2025 is a special year for Brisbane Dropcentre tramcar 231, as it marks 100 years since she was built by the Brisbane Tramways Trust as the first "standard" tram for Brisbane.
1925 was also the year that the Brisbane City Council was created and took over from the BTT as the owner of the tram network.
One of the notable things about 231 is that the underframe and bogies were built at Randwick Tramway Workshops in Sydney and then fitted to the locally built body in Brisbane. All other droppies were either built by the BCC or local and interstate contractors.
231 was the first of a total of 191 dropcentres (196 - 386), but not the lowest numbered and they were the mainstay of the fleet until FM (Four Motor) trams started being built at the BCC Tramway Workshops on Coronation Drive in 1938, concurrent with the last batch of droppies.
She remained in service until all remaining dropcentre trams were withdrawn on 1/12/1968 when the Adelaide St routes were abandoned.
It wasn't the end for 231 as she was designated an historical car and was to be handed over to the newly formed Brisbane Tramway Museum Society along with 5 other dropcentres, 5 FM cars and several other historical trams.
While she has been in the Tramway Museums care, she has been stored pending restoration, and a plan was formed several years ago for restoration to the original chocolate brown with gold lining colour scheme, but lack of finances has kept that on hold.
As built 231 had 2 x 60HP (45kW) motors directly controlled by a drum-type controller and resistor grid with braking notches in the reverse direction to the forward control.
Braking was by rheostatic braking which made the motors run as generators with the current fed through the motor speed control resistor bank under the floor, with the final stopping manoeuvre performed by handbrake.
Passenger capacity was 110 with 64 seated.
Unladen weight was 15 tons (15.24 tonnes)
An unusual feature was the bogies as they were a reversed maximum traction type with a large driving wheel and smaller pony wheel which would protrude dramatically on the sharp curves for which Brisbane was noted.
They were the ideal summer car but not so popular in winter or rainy conditions, as the pull-down canvas blinds didn't fully seal the dropcentre section very well, but if you can picture a typical Brisbane summer night, they were perfect with everything open and a constant breeze when moving.
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