There was some botheration in Chapel Street last Saturday night, with hoons doing car burnouts and general bad and risky driving. I suppose the Route 78 tram was disrupted, probably just running from North Richmond to Toorak Road where it can turn back a short distance past the beginning of Chapel Street. It was also a possible a tram could run from the southern Balaclava terminus to Dandenong Road. That still leaves quite a gap in between.
I thought I would take a look at the Route 78 on Saturday night, and down the rabbit hole I went. Route 78 is one of two Melbourne routes than don't travel via the city. It would probably have the highest count of hop on hop off travellers for its distance in Melbourne, and probably the highest fare evasion too. I've never seen ticket inspectors checking tickets.
Here we go, and I'll try to keep it simple. Route 78 is operated by Kew Tram Depot a few kilometres from the North Richmond terminus. That means when the service closes for the evening, all trams return to Kew Depot, via the North Richmond terminus.
The last three trams from North Richmond arrive at the Balaclava terminus at 1.18am, 1.37am and 1.55am, and the last service from Balaclava to North Richmond leaves at 1.24am. We can assume the tram that arrives at Balaclava at 1.18 becomes the 1.24 to North Richmond.
But there are still two trams to arrive at Balaclava, 1.37 and 1.55, that need to return to the Kew Depot. Why aren't they shown on the timetable as returning to North Richmond then Kew Depot? They can't just go 'poof' in a cloud of smoke and disappear, so how do they get back?
Obviously they do return via North Richmond and Kew Depot, as ghost trams. They are not listed on timetables and I don't know if they show on apps, but after contacting my tram driver contact who knows all things trams, they do take customers passengers. So the last tram from Balaclava to North Richmond is not actually 1.24 but some time after 1.55.
Twenty years ago, Chapel Street traffic on Friday and Saturday nights could be diabolical, with trams not moving faster in some areas than walking pace, or stationary in traffic for long periods. I don't know about the current situation and I have no intention of staying up late to find out. So, the above could be quite theoretical if the service falls apart as it used to on those two nights.
I expect the same would happen with the other non city tram, Route 82, but your brain is already hurting so I won't check.
The service is operated by small and boxy A Class trams, one of two routes where they normally operate. They were the last trams built without air conditioning in the mid 1980s, and have high steps to enter. Chapel Street does not have one platform stop, all are at road level. Air con was installed in the driver's cabins at each end a number of years ago.
An A Class tram. By Bahnfrend - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37653884
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So ... if you travel on one of those ghost trams do you mysteriously disappear in a puff of smoke?
ReplyDeleteJayCee, I would hope not, unless when passing nightclubs with vapes steaming away outside.
DeleteTram company receives government compensation so it does not care if people are evading fares
ReplyDeleteRoentare, Yarra Trams does receive a proportion of fare box revenue, and it employs the ticket checking staff.
DeleteI had no idea about ghost trams, how cool and eerie at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI Really enjoyed your insight and humor by the way. Makes me want to ride it late at night!
My son in southern Oregon. there a town next to him has a ghost trolly.
ReplyDeleteReally Dora? That's cool.
DeleteThat signpost up ahead! Your next tram stop: the Twilight Zone.
ReplyDeleteKirk, I will be entering the Twilight Zone.
DeleteFascinating post.
ReplyDeleteTo you Linda, I would not have thought so, but thanks.
DeleteIt's interesting, Andrew.
ReplyDeleteThanks Margaret.
DeleteThere was a ghost train in Sydney but it was burnt down. I remember because I was at my friend's birthday party on the other side of Lavender Bay. We sang the well-known primary-school-recorders round "Luna Park's burning" with the thoughtlessness of youth. People died.
ReplyDeleteI've watched a couple of videos MC, aside from vaguely remembering the fire myself. Terrible corruption was my conclusion. So unlike Sydney at the time. Yes, young people don't understand.
DeleteGhost tram sounds so much friendlier than ghost train.
ReplyDeleteJB, easier to escape?
DeleteCompared to your system, our trams might as well not exist, so limited are they.
ReplyDeleteRiver, the one you have is better than nothing. Buses serve you quite well as you don't have the traffic congestion Melbourne and Sydney now have.
DeleteWe use the Cha-el street tram when in town, and the 78 down toorak Road to get us to the junction . Love their ease of travel though the Chapel Street one is unfriendly to dodgy knees . I too can remember Friday and Saturday nights on Chapel when the shops were fully rented, a Greek restaurant was in operation as well as some other popular eating places and the Jam Factory was a thing.
ReplyDeleteFriday and Saturday nights were the nights when the boys from the outer hoods would cruise slowly up and down with their souped up cars. It’s a pity the current lot of mindless hoons treat Chapel in such a manner. I feel sorry for the police and the traders and of course the patient tram drivers.Ghost buses return to depots after school runs as well
Yes, the boys were doing what is now referred to as 'chap laps'. The Saturday night mayhem was an attempt to recreate that period of time, but went out of control.
DeleteYes, the bus passing here does ghost trips back to the depot, but out of service.
The DC underground system has numerous "pocket tracks" sort of sidings in the tunnels, that they store trains in during off peak and overnight. The station near is the end of the line, and has two long tunnels beyond the platform that trains park in from time to time.
ReplyDeleteTP, I guess there would be a depot too, where some trains are parked, and maintained.
DeleteI have never heard the word "hoon" before! You've taught me something!
ReplyDeleteSteve, hoons go hooning or hooning around.
DeleteThank you Andrew! I am a rail fan. I grew up in Philadelphia where they were still many PCC trolley cars in operation at that time. I also saw the old brown elevated train cars replaced by the shiny stainless steel budd cars in the ' early '60s. Honolulu is building and partially using our incomplete elevated train. Thanks for sharing. Aloha
ReplyDeleteCloudia, how nice to have the memories of the old Philadelphia systems. I have looked at your elevated rail and I was not impressed. Hopefully there will be improvements and a lot more usage.
DeleteMy one year in Melbourne (1997) I went out with a young man who became a conductor on the trams - it may well have been that line. Unfortunately the city turned out to be too small for him as an ex and I to co-exist (oh, there were probably other factors) but I do wish that more accessible public transport were available where I am these days - I think ours are more zombie than ghost!! I loved the photos of your grandmother's china - I think my grandma had the same pattern as the first flower ones that you showed.
ReplyDeleteJeanie, back then the route was shared between two depots. I think the conductors began to disappear around 1997. You have some interesting history. Thanks.
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