Today's historic #photo of the day: Exactly 34 years ago today, SW6 class #tram no 892, displaying route 29 and with its desto showing Kew Depot, has just passed Queen Street as it runs west in Flinders Street, Melbourne, July 15 1989.
Flinders St runs along the southern edge of Melbourne's downtown city grid. More famous for the name of the railway station (just out of frame to the right), the street carries trams and also buses as you can tell from the bus stop sign on the pole.
Kew Depot is in the eastern suburbs, but the tram in this photo was headed west. What was going on? Presumably route 29 was a short working for depot bound trams, but I don't recall if it was a short working of route 48 from Flinders St via Swan St Richmond or route 42 from Collins St via Victoria St North Richmond.
I guess it could have reversed at a crossover and returned east via Flinders St, or it could have continued ahead and turned right into Spencer then Collins Street to head east.
The reliability and comfort of SW6s, with sliding doors, resilient wheels, padded upholstery and comparative newness meant they were popular and enabled the tramways to resist the common 1950s trope that modern buses were superior to rickety old trams. Whilst no SW6 class trams in original condition today remain in service, a few have been modified to W8 class and continue to run on the City Circle route.
No 892 herself was not modified; she ran until 2013 when she was withdrawn and stored.
Railmaps