Episode 5: Bendigo’s Rebellious Tram Battle

As Bendigo Tramways prepared for closure in 1972, its fleet was reallocated to museums and individuals across the country for their own collections. It was soon discovered that the Bendigo community had other plans!

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Bendigo Tramways is currently closed but will be reopening soon. See website for further details here.

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Would you like to read the text of this episode again? No problem. Below you can read the story, Bendigo’s Rebellious Tram Battle.

The battle to save Bendigo’s trams. Bendigo Tramways is a living piece of history that has been entwined with the city's identity since 1890, when trams were introduced as public transport. Up until World War II they were a roaring success, but it wasn’t to last. Following several attempts, an application for abandonment of the tramway was granted in 1970. After 82 years, 16th of April, 1972, marked the closure of Bendigo Tramways. An estimated 20,000 people lined the streets to say an emotional farewell.

The idea of trams vanishing from Bendigo’s streets left many feeling that the legacy of the past was being squandered. The Bendigo Trust presented a submission to operate a two-year trial of a tourist service, which was approved by the Victorian Cabinet. However, museums and individuals had already made representations to acquire Bendigo’s trams for their own collections. For instance, a Birney tram had been allocated to the Australian Electric Transport Museum (AETM) in Adelaide. When the AETM arrived to collect the tram, they had no idea of the uproar that was about to unleash. The Trust was unaware of these promises and questions were raised about who had the rights to Bendigo's trams. If one tram left Bendigo, it was feared the flood gates would open.

As word spread that “Somebody was trying to ‘pinch’ a Birney”, the community rallied to ensure the tram couldn’t leave;

• Iron pipes were welded to the rails in front of the tram
• Carbon brushes were removed, rendering the motors inoperable
• Lifting jacks were loaded onto a bus and relocated outside of Bendigo
• Bendigo’s Mayor enlisted the media, calling citizens to form a blockade

The response was phenomenal, with local business owners directing staff to take company vehicles to block the depot yard. In the end, the tram could not be moved and the AETM left Bendigo empty-handed. In an attempt to repair relationships, a replacement tram was sourced for the AETM. Birney No. 27 (a sister car to Birney No. 29) was being used as a garden shed at a home in Maryborough. Negotiations lead to the owners of No.27 happily parting with the tram in exchange for landscaping their backyard where the tram had resided.

The tram was restored by Bendigo Tramways, with financial assistance from the Victorian Government, and presented to the AETM in July 1976. A ministerial committee later re-examined the use and distribution of Bendigo’s trams, which culminated in the entire fleet being sold to The Bendigo Trust for $1 in June, 1977.

Today, Bendigo Tramways is Australia’s largest heritage tourist tramway and their team are world renowned for restoring heritage trams.

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