The Melbourne Tramcar Preservation Association was established 1974 as the Haddon Tramway Workshops. Its first purchase was a former Ballarat tram.[1] It subsequently purchased a number of trams from the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (M&MTB) and one former Victorian Railways tram.[2][3]
A 35 by 14 metres shed was completed in 1979. For a time it also owned an ex M&MTB AEC Regal III and two Leyland OPS1s buses. The Melbourne Tramcar Preservation Association was incorporated in May 1984.[3][4] A 650-metre demonstration track was opened in November 2000.[5]
The museum, which opened to visitors on a regular basis in the late 1990s, allows visitors to see the collection of historic trams as well as have a behind the scenes look at the restoration process. It includes a 650m full-scale track on which operate W class trams that were part of Melbourne's public transportation system. The space is occasionally used for artists who want to encompass tramcars in their work.[6] The museum's first purchase was a former Ballarat tram. It subsequently purchased a number of trams from the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (M&MTB) and one former Victorian Railways tram.[2][3] Six of the museum's eight cars are fully functional, including a restored "rescue car".[7][8][9]
^"Victoria's working museum". Tramways & Urban Transit. The International Light Rail Magazine. 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
