And it was also the few of those older people who saved examples of our beloved trams for future generations to enjoy. Ignorance about trams is also alive and well in younger people, like all those idiot nimbies that come out of the wood work when a tram extension or installation is proposed!Ignorance knows no age limit!!Greg Sent from Samsung tablet.
-------- Original message --------From: Brian bblunt@...> Date: 13/06/2019 12:52 PM (GMT+10:00) To:tramsdownunder@... Subject: Re: [TramsDownUnder] A quiet Saturday - 50 years ago It was many of these older people who, back in the day, lobbied to have trams removed because they "caused congestion" and slowed down their car trips. Brian ----- Original Message -----From:tramsdownunder@...:"tramsdownunder" tramsdownunder@...>Cc:Sent:Thu, 13 Jun 2019 12:26:34 +1000Subject:Re: [TramsDownUnder] A quiet Saturday - 50 years agoNot at all Peter, recollections like yours, Paul's and Greg's are the stuff of the history of the M&MTB - and should NOT be forgotten.   As I zoom back and forth on the 57 during the week, I mentally thank the foresight of those past for these trams which at the time were going to replace our beloved W's but have soldiered on into the 21st century keeping the trams alive in Melbourne.   I'll bet the older people in Brisbane,  stuck in traffic, rue the day that they allowed the authorities to remove this quality transport from their streets.   The younger people are, obviously, oblivious to it all and put up with the traffic.On Thu, 13 Jun 2019 at 10:51, Peter Bruce p1.bruce@...> wrote:An interesting point is that up until the introduction of numbers that could be pinned to the uniform you were required to carry your cap at all times, the cap of course had your number on it. I do realise that recollections like this are only of interest to a few old fuddy-duddies like me and apologies are tendered.Regards to all,Peter Bruce.On Thu, 13 Jun 2019 at 07:08, Paul Nicholson pn1@...> wrote:With reference to Greg's message about joining our beloved MMTB in 1973 as I did in 1974 I guess we can both claim to being part of it all at the end of the traditional era? I regard the introduction of the Zs and the hideous brown uniforms as the turning point.
I was "on the job" from September 1974 to March 1976 when I was "between [career] assignments" and enjoyed every minute of it.
Recently, I caught up with Doug Prosser (known to many on here) and he presented me with my "plate" that used to get inserted in the depot master's roster board each week. Handwritten with name and cap number. Doug hasn't been travelling too well in recent times after suffering an injury on his rural property.
Doug was an instructor during my time at Camberwell and taught me to drive trams. One memorable evening when hardly anyone was around we went from near the Alfred Hospital to Camberwell terminus using (only) the hand brake most of the way!
We are coming up to the 100th anniversary of the MMTB and I guess it will pass largely unnoticed except I do understand it will be commemorated in some way at the tram museum at Hawthorn.
Paul in Melbourne