Essendon tram depot
 The depot, viewed from the southern gate, 2013 | |
 Interactive map of Essendon tram depot | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mount Alexander Road, Travancore, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°46′44″S 144°55′53″E / 37.7789°S 144.9313°E |
| Characteristics | |
| Owner | VicTrack |
| Operator | Yarra Trams |
| Roads | 24 (18 in shed, 6 outside) |
| Rolling stock | 31 B2 Class 24 Z3 Class 1 G Class |
| Routes served | 57, 58 (shared with Southbank), 59, 82 |
| History | |
| Opened | 11 October 1906 |
| Original | North Melbourne Electric Tramway & Lighting Company |
The Essendon tram depot is a tram depot located on Mount Alexander Road, Travancore, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Yarra Trams, it is one of eight tram depots on the Melbourne tram network. Despite the name, the depot is located three kilometres (two miles) from the suburb of Essendon.
History
[edit]The Essendon tram depot was opened on 11 October 1906 by the North Melbourne Electric Tramway & Lighting Company[1] to serve its lines through Essendon and Maribyrnong.[2] Its functions were assumed by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board on 1 August 1922.[3] When the Public Transport Corporation was privatised in August 1999, the Essendon depot passed to M>Tram.[4][5] It passed to Yarra Trams when it took control of the entire tram network in April 2004.[6]
Layout
[edit]Essendon depot has 24 roads, 18 of which are covered in three sheds, the remaining six are in the open to the north of the sheds. It has access from Mount Alexander Road in both directions, and also features facilities for heavy maintenance.[4]
Rolling stock
[edit]As of June 2026[update], the depot had an allocation of 55 trams: 31 B2 Class and 24 Z3 Class trams.[4]
Routes
[edit]The following routes are operated from Essendon depot:
: West Maribyrnong to Flinders Street Station[7]
: West Coburg to Toorak shared with Southbank depot
: Airport West to Flinders Street Station[8]
: Moonee Ponds Junction to Footscray[9]
Heritage curtail
[edit]
The tram depot was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 24 October 1996 in recognition of its historic and architectural importance.[2]
The gable roofed car shed, designed by Ussher and Kemp architects, and built by George Meyer of Ascot Vale, is the only extant part of the original depot. After the Essendon tramway was taken over by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board in 1922 a saw tooth roof extension to the original car shed, constructed by Thompson & Chalmers Pty Ltd, was made in 1924, and an overhead tower wagon shed was erected by Massey & Sons. A further extension to the car shed was built by McDougall & Ireland in 1941-42, and the two storey brick office building, erected by E. A. Watts, was added in 1944.[2]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Melbourne's Electric Trams". Trolley Wire (307): 11. November 2006.
- 1 2 3 "Victorian Tramway Depot, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H1215, Heritage Overlay HO141". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Victoria's Tramway Heritage". Trolley Wire (159): 14. August 1975.
- 1 2 3 "Essendon Depot". Vicsig. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
- ↑ "Swanston Trams". Trolley Wire (279): 25. November 1999.
- ↑ "Some facts about the new Melbourne tram network". Yarra Trams. 19 February 2004. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018.
- ↑ "Route 57". Yarra Trams. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
- ↑ "Route 59". Yarra Trams. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
- ↑ "Route 82". Yarra Trams. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Essendon tram depot at Wikimedia Commons
- 1906 establishments in Australia
- Buildings and structures in the City of Moonee Valley
- Edwardian architecture in Australia
- Essendon, Victoria
- Federation Free Classical architecture in Victoria (state)
- Places on the Victorian Heritage Register in the City of Moonee Valley
- Tram depots in Melbourne
- Transport in the City of Moonee Valley
- Transport infrastructure completed in 1906
