Brisbane items
  "Michael Topp"

While I was at Ferny Grove for our board meeting yesterday, I took the attached photos.

Pic 002 is the damaged window from the then Police Commissioners office in the Treasury building, which shows the bullet hole from an assassination attempt during the Tramway strike of 1912.

Plans are to frame it as an exhibit.

Pics 008 006 007 are of the scale model of the handbrake system as fitted to all trams but the last 17 dropcentre cars. All FM cars were designed with air brakes.

Retrofitting of air brakes to the Droppies in reverse numerical order only got to car 274 before the project was abandoned in 1964, less the cars lost in the Paddington depot fire in 1962.

This setup used to be in the Motorman’s Training School at Milton Workshops and it was still there in 1972-3 when I worked there.

It is now on display in the Museum’s workshop building.

The last two photos from the Museum collection show examples of the different trucks used for the two braking systems; hand braked – 4’6’’ wheelbase diamond frame; air braked – 5’5’ plate frame.

Cheers,

Mick in Brissie who’s back at the Museum today as motorman

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002  |  3264W x 2448H  | 1.86 MB |  Photo details
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008  |  3264W x 2448H  | 2.01 MB |  Photo details
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006  |  3264W x 2448H  | 1.77 MB |  Photo details
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007  |  3264W x 2448H  | 1.75 MB |  Photo details
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tram 231 newly built 1925  |  3109W x 1922H  | 745.76 KB |  
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tram 386 outside treasury bldg 1950's  |  591W x 427H  | 88.75 KB |  Photo details