Melbourne Tram Museum news

Trams on location for Pacific War mini-series (2 February 2008)

On Saturday 2 February 2008, two of Melbourne’s W class trams helped to turn back the clock 65 years. The filming of the ten hour HBO mini-series, The Pacific, saw Flinders Street closed off to the public between Swanston and Queen Streets for 35 hours, recreating war-time Melbourne as it was in February 1943. Filming had already been underway for five months, starting in northern Queensland and moving in November 2007 to Docklands studio and other locations around Melbourne.

Some tram interior scenes were filmed inside a purpose built studio located at Newport Workshops during January 2008.

The trams used were W2 510 from the collection at Hawthorn Depot, and W3 667 from the Tramway Museum Society of Victoria.

The mini-series is scheduled to screen on Channel 7 during 2009.

Planning the next scene. Photograph courtesy Russell Jones. Planning the next scene – tram crews take a short break in filming outside Flinders Street Station.
Photograph courtesy Russell Jones.