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A century of electric trams - A Melbourne celebration

The Centenary Art Tram

The Centenary Art Tram has been designed by Millimetre for Yarra Trams and Siemens.

Background

Many different trams have transported Melburnians around the suburbs and city over the past 100 years.
In searching for a design for a commemorative tram, iconic images came to mind such as the Victorian era, the 1st and 2nd World Wars, the restaurant tram and more recently the slick state-of-the-art Combino that graces our city streets.

The Brief

To look to the past but also look to the present. With this in mind, Millimetre explored a variety of ideas that would capture the imagination of the general public. Period costume, imagery from different eras combined with architectural elements, fashion, culture and sport.

The exploration

Various designs were explored, some expressive, some historical, some narrative in imagery. Different mediums were considered for the treatment of the creative.

Our solution

The design naturally unfolded to its present representation and solution.

Millimetre was able to draw on the history, periods and designs from the past to create a contemporary representation of many of the elements that instill fondness for trams.
Most of us have a memory of trams that brings an inner smile.

By using primary colors, tonal drop out and cropping the imagery, Millimetre utilised the entire space to contemporise the look and feel of the “tram canvas” - harking from the past but looking towards the future.

We hope you enjoy the solution as much as we did in creating it.

V Class	HTT Class	W1 Class
The first trams in this class were built in 1906 for the North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Company.	17 of these trams were built between 1916 and 1918 for the Hawthorn Tramways Trust.	The Melbourne Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) built six of these as single truck saloons.
Y1 Class	W Class	City Circle
Four of these trams were built for tourist operation in 1930. They featured concertina folding doors and mainly operated in the north eastern suburbs.	The W Class was built from 1939 and operated along Elizabeth Street on the North Coburg line.	Some of our heritage W Class trams now operate the City Circle service.
Z Class	A Class	B Class
230 of these trams were built by Comeng, a manufacturing company in Dandenong between 1975 and 1984.	70 A Class trams were also built by Comeng, between 1984 and 1987, and offered improved passenger comfort.	The B Class trams are used for longer routes with high passenger volumes.
Citadis	Combino
The CItadis was the first low floor tram in the fleet. They operate on route 109 (Port Melbourne - Box Hill).	The Yarra trams fleet of low floor trams continued to expand from late 2002 when 59 Siemens Combino trams were introduced to Melbourne.