Photo courtesy Ian Green
916 is not Just Sacramento’s area code, it’s now also the number of Muni’s latest historic streetcar, a 1946 Melbourne tram now somewhere in the South Seas bound for San Francisco. The tram is a gift from the Victorian State government (Melbourne is the capital of Victoria) to San Francisco, a donation facilitated by Market Street Railway.
Tram No. 916, shown being loaded in Australia in this photo courtesy Ian Green, was part of Melbourne’s “ready reserve” tram fleet, semi-retired trams kept in operating condition that could be called back into service. Representatives of Yarra Trams, which contracts for Melbourne’s tram operation, looked over the fleet and picked what they considered the most roadworthy, then painted it into its traditional green and cream (hey, just like Muni) livery before shipping. It will need some minor modifications before it can go into service on the F-line.
While it may look the same as our older Melbourne tram, 1928-vintage No. 496, the two trams have significant differences. Melbourne kept evolving its W-class design, incorporating improvements in each subsequent subclass. Unlike the W2 class No. 496, the SW6 class No. 916 has sliding doors in the center section, making it much more comfortable in the winter. It is also a little wider, meaning more capacity along the crowded Embarcadero. Here’s more info on the SW6 class of Melbourne trams.
Market Street Railway offers special thanks to Andrew Dyer, immediate past Commissioner to the Americas for the State of Victoria, who spearheaded the donation of this tram from the Australian side, as well as to all in Melbourne and San Francisco who participated.
We will show you pictures of No. 916 on this side of the pond as soon as it arrives.
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