The historic streetcars can be powerful promotional tools. The Australian Tourist Board got great mileage out of a "Say G’Day" promotion they ran featuring the Melbourne tram and pop icon Olivia Newton-John (highlighted in front door).

In 1919, Melbourne consolidated its competing electric tram and cable car operations into the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (M&MTB). The cable cars soon disappeared in favor of more tram lines, and Melbourne began building trams in its own shop to its own design. This design, basically the reverse of San Francisco's 'California' design, featured closed sections, called "saloons", at both ends, with the lowered section for boarding and alighting placed in the middle (called a "drop-centre" section). This also served as the smoking section.

More than 750 trams were built to this general design between 1923 and 1956, most of them in the M&MTB shops, but some from other carbuilders as well. Muni's historic fleet has an example of each, essentially identical except for the builder. Both are of the W-2 class, the most numerous of eight groups of W-class cars of this design.

Tram No. 496 was built by the Moore firm in 1929, one of 35 W-2 cars built by that firm. It still wears its original green and cream livery (earlier cars were painted chocolate and cream). Tram No. 586 was built in 1930, one of 145 trams homebuilt in the M&MTB shops. (The shops also converted hundreds of earlier W and W-1 designs to W-2 trams, making a total of 406 W-2s.)

In the late 1970s, modern trams finally began replacing the old W classes. In 1984, W-2 class trams Nos. 496 and 586 retired after more than a half-century of reliable service.

Muni purchased them for the popular Historic Trolley Festival, No. 496 for immediate service, No. 586 as a spare. The tram's smooth ride made it an immediate hit in San Francisco. With volunteer help from Market Street Railway, No. 496 has been cosmetically restored and made wheelchair-accessible. Otherwise, it’s unchanged from its 57 years of service in Australia. Tram No. 586 awaits restoration.

W-2 trams have proven their worth in other overseas operations as well. They are the exclusive fleet of Seattle's waterfront #99 line. They also provide service on vintage operations in Memphis, Dallas, Duluth, and San Jose, and served for a time on the Riverfront line in New Orleans.

Today, partly inspired by these overseas operations, Melbourne has its own heritage tram line, a loop around the downtown area, served by restored W-class trams. Further export of retired vintage Melbourne trams has been embargoed by the Victoria state government.