Melbourne Cable Tramways – Macmeikan & Pollock Reports

Permanent Way

MTOC in its system operated 88.32 miles of track, with the Clifton Hill to Northcote & Preston Tramway Company operating another 4.50 miles of track.

Route Operated	Route Length (miles)	Date opened for traffic	Track Miles
			For Route	To Companion Route
Richmond & Spencer St	3.605	11 Nov 1885	7.21	–
Fitzroy & Spencer St	3.695	2 Oct 1886	7.39	–
Victoria St & Spencer St	3.605	23 Nov 1886	–	4.11
Clifton Hill & Spencer St	3.795	10 Aug 1887	7.59	–
Nicholson St & Spencer St	3.345	26 Aug 1887	–	3.53
Brunswick & Flinders St	4.450	1 Oct 1887	8.90	–
Carlton & Flinders St	3.215	21 Dec 1887	6.43	–
Brighton Rd & Queensberry St	5.000	11 Oct 1888	–	9.40
Prahran & Flinders St	4.930	26 Oct 1888	–	7.20
North Carlton & Flinders St	2.715	9 Feb 1889	–	2.48
Toorak & Queensberry St	4.950	15 Feb 1889	–	2.70
North Melbourne & Flinders St	2.915	3 Mar 1890	–	4.61
West Melbourne & Flinders St	2.050	18 Apr 1890	–	3.53
South Melbourne & Spring St	3.600	17 Jun 1890	–	5.68
Port Melbourne & Spring St	3.535	17 Jun 1890	–	3.70
Windsor & St Kilda Beach (Esplanade)	1.945	27 Nov 1890	–	3.89
St Kilda Beach (Esplanade) & Flinders St	4.525	27 Nov 1890	–	–
			37.52	50.80
		Total MTOC Track Miles		88.32
Northcote & Clifton Hill	2.250	18 Feb 1890	4.50
		Total Melbourne Track Miles		92.82

The permanent way design as originally adopted gave very satisfactory service, but there were some issues. For example, after the lines were constructed it was found that a number of items were not thoroughly standardised, so this required urgent attention. This arose from details not being specified tightly enough to contractors for items such as sheaves, switch points, pulleys, etc, so that there was substantially more variation across the system than was desirable. For example, there were over 100 different sizes of cable pulleys used on the various lines, which after much effort was reduced to 32.

Another problem arose after some time, with the introduction of heavier and faster road vehicles, the cast iron manhole covers (one every 33 feet of straight track) were frequently broken. This trouble rapidly increased, and urgent action had to be undertaken to replace the cast iron covers with covers manufactured from mild steel.

All permanent way curves throughout the system were concentric, the radius of any curve stated being the centre line between tracks. Note that no casement curves were used, trams swinging straight into curves. This lead to the fairly rough motion notorious of Melbourne cable trams entering curves, and the cry of the gripman to passengers of ‘Mind the Curve’.

Radius (feet & inches)	Average Length (feet & inches)	Number of Curves in System
Single Curves
50' 0"	78' 8"	3
55' 0"	85' 8"	1
65' 6"	102' 0"	1
90' 0"	119' 5"	17
100' 0"	86' 2"	5
132' 0"	92' 5"	9
198' 0"	62' 9"	6
264' 0'	74' 1"	28
396' 0"	62' 8"	16
Compound Curves
50' 0" and 65' 6"	84' 8"	2
65' 6" and 80' 0"	115' 9"	2

Permanent Way – Construction

The construction of all permanent way was reasonably standard, the only major variations being in the rail and slot beam sections used. As previously mentioned, however, there was initially significant detail variation in fittings such as pulleys, due to variation between different contractors.

Removing cable tramway in Bridge Road, near Lennox Street, Richmond, 1927.

Photograph courtesy State Library of Victoria.

The gauge was 4' 8½" or standard gauge, with the double tracks at 9' 0" centres. The rails were laid on 6" of concrete and the tunnel constructed of concrete, being 18" inside at the widest part, and 3' 8½" deep from the roadway to the invert of the tunnel. Most of the system was laid in 67 lb rails, with the track in the St Kilda Esplanade being 57 lb rail. The city and Port Melbourne areas (excluding Market & Swanston St) were laid in 87 lb rail.

Man holes were set at every 33 feet to allow lubrication and maintenance of pulleys and drums. Grip hatches, to allow the grips to be extracted from and lowered into tunnels, were placed at suitable locations.

