On 29/04/2021 19:45, Timothy Strait wrote:
>

>                  Mal the official line from Yarra Trams is that E's

> will start on the 58 later on in the year and the route is to be run

> with only E's & B's.I also understand that a totally new substation

> has been installed on Melville Road near Hope St  on the site of the

> old Hope St bus lines yard,which possibly could lessen the need for

> Reynard St and as all the conduit and other works have already been

> done at Reynard/Melville once a site is chosen it won't take long to

> set up.


The new site has been selected - closer to the tramline - and there is
information about the site and design at:

https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/hdp.au.prod.app.vic-engage.files/6616/1896/8729/Reynard_Street_community_update_April_2021_WEB.pdf

or https://tinyurl.com/uzwh66zy

That information says that it won't be in service until mid 2023 - so it
looks like they reckon they can get by with current power (including the
new sub near Hope St) until then.

There's a report on that new sub on TDU at: https://tdu.to/m/274825

That new sub - and the one in the reserve between Brunswick Rd and Park
St are partly 'new power' and partly replacements for the
de-commissioned sub at West Brunswick.

There's a good article about all this in Melbourne Tram Museum's
Bellcord magazine at:
http://www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/downloads/bellcord/bc-048.pdf

> Regarding the new depot site, is the Plastic Plumbing site still

> vacant? Also is there any progress on the upgrade works at Bwk,maybe

> this will be the new depot....

>

The old PPS site now has a tenant - a furniture show room.

Brunswick works seem to be only about the new car park under the railway
viaduct so far.  It's in the wrong place to provide extra trams for
route 58 and 59, but if Brunswick took total responsibility for 6 then
Malvern would have a bit of space to perhaps support 58.

Mal Rowe - who reckons any self respecting Melbourne tram fan needs to
read MTM's marvellous "Bellcord" cover top cover