Melbourne’s tram system is the largest worldwide, being an outlier in Australia and much of the English-speaking or even the western world. It’s one of very few significantly sized tram systems to have survived almost untouched to the present day. So why did Melbourne’s tram network survive when so many others didn’t?

Sources:
The main source for the video is this Melbourne Tram Museum article: https://www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/... (The Sir Robert Risson era: an enduring legacy;
Graeme Turnbull, 2001)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
Images of East Burwood extension: https://www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/...
Map of Sydney's tram network: http://www.tundria.com/trams/AUS/Sydn...
Several images from Sydney Tramway Museum "Trolley Wire" Magazine: https://www.sydneytramwaymuseum.com.a...

Video Sources:
Footage of trams on Victoria Parade taken with ‪@viathealtonaloop‬ and own work
Footage credited ‪@SydneyTramwayMuseum‬:    • Shooting Through - Chapter 1 - Early ...   (Shooting Through: Memories of the Great Days of Trams in Sydney and Newcastle)
Footage of trams in Amsterdam: own work
Footage credited ‪@nfsaaust‬:    • Life in Australia: Melbourne   (Life in Australia: Melbourne, 1966)
Footage credited ‪@reidgck‬:    • Brisbane Trams in the 1960s   (Brisbane Trams in the 1960s)
Footage credited British Pathé:    • The Trams Of Brisbane (1967)   (The Trams of Brisbane, 1967)
Footage of Melbourne trams from 04:26:    • Melbourne Trams 1960's and Ballarat T...   (Melbourne Trams 1960's and Ballarat Trams 1960's)
Footage credited ‪@tressteleg1‬:    • Melbourne Trams 1965 - 1983. Silent M...   (Melbourne Trams 1965-1983)
Citizen Tram Film:    • "Citizen Tram" (1960s MMTB Film)   (MMTB, 1966)

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