W2 (Tram)

The W2 was a class of Tram that operated in Melbourne,Australia from 1934 until their final withdrawal in mid-1987.

The 406-strong class was the backbone of the Melbourne and metropolitan tramways board (MMTB)'s vast fleet during their heyday from the 1940s to 1960s. Most class members had been converted from the earlier W & W1 classes.The trams featured two enclosed saloon areas at either end of the tram and an open "drop-centre" section in the middle. A trademark feature of these vehicles until the 1970s was their uncomfortable wooden bench-style seats,a feature they shared with most other Melbourne trams of that period.Mechanically,they had four under-floor motors powering two sets of the MMTB's "Number one" bogies. The driver's controls were made by Westinghouse,among others.

Towards the end of their useful lives, many class members were converted to service (non-Passenger) stock such as carborundum rail scrubbers, Permanent-way vehicles, rail grinders & breakdown units. A large number of units were also sold to museums and public transport operators in Australia and around the world with a large number still running today.

From 1978 until 1982 many W2s were painted by well-known Australian Artists as part of the "Transporting art" program.

The last W2 to run in regular service in Melbourne ran in mid-1987on the number 86 City to Bundoora route although a small number were used well into the early 1990s during extended tram shortages.

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