Melbourne's A Class Trams

The A1 Class

In 1983, the next series of trams for Melbourne, the A1 class, were put into service. Built at Comeng, this class of 28 trams was numbered 231 - 258 and was initially allocated to Kew Depot for use on Route 42 to Mont Albert. Originally fitted with trolley poles, 240 - 258 were fitted with pantographs in 1988, 231 - 239 retaining trolley poles for use on route 78 between Prahran and North Richmond. On conversion of Route 78 to pantograph operation in 1995, 231 - 240 were fitted with pantographs and transferred to Camberwell Depot for use on Route 70 to Wattle Park. These ten trams retained emergency trolley pole bases, but only 234, 237 and 239 actually had emergency poles. These poles were removed in November 1999 after Z3 149 caught fire at the West Maribyrnong ( Route 57) terminus, the cause of the fire being traced to a short circuit in the emergency trolley pole's base.

Apart from pantographs, the A1 class has had few modifications. All trams are fitted with Amplimesh security screens around the drivers' cabin and an advertising panel below the windscreen, while all the A class trams have had their running numbers mounted on the bottom right hand side of the windscreen and a full length advertising panel fitted to the front of the tram. Ticket machines and validators have been fitted to all A class trams. The trams are slowly being painted in the new grey and blue colour scheme by Yarra Trams, the first being A1 246 in March 2000.

The A2 Class.

The only difference between the A1 class and the A2 class is the improved braking system, by Hanning & Kahl of Bielefeldt, Germany. The A2 class introduced the pantograph to Melbourne's tramways and were initially used on the St. Kilda (Route 96) and the Port Melbourne (Route 111) light rail lines until sufficient B2 class trams were delivered. The A2 class then went home to Kew Depot where they remain today. The entire A class from No.242 (except 243, 247 and 291) onwards now operate on the Port Melbourne light rail line as this route was combined with Route 42 to Mont Albert in December 1993 as Route 109 - Port Melbourne to Mont Albert, operated by Yarra Trams Kew depot.The trams that do not operate on the Port Melbourne line operate on Route 70 to Wattle Park operated by Yarra Trams Camberwell Depot.

Listed below is the current status of the A1 and A2 classes.

Click here for a list of A and B1 class tram destinations.

A1 Class.

A1 231  Camberwell Depot. 
A1 232  Camberwell Depot. 
A1 233  Camberwell Depot. 
A1 234  Camberwell Depot. 
A1 235  Camberwell Depot. 
A1 236  Camberwell Depot. 
A1 237  Camberwell Depot.        Ticketmaster.      
A1 238  Camberwell Depot. 
A1 239  Camberwell Depot. 
A1 240  Camberwell Depot.        Impulse Airlines. 
A1 241  Camberwell Depot. 
A1 242  Camberwell Depot.        Yarra Trams blue and grey colour scheme.
A1 243  Camberwell Depot.        "The Age" Car Classifieds.
A1 244  Camberwell Depot.        
A1 245  Kew Depot.        
A1 246  Camberwell Depot.        First tram to be repainted in the new Yarra Trams Blue and grey colour scheme in March 2000.
A1 247  Preston Depot.        
A1 248  Kew Depot.        
A1 249  Kew Depot.        
A1 250  Kew Depot.        
A1 251  Kew Depot.        
A1 252  Kew Depot.        
A1 253  Kew Depot.        
A1 254  Kew Depot.        
A1 255  Preston Depot.        
A1 256  Kew Depot.        
A1 257  Kew Depot.          
A1 258  Kew Depot.

A2 Class

A2 259  Kew Depot.        
A2 260  Kew Depot.        Country Road        
A2 261  Kew Depot.        
A2 262  Kew Depot.        
A2 263  Kew Depot.        
A2 264  Kew Depot.        
A2 265  Kew Depot.        Yarra Trams blue and white colour scheme.
A2 266  Kew Depot.        
A2 267  Kew Depot.        
A2 268  Kew Depot.        
A2 269  Kew Depot.        Accenture       
A2 270  Kew Depot.        
A2 271  Kew Depot.        
A2 272  Kew Depot.        
A2 273  Kew Depot.        
A2 274  Kew Depot.        
A2 275  Kew Depot.        
A2 276  Kew Depot.        
A2 277  Kew Depot.        
A2 278  Kew Depot.        
A2 279  Kew Depot.        
A2 280  Kew Depot.        
A2 281  Kew Depot.        
A2 282  Kew Depot.        
A2 283  Kew Depot.        
A2 284  Kew Depot.        
A2 285  Kew Depot.               
A2 286  Kew Depot.        
A2 287  Kew Depot.        
A2 288  Kew Depot.        Thai Airlines.        
A2 289  Kew Depot.        
A2 290  Kew Depot.        
A2 291  Kew Depot.        Impulse Airlines.
A2 292  Kew Depot.        AMES.
A2 293  Kew Depot.        Chanel perfume
A2 294  Kew Depot.        Accenture.
A2 295  Kew Depot.        CitiBank.
A2 296  Kew Depot.        
A2 297  Kew Depot.        
A2 298  Kew Depot.        
A2 299  Kew Depot.        
A2 300  Kew Depot.

This page of A class trams was last updated on 24th November 2001. Please email me if you have any corrections.

You can email Dave on z_class@yahoo.com

Many thanks to Yao Yao for updates to this page.

Tram Links.

Links to Melbourne's Original Trams.

Trams still in service

Other Tram links.

Swanston and Yarra Trams
Victorian Railways Trams
Links To Australian and Overseas Tram Sites.
Electric Traction on the Net
Dave's Enterprise-ing Pages
Melbourne's Trams To The Millennium
Melbourne's Heritage tram fleet

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