The rope ran 1 3/8" off the slot centre at a depth of 2' 1½" from the roadway. This offset required the use of the side opening Melbourne grip design.

The slot beams were bolted to the yokes to give a 7/8" wide slot. Rails were laid on the concrete bed, and were fastened by tie-rods to the slot beams. Tie-rods were also used to maintain the distance between the rails in the clearway. The pavement used throughout the system was wood blocks, a total of 20,500,000 being used. This ensured that the road surface between the tracks was forgiving on horses’ feet.

Figure 10 shows a typical cross section of one track, to the centre line of the double track. The three sections of rail used are shown in Figure 11. The fishplates used on all sections were 18 inches long, with 4 bolts per pair; bolt spacing being standard at 4 inch centres. Two different sections of slot beams were used to match with the different rail heights, as per Figure 12. The same length fishplates as for rails were used.

Figure 10. Cross-section of cable tunnel and track, displaying yoke and pulley wheel.

From the Macmeikan report.

Figure 11. Profiles of the three weights of grooved rail used in track construction.

From the Macmeikan report.

Figure 12. Profiles of the two heights of slot beams used to line the slot opening.

From the Macmeikan report.

The yokes set in the concrete to form the tunnel and support the slot beams were made of 4" × 4" × 50 lb flat-bottomed rail section as shown in Figure 13, spaced at 3 foot centres along the tunnels of each track.

Figure 13. Cross-section of the yoke, formed from 50 lb flat-bottomed rail. The yoke supported the tunnel sides and slot beams.

From the Macmeikan report.

The road surface between the tracks were top-dressed with distilled tar each year, the tar being distilled by MTOC (and later the M&MTB) from crude tar pumped direct from the Gas Works to the MTOC distilling plant in the Flinders St extension. Average usage of material for road surfacing for 1915-16 and 1916-17 was:

• Boiled tar per square yard of double track: 0.195 imperial gallons.
• Sand per chain (66 feet): 0.45 cubic yards
• Man hours per chain (66 feet): 4.35 hours.

The tunnels of certain lines were subject to flooding in heavy rain, and both South Melbourne & Port Melbourne lines were affected by high tides and west winds. Under such conditions in Queens Bridge St and City Road the water would quite often be over the rope and at times within a few inches of the roadway. When this occurred, which was all too frequent, the road would have to be re-greased as soon as the water subsided.

There were occasions when this was exacerbated by unseasonably heavy rains. At such times water has been to within a foot of the engine house floor at South Melbourne. All low lying pits and tunnels were flooded, and driver, tension wheels, 12 foot sheaves, etc, would all be running in or under water, with the result that the engines had to run slow until the water could be pumped out. There were two pumps for this purpose at South Melbourne engine house.

Cable tramway under construction at the corner of City Road and Clarendon Street, South Melbourne, 1890. The pit in the left foreground shows the mounting for the large sheave, yet to be installed, used to direct the cable around the junction from City Road into Clarendon Street. As this junction is on level ground, a ‘pull curve’ was not installed and tramcars relied on momentum to traverse the curve into and out of City Road.

Photograph from the collection of J. Cranston.

Some other pits were difficult or impossible to drain; these were fitted with a pump operated from an eccentric bolted on to the angle or terminal sheave. When it was necessary to pump out the pit, a connecting rod was dropped over the pin from the roadway. One such pump was located at Bay and Beach Streets, Port Melbourne.

As previously mentioned, the curves in the cable system were all concentric, and the radius taken to the centre line between tracks. All the lower radius curves had the inner rails of each track fitted with guard plates, as per Figure 14. The guard plates commenced before the tangent point (TP) of the curve was reached, and carried around beyond the TP at the trailing end of the curve.

Figure 14. Cross-section of rail fitted with guard plate, as used on curves.

From the Macmeikan report.

At the commencement of the guard plate the lip of the rail was planed off to ¾" from the running edge and then increased to the desired maximum width of groove for the curve, after which it was reduced back to the ¾" width at the other end of the curve. The guard plate was also fitted to give the desired height above the head of the rail to suit location and speed of trams.

Examining Figure 14, the guard plate (A) is fitted to the rail, with the cast iron spacing block (B) packing it out to the desired width of groove (C). The spacing blocks (B) were cast in thicknesses of from 3/8" to 1¼" in 1/8" steps. This provided for the guard plate being packed out gradually to the desired width of curve and reduced again on the other end of the curve. The guard plate, which was 5 3/8" high by 3/8" thick, was reversible, the section allowing for double wear, it being slightly tapered as indicated at (D). The height of the guard plate (A) was above the top of the lip of the rail (E) at its commencement and rounded as shown at (F).

