Restoring W3 663

Decades of open-air storage left W3 663 with a failing roof — the wound that eventually shaped its whole restoration. This page retells the major campaign of 2009–2010, when the car went to Bendigo for structural surgery.

Why the Roof

When 663 arrived at Haddon in 1976 the carbarn did not yet exist, and the tram stood outside while it was built. Timber-roofed trams tolerate that badly; water finds the plywood, and deterioration compounds quietly for years. By the 2000s the roof structure was the car’s defining problem.

The Bendigo Campaign

In October 2009, with support from members and friends, 663 was loaded and trucked from Haddon to the Bendigo Tramways depot — a working heritage workshop with the skills and space for major body work — initially so the job could be accurately assessed and quoted. Before departure, volunteers stripped seats, handrails and interior fittings so they could be refurbished at Haddon in parallel with the roof work in Bendigo.

Early investigation asked whether the roof could be patched. The answer was no: the honest course was to remove and replace all of the plywood. That decision paid an unexpected dividend — with the plywood off, the roof ribs could be properly scraped clean of the textured ‘Colorflek’ finish that had been painted over the original varnished timber during a 1960s refurbishment fashion that few now mourn.

Through early 2010 the work advanced steadily: plywood fully replaced by the new year, the roof exterior sealed, and the interior ceiling returned to varnished timber — a finish so striking it made observers wonder how anyone ever thought painting over it was an improvement. By April 2010 the exterior had been repainted and windows refitted, with floors finished in the traditional scheme — red in the saloons, grey with green under the seats in the dropcentre.

The Long Tail of a Restoration

Like most volunteer projects, 663’s restoration then entered the phase that never makes headlines: seat refurbishment, internal fittings, and the wait for funds to finish properly rather than quickly. Work on the car has continued at Haddon as time and resources allow, alongside the parallel projects on SW5 849 and later W5 792.

When complete, 663 is planned to carry the lighter green MMTB scheme of the 1930s — making it a livery reference for its era as well as a working tram. Full technical details are on 663’s tramcar page.