On Sat, Jan 5, 2019 at 3:15 PM David McLoughlin mcloughlin.dj@...>
wrote:

> A question about what became of the cable tram tracks in Johnston Street,

> Melbourne. Known as the Collingwood line, it closed in April 1939 and was

> replaced at the time by buses.

>


The Johnston St cable tracks were removed in the early 1960s from Johnson
St, Elgin St, Lygon St and Russell St. It was done while I was attending
Melbourne University, and I travelled on the Johnston St bus most days, and
watched it being done (apparently by the same per-way gangs that had been
relaying tramlines in mass concrete). The North Carlton line in Rathdowne
St was also done. I wasn't within reach to see the Port Melbourne line
removed soon after, also the line which ran in City Rd between Queensbridge
St and Clarendon Stl the remaining stub in Market St, between Collins St
and Flinders Lane, also went. The only visible cable tram track left was
the couple of yards at the Spencer St end of Bourke St, and they were
removed when the Bourke St line was connected into Spencer St as part of
the light rail conversion.

The rails and slot girders were lifted, the yokes cut off by oxy-acetylene
torch, and the trench was filled with crushed rock, and asphalt mix road
surfacing was laid on top; previously the road surface on the track had
been wood blocks.

The only remaining cable tram track I know of is in Abbotsford St (the West
Melbourne route, between Queensberry St and Spencer St) which was revealied
by excavations some years ago; it's been covered again in the course of
changing the roadway.. I think there was an idea about making a part of it
visible, but I've heard nothing, and judging from Google Maps image there's
nothing to be seen. But at least a small piece of track still exists.

The buses replacing the Collingwood route were extended via Kew Junction,
forst to Earl St, later to Belford Rd, and then to Burke Rd (where they met
the North Balwyn tram). On 2 July 1961 the MMTB took over bus routes in the
Doncaster-Templestowe area, and extended the North Kew bus route to
Bulleen. The Port Melbourne bus replacing the cable tram was
through-routed to North Kew; it was extended to Garden City, but I don't
know the date. The North Carlton bus ran direct via Rathdowne St into the
city, instead of Lygon St; in the 1950s it was extended via Clifton Hill to
West Heidelberg, and more recently to La Trobe University; that route
partly replaced the Holden St/Brunswick Rd shuttle tram service.

Hal Cain