So one of those pre-MMTB operations used some turning loops. P&MTT (1907-1920) was operating at the time Sydney was at the maximum rate of building up its massive system and all the operators across Australia knew what was going on elsewhere. That finally explains to me how those two loops appeared. Sydney had only a couple of private operators, but one of them (Saywell) did try a couple of things that were different from the way the rest of them did it. Independent thinking is obviously inevitable where you have separate operations under different ownerships.

I've been to all those venues at St Kilda, I know how big the crowds used to get.

Tony P
---InTramsDownUnder@..., <mal.rowe@...> wrote :

It has struck me that the aerial pic I just posted shows three different tramway operations in a small area.

I have marked them on the pic attached:
http://tdu.to/Operators_Aerial_StKilda_lookingSE_c1926_ErnestEbell.jpg http://tdu.to/Operators_Aerial_StKilda_lookingSE_c1926_ErnestEbell.jpg

Green marks the cable tramway built by the MT&O Co Blue marks the 5' 3" (1600mm) electric line built by the Victorian Railways Red marks the standard gauge electric line built by the P&MTT.
Mal Rowe - noting that the VR line remained separate from the MMTB to the end.