Colonial Tramcar Restaurant
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Colonial Tramcar Restaurant | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Established | 1982 |
Closed | 2018 |
City | Melbourne |
Country | Australia |
Website | www.tramrestaurant.com.au |
The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant was a restaurant operating from a converted fleet of three vintage W class trams in Melbourne, Australia from 1982 until 2018.
History
The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant Company was formed in 1981 by Melbournian businessman Paul Stephen-Daly to operate restaurant trams, with 1927
It was based at the Metropolitan Transit Authority's (MTA) South Melbourne depot.[2][3][4]
The service started on 2 November 1982 (Melbourne Cup day) with the single tram, as amendments were required to the Liquor Licence Act to allow for the service of alcohol on a mobile restaurant.[2] The driver and conductor were provided by the MTA while onboard staff are Colonial Tramcar Restaurant employees.[3][4] Until 1992, the restaurant had to carry a conductor to comply with tramways union regulations about two-man teams operating all trams (in case the brakes failed). This conductor cost the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant $50,000 per year until conductors were removed from all trams in the 1990s. One of the conductors was a lady who could be seen knitting throughout the entire service.
Two 1948 SW6 class trams, 937 and 939, were later added to the fleet in October 1992 and February 1995, respectively.[5][6] With the closure of South Melbourne depot in February 1997, operation was transferred to Southbank depot.[7] In 2006, the 442 was retired and replaced with a third SW6 class tram 938.[8] In 2011 nos 937 and 939 were withdrawn from service and replaced with 935 and 964. All had distinctive burgundy livery, and could seat 36 passengers each.
The restaurant, which had one lunch and two dinner sittings each day, advised booking well in advance. The trams were boarded from the
On 11 August 2012, 30 diners and three staff had to be evacuated from restaurant tramcar #05 (SW6.964) after it caught fire in East Melbourne[9] on Nicholson Street.
In 1985, The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant became the first restaurant in Melbourne to ban smoking.
The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant was a four-time winner of the coveted National Tourism Award (1984, 1988, 1992, and 1993). It was also a nine-time winner of the Victorian Tourism Award (1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2002) and was welcomed into the Hall of Fame in 1993. Hall of Fame is awarded to an entrant that has won the same category over three consecutive years.
In October 2018, Yarra Trams announced that the restaurant trams had been withdrawn from service and were no longer allowed to operate on the network due to safety considerations.[10][11][12] At the same time, Yarra Trams said it was working with the restaurant operator to enable a "stationary dining experience" to continue.
Fleet
- W2 442 (01): This tram ran as CTR No. 1 and is now stored on a private property.
- SW6 937 (02): This Tram Ran as CTR No. 2, named “The City Of Melbourne” Body and is privately owned.
- SW6 939 (03) This Tram Ran as CTR No. 3, named “Valentine” and is owned by the Ballarat Tramway Museum and in its own “Cuthberts” Livery.
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W2 442 (01)
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SW6 937 (02)
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SW6 939 (03)
References
- ^ Tram-rolling-stock-Part-3 page 48 Archived 11 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine Heritage Victoria
- ^ Trolley Wireissue 203 December 1982 page 2
- ^ a b "The City of Melbourne: Dining in Style by Tram" Trolley Wire issue 214 October 1984 pages 3-11
- ^ ISBN 1-86275-005-X.
- ^ "Melbourne News" Trolley Wire issue 251 November 1992 page 24
- ^ "Melbourne Trams" Trolley Wire issue 261 May 1995 page 17
- ^ "Melbourne Notes" Trolley Wire issue 270 August 1997 page 25
- ^ "Restaurant tram No 442" Trolley Wire issue 304 February 2006 page 11
- ^ Dmytryshchak, Goya (11 August 2012). "Overcooked: iconic dining tram catches alight". The Age. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ "'Sad day for society': shock over halting of tramcar restaurants". The Age. 21 October 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ Webb, Carolyn (15 October 2019). "Melbourne's famous tram restaurant sues Yarra Trams". The Age. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Melbourne's Tramcar Restaurants Are Now Immobile". Broadsheet. Retrieved 25 June 2021.