Finding funds for ‘unique’ tram restoration

THE Ballarat Tramway Museum is seeking financial backing to pay for the restoration of a Melbourne Transporting Art tram in its collection.

W Class tram 504 was painted by the late Archibald Prize winning portrait artist, Clifton Pugh in 1978, featuring magpies and hawks; a nod to the old Collingwood and Hawthorn routes it travelled.

Tram enthusiast, John Whiting is a member of the BTM board. He said 504 is faded and corroded, running for eight years before sitting in storage for over three decades.

“We’ve been in touch with the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne, who do assessments of historic pieces of art in need of restoration,” he said.

“They’ve come and had a thorough look at the tram, giving us a detailed assessment. We’ve approached several artists, thus far, who have expressed interest in restoring the artwork, and they’ve given quotes.

“We’re at the point where we’d love to restore and operate the niche piece of Melbourne’s tramway history and identity, so we’re now looking for philanthropic or private funding to restore the artwork, piece the tram back together ourselves, and make it a unique feature for the Museum.”

A popular creative, Pugh wasn’t just a contributor to the Transporting Art project, he got the wheels rolling.

“During the mid-70s, there was a party he attended with his then wife, Judith Pugh, who’s supporting our project,” Mr Whiting said.

“He suggested to Irvin Rockman, the lord mayor of Melbourne, that something should be done to brighten up streets and that they could paint a handful of trams. Rockman took it to Rupert Hamer, the premier, and it went from there.”

The late Mirka Mora was commissioned to paint the first tram for the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board, before Pugh completed the second, with help from apprentices, Zsuzsi Korchma, Wayne Sibbing, Craig Roach and T Glew.

Their names are signed over an illustration of a rock on one of the tram’s side corners. Sixteen Transporting Art works were on the move by 1982.

Pugh’s purple and grey tram, with black, white and brown details, was withdrawn from service after a 1986 collision with a car, and put into storage at Preston Workshops.

“A part of it had to be pulled apart and replaced with parts from another tram, so at the moment, there’s a funny bit at one end of the tram that has been pieced together with bits and pieces of another,” Mr Whiting said.

As a “favour to the state government,” BTM offered to store the tram. Seeing its value and potential, it has since become an official asset of the Museum.

“No one has restored a Melbourne art tram yet; this will be a first. We love the fact that we have the second ever art tram and the one that instigated this whole movement,” Mr Whiting said.

New art trams rolled onto Melbourne tracks seven years ago. Excluding this year, artists have designed vinyl wraps for the city’s 21st century transport, rather than painting directly on the surfaces, ever since.

Contact Mr Whiting to contribute to the project financially via [email protected].