It's actually easy to criticise, but this is a widespread phenomenon that
has affected many museums. Plenty of museums round the world have taken in
trams that have slowly deteriorated into crocks. The AETM, in the years I
remember lost tram 173, an inspector's cabin and a railed horse box, for
example.
Because it's such a widespread problem, I'd hesitate to attribute malice
or incompetence. Rather, imho, there's a few characteristics that keep
cropping up. There's often a tram up for grabs, and if the local museum
doesn't take it, it's lost for good. So, taking it and hoping that maybe it
can be recovered later seems better than immediate destruction. Then, the
correct approach of immediate protection via thick coats of paint for
weather protection is psychologically difficult when covering up nicely
painted trams. It can feel like vandalism to just slap paint over original
linework. Finally, there are some members who are magpies, and just
collect stuff "because they can". Yet, there's no practical chance of it
surviving out in the weather.
Perhaps there's some way of educating museums on this, but it can be a very
touchy subject.
Mark Skinner
On Mon, 15 May 2023, 10:03 am espee8800, espee8800@...> wrote:
> I totally understand the need for plenty of $$$ and sadly some enthusiasts
> don't cough up enough, whereas we pensioners don't have the spare cash to
> donate at all.
>
> I was a "Friend of the Bendigo Trams" until some sort of 'coup' occured
> and the friendly faces at the depot seemed to disappear. Well that is my
> understanding of it all. So no longer do I make sure I get over there as
> regularly as I used to do.
>
> Of course the pandemic put paid to a lot of the normality of the first 20
> years of this century and things are quite different nowadays.
>
> On Mon, 15 May 2023 at 15:37, Andrew Cook d3619@...> wrote:
>
>> Yes, looks like it Mal. W2 442 had a black roof, which the tram I saw
>> didn't. Attached is a happy snap of 442 (restaurant tram 01) at the Bendigo
>> Gasworks on 23 September, 2016.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Snoop-dog Cook 😎.
>> ------------------------------
>> *From:*tramsdownunder@... tramsdownunder@...>
>> on behalf of Mal Rowe mal.rowe@...>
>> *Sent:* Monday, 15 May 2023 3:01 PM
>> *To:*tramsdownunder@... tramsdownunder@...>
>> *Subject:* Re: [TramsDownUnder] Bendigo treasures
>>
>>
>>
>> On 15/05/2023 14:15, Andrew Cook wrote:
>>
>> Also, I reckon I saw former Melbourne restaurant tram W2 442 running down
>> McCrae Street, Bendigo, a few weeks ago. I must do a check on that
>> soon—street observation is free,
>>
>>
>> I reckon you saw a tram in red numbered 258 (pic attached).
>>
>> It still carries the number given to it when it was leased to the
>> Auckland Dockline tramway. See: https://tdu.to/i/29168
>>
>> Real number is 421 (I think!)
>>
>>
>> I'm pretty sure 442 was scrapped - it was in very poor condition before
>> it left Melbourne.
>>
>>
>> Mal Rowe - planning another visit to the Dockline Tramway in October
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>> "TramsDownUnder" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
>> email totramsdownunder+unsubscribe@....
>> To view this discussion on the web visit
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/ef35a7bc-dfe5-c579-481c-97cdc4a782bc%40gmail.com
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/ef35a7bc-dfe5-c579-481c-97cdc4a782bc%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer
>> .
>>
>> --
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>> "TramsDownUnder" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
>> email totramsdownunder+unsubscribe@....
>> To view this discussion on the web visit
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/OSZP286MB2128E5A24D05AF753A91C99B9C789%40OSZP286MB2128.JPNP286.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/OSZP286MB2128E5A24D05AF753A91C99B9C789%40OSZP286MB2128.JPNP286.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer
>> .
>>
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> *cheers and best wishes,David in Avenel.au, [Before you change
> anything, learn why it is the way it is.]*
>
>
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "TramsDownUnder" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email totramsdownunder+unsubscribe@....
> To view this discussion on the web visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/CAGmZ6yNC%2B0%2B2qAACiRm3VhCgHOga%3DzMRoBNCWV8K9ktap_AKBg%40mail.gmail.com
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/CAGmZ6yNC%2B0%2B2qAACiRm3VhCgHOga%3DzMRoBNCWV8K9ktap_AKBg%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer
> .
>