A historic tram that has been brought "back to life" is open to ride and experience at the Ballarat Tramways Museum this weekend.
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Museum assistant operations manager Neville Britton said he was excited to see the restored tram, built for Geelong tramways in 1911, back on tracks.
"To have it available to be used and operated is quite significant, not only in Victorian tramway history but Australian tramway history," he said.
The tram was last operated in 1956 when it was sold to a farmer on the Bellarine Peninsula where it was used for storage, until it was sold on to Canberra businessman Warrington Cameron in 1991.
Restored in a "stop-start" process over the following 28 years, 'Tram No. 2' was the last existing vehicle of a group of seven trams built together.
"Warrington has done most of the body work on it, and it's absolutely magnificent, but he also had to acquire pieces of the tram that were missing, so he had other people who helped him on the journey," Mr Britton said.
Specialists over the years included Bendigo Tramways mechanical restorers to return the tram to operable condition, recasting brass fittings and electrically rewiring the vehicle.
Council of Tramways Museums Australasia vice president Rod Atkins said that this style of tram did not run anywhere else in Australia was significant.
"This tram was there on day one when the system opened and it was there on closing day, it went the full length of the life of the system in Geelong from 1912 right through to 1956," he said.
"It's not just about the tram car, it's about the tram systems as well, and the people that were involved with those systems and all the tram systems that contributed to their communities."
Gifted to the Ballarat Tramways Museum by Warrington Cameron, the open-sided tram's operations are weather dependent.
Mr Britton said this was one of few chances to experience the tram before it was housed in the museum's new display hall over the cooler months.
"In a lot of places you can look at some of this stuff in museums, you might even be allowed to touch it," he said.
"To be able to experience an over 100-year-old vehicle as it was basically originally built running along a tramway that's been there since 1887 is probably one of the best heritage experiences you can get."
Fares are $5 for adults and $2 for school aged children, with rides departing from the Tramway Museum on Sunday 6 February from 2pm to 5:30pm.
For ticketing and further information visit www.btm.org.au.
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