Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board L Class No 106

No 106 was the last of an order of six cars placed by the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust (PMTT) in 1919. It was built by James Moore and Sons, but was delivered in 1921, after the takeover of the PMTT by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board. It was classified into the L class roster and numbered 106. The history of the tramcar was very like that of its sister car L 104.

M&MTB No 106 in Elizabeth Street near Queen Victoria Market, October 1988.

Photograph courtesy Mal Rowe.

No 106 entered service on 14 September 1921, and it was allocated to four different depots during its years of service, namely Malvern, Glenhuntly, South Melbourne and Essendon.

All L class trams were withdrawn from regular service in 1969, but they continued to be used on a stand-by basis in peak hours and during tramcar shortages resulting from industrial action until they were finally stored in 1980. No 106 was subsequently painted in pre-1930s chocolate and cream M&MTB livery, and was allocated in 1981 to Essendon Depot for use on the Zoo special Sunday service. After the ending of that service during the 1990s it was intermittently used on a variety of other tourist services.

No 106 is now on display as part of the collection of the Melbourne Tram Museum. This heritage tram is owned by VicTrack on behalf of the Government and people of Victoria.

Technical details

Motors:	4 x 40hp (GE 247)
Controller:	GE PC5 (as built), GE K35JJ (as modified)
Truck:	Brill 77E
Passengers:	48 (seated), 102 (standing)
Weight:	19.1 tons
Length:	45 feet 6 inches
Width:	9 feet 1½ inches

Bibliography

Breydon, G. (1970) “Feeding and Filling: the story of the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust”, Running Journal, Tramway Museum Society of Victoria

Cross, N., Budd, D., and Wilson, R. (1993) Destination City (Fifth Edition), Transit Australia Publishing

Cross, N., Henderson, R. and Kings, K. (1981) Destination City (Fourth Edition), Australian Electric Traction Association