Bolts were used at each spacing block, bolting the guard plate, spacing block and rail together. Spacing blocks were at 2 to 3 foot centres. Tie rods passed only through the rail and guard plate, not through spacing blocks, which were not continuous. The rubbing bar used at curves for the grips was constructed of 3" × 3" × 1/8" angle steel in suitable lengths for their installation. A lead on for the grip was provided, and the general construction was as per Figure 15. The fishplates were made of 2½" × 2½" × 1/8 " angle steel, curved and ground to fit inside the rubbing bar angle. Countersunk fish bolts were used on the running face and ordinary hex bolts on the horizontal. The rubbing bar joint was made as per Figure 15 by cutting the rubbing bar at a 45 degree angle. It will be observed that the joint presents a smooth run for the grip off one length of bar and onto the next even if the joint becomes faulty.

Figure 15. Cross-section of rubbing bar used to guide cable around curves.

From the Macmeikan report.

Cable line pulleys were employed every 33 feet of straight track to support the cable in the tunnel. Manholes were placed at these locations so that lubrication and maintenance of the pulleys could occur. Where these manholes existed, as shown in Figure 10, a square recess was concreted as per the cross section. Elsewhere, the tunnel profile on both sides was the same as shown on the side opposite to the manhole recess.

Permanent Way – Operation

The permanent way operation was under the supervision of the engine house superintendents, each engine house being accountable for that section driven by cables from that engine house.

The operation of the tracks and tunnel equipment was regularly inspected. Curves were greased as a general practice, especially in places where the cable was thrown out of the grip and the tram operated on momentum for any distance on an up grade. These conditions existed at the corner of Chapel St and Toorak Rd, where the cable was thrown out of the grip in Chapel Street, and the tram ran around the curve on to an up grade to the pick-up mark in Toorak Rd. When a north wind was blowing, and this curve became dirty with grit and dust, men were employed to uncouple and push the dummy, then the trailer car, around the curve, and re-couple the tram set. Clearly this created an unacceptable expense to continuing operations.

About 1924 an easement curve was designed and manufactured at the repair shops after observing the following design limitations:

• The slot had to remain in the existing position.
• The rails were not to deviate more than 2½" from their current position.

After this curve was installed one Saturday night, the gripman on the first tram to use this new easement curve was instructed to approach the curve at under half speed. This was carried out, and the tram easily ran around to the pick-up point; the men previously used to manhandle the tram around the curve in adverse conditions were no longer to be required.

The installation of this curve was a complete success, and no difficulties were ever encountered with its operation. However, this was the only easement curve ever used in the Melbourne system.

As Melbourne cable trams operated in two-car ‘trains’ with the dummy always leading, shunting of the trams had to be carried out at termini. This was achieved using a technique known as ‘fly shunting’. The exact method and track layout used depended on whether the terminus was located on level ground, an up grade or on a down grade.

The method used on level ground is illustrated at Figure 16:

Figure 16. Diagram showing stages of dummy & trailer shunting at terminus.

From the Macmeikan report.

1. As the cable tram set approaches the terminus, the conductor withdraws the coupling pin, freeing the dummy from the trailer car.
2. The conductor slows the trailer car by light application of the brakes, using the gooseneck lever on the front platform of the trailer car.
3. The gripman throws the rope.
4. The grip strikes a kicker bar in the tunnel which wets the points for the curve, so it can pass onto to the other track.
5. The grip strikes another kicker bar in the tunnel, which resets the points for the straight for the following trailer car, and resets the first kicker bar to the original position.
6. The gripman slows the dummy by light application of the brakes, allowing the trailer car to overtake the dummy.
7. The trailer car runs through the curve on the second set of points on to the other track, and is stopped by the conductor ready for coupling to the dummy.
8. The dummy eases down to the trailer car and the conductor re-couples the trailer to the dummy.
9. A hand pick-up is used to replace the rope in the grip, and the tram is ready to proceed. The whole exercise would be completed in about 30 seconds.

Where the terminus was on a gradient, a different procedure was required as illustrated by Figure 17.

Figure 17. Shunting dummy & trailer at terminus on down-grade or up-grade.

From the Macmeikan report.

