History
W-class trams were introduced to Melbourne in 1923 as a new standard design. They had a dual bogie layout and were characterised by a substantial timber frame supplanted by a steel under frame, a simple rugged design, and fine craftsmanship (particularly the older models). The W class was the mainstay of Melbourne's tramways system for 60 years. A total of 752 trams of all variants were built.
The W2 variant was supplemented in the late 1930s by 120 W5 (or "Clyde") class trams with wider cabins, and more powerful motors, however these were notorious for being difficult to drive smoothly. The W6 followed on, and became the most popular W-class tram with crews and passengers alike as they were fast, smooth and comfortable, compared with earlier W variants. Construction came to a halt for some years, with the final 40 W-class trams emerging from the Preston Workshops in 1956, when the need to provide something more capable of dealing with Olympic Games crowds than Bourke Street's buses prompted the last expansion of the network.
The W7 class with its pneumatic sliding doors and softer suspension proved popular with passengers. It was not until the 1990s that the W class was finally considered 'surplus' to rolling stock requirements.
In 1992 an official mass withdrawal of the W class was announced by the then transport minister Alan Brown, this was generally due to the fact that over 200 W class remained in service while the newer Z-class trams were in storage in varying locations, displaced by the newer A- and B-class vehicles. Protests over the disappearing icons brought about a reconsideration of the withdrawal policy, so it was decided 53 W's would be retained for tourist purposes. The popular zero-fare city circle tourist route commenced in 1994 using 12 of the 53 trams retained.
Read more about this topic: W-class Melbourne Tram
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