design with passengers led to the reduction in the original order of 20 W3 tramcars to 16, the last four being built to a modified design. This order was extended to the construction of another W4 in excess of the original order.

No 673 was built in 1934 at Preston Workshops. The redesign resulted in a much wider tramcar set lower over the bogies, which lead to a reduction in step height. The W4 design still used the No 9 bogies, so the braking characteristics were still the same as those of the W3 class. The lower setting of the body over the bogies was enabled by cutting holes in the saloon floor for the 33 inch wheels. These holes were boxed in by the passenger seats, which resulted in a departure from longitudinal saloon seats previously used in all W type trams. Seating capacity was correspondingly reduced. However, these were the only W type tramcars which allowed passengers to sit directly behind the drivers compartment facing forward, offering excellent views, so they were correspondingly popular with small boys aspiring to be tram drivers.

However, this popularity did not extend to the drivers, who still suffered from the poor braking characteristics, which continued from the preceding design of the W3 class, together with a new design defect. The running board was partially recessed into the body, which lead to poor visibility in the rear vision mirrors of boarding and alighting passengers.

This particular tramcar was noted for being decorated and illuminated in 1934 for the centenary of Victoria, and again in 1935 for the Silver Jubilee of King George V. No 673 was allocated to South Melbourne Depot for its entire career.

The unpopularity of these tramcars with drivers led the union to press for their withdrawal, which was done in 1968. No 673 was purchased from the M&MTB by the TMSV in 1976, and it is currently undergoing restoration to early 1950s condition, as it was fitted with a lined ceiling in 1951.