When the terminus was on a steep up gradient, such as in Market St for Port and South Melbourne trams after the conversion of Collins St to electric operation, the procedure at diagram A was used. As the tram traveled past position X, the conductor withdrew the coupling pin, allowing the dummy to reach position Y without the trailer car. Meanwhile, the conductor stops the trailer at position Z. The gripman then releases the dummy brakes, allowing it to roll down to the cable pick-up point. The conductor then releases the brakes on the trailer car, which then rolls back down to pick-up point, where the cars are coupled back together.

Where the up grade was not as severe, the procedure as per diagram B in Figure 17 was followed. The same basic principle was followed as for diagram A, with the exception that the dummy picked up the cable at position Y. It then by itself was driven past the cross-over, when the trailer car was rolled back down the hill and over the crossover to couple with the dummy.

The track arrangement for termini was simpler on down gradients. Here again, the coupling pin was withdrawn at position X, the dummy running over the turnout to position Y, where the cable was picked up. Meanwhile, the conductor held the trailer car at position Z, and the gripman drove the dummy up to position Y2. The conductor then released the brakes on the trailer car, and allowed to roll down to position Y. The gripman then released the brakes, and allowed the dummy to roll back on to the trailer car at position Y, where the two cars were re-coupled.

In many places, crossovers were installed in order that shunting of trams could be managed in cases of emergency. At these shunts, grip hatches were placed in each track, so that the grip could be lifted out of the tunnel on one track and lowered into the tunnel of the other track. This arrangement enabled the dummy to be shunted on a car crossover and thus avoid the expensive installation of dummy crossovers.

Other stations where grip hatches were installed included places adjacent to tramway junctions or intersections, in order that the grip could be lifted out of the tunnel in the case of any emergency.

In order to prevent undue wear to the grip, the slot opening between slot beams had to be maintained at 7/8". This was illustrated on one occasion of a fire in Chapel St near Greville St one Sunday morning. The water from the fire hoses, together with the heat of the file, swelled the wood blocks between the rails in Chapel St and entirely closed the slot. This prevented all traffic until late that afternoon, as the blocks had to be removed to allow the slot to resume its normal width.

At locations where it was necessary to throw the rope and pick-up of a new one without stopping, slot deviations were used to move the grid across about 2 inches, which automatically guided the jaws of the grip around the new cable.

Dummy heads were in operation where the slot branched, as at a junction or crossover. The dummy heads were very substantial and were provided with a slot tongue, which operated between the two top plates of the dummy head and closed the slot of one track where the slots divided. The point mechanism was connected with the slot tongue and manually operated where facing points existed. When trailing, the points and slot tongue were operated by the wheels and grip.

Rubbing bars were in operation on all curves where the cable was carried around the curve in the grip. The spacing of curve drums depended on the radius of the curve, the greater the radius the greater the distance between drums. When rounding the curve the grip carrying the cable pressed hard against the rubbing bar. This pressure was taken on the grip top die holder or the back guard depending upon which way the curve turned in relation to the opening of the grip. The only reason for the back guard was to take this pressure on the grip, as it provided a face on the opposite side of the corresponding to the top die holder.

Permanent Way – Maintenance

The maintenance of permanent way together with all tunnel and underground equipment was carried out by the engine-house staff, under the direction of the superintendent of the northern or southern section of the system, depending on location.

Cable tramway under construction in Clarendon Street, South Melbourne, 1890, with one of the MTOC horse omnibuses soon to be replaced by cable trams in view.

Photograph courtesy City of Port Phillip.

Regular maintenance work included the following:

• Maintenance of road surfaces, such as wood blocking, rail levels & joints, and slot opening;
• Cleaning of grip hatches, switch points and stop marks;
• Lubrication of pulleys, sheaves, pickups and point mechanisms;
• Sweeping dirt out of the rail grooves on curves;
• Greasing curves and special work;
• Replacement of worn or broken equipment.

Any replacement work considered necessary was ordered for manufacture at the repair shops, if it was not already in stock. Installation of all replacement work was performed by permanent way gangs under the supervision of the relevant superintendent.

The tarring and sanding of all wood blocking was carried out on all lines on an annual basis, during summer.

The grooves on straight track were regularly cleaned by scraper cars. Tunnels were maintained in a clean condition by the use of tunnel tools, which were scrapers with blades shaped to the tunnel. These were let down the slot and drawn along from man hole to man hole. At each man hole, the dirt was removed from the man hole by the use of a rectangular scoop.