J - Hearse Van


The J vans were recoded from _C__ vans in 1910. The small four wheel vans, J 1 to 6, were rebuilt onto six wheel underframes and became J 7 to 10.

Traffic was from the Mortuary Dock, Batman Ave to the Cemetaries at Springvale and Faulkner.

With electrification in 1919, this service was provided by swing door electric _M__ and _D__ cars with a J van in the middle. The J vans were fitted with electric cable connections in 1921 and ran until 1943 when traffic quietly "died". Until 1943, the vans were averaging 2000 mile per year; about 100 trips per year on the 20-30 mile round journey(s).

The vans were withdrawn in 1949, the electric cable gear removed and the vans scrapped or sold in 1953.

In 1990, the Faulkner Cemetery restored a J using bodies found at Romsey and an underframe purchased from the railways. The van was restored to "cosmetic" accuracy and numbered "7", though the body number was never known.

Vehicle history list