Tail ends

[Mal Rowe]

A dozen of us had some great discussions over dinner for TDU people last
night .

Four visitors from Sydney were there and it occurred to me later that if
NSW folk refer to people south of the border as "Mexicans", perhaps we
should return the favour by calling them "Americans".

Would that be too much?   (Just joking!)

Mal Rowe who, at the tail end of the night, grabbed a snap of the 'tail
end' of Melbourne's Z class trams.

[Geoff Olsen]

"Would that be too much?" Taking into account the current world situation I would be inclined to reply in the affirmative:-)

Geoff o.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TramsDownUnder" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tramsdownunde...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/d6780e22-a7b7-4847-a647-96509cb22019%40gmail.com.

[TP]

Never heard the term Mexicans used in NSW. I hear everybody here typically call you Victorians. Do Victorians call themselves Mexicans?

Tony P

[espee8800]

No

On Fri, 17 Apr 2026 at 17:23, 'TP' via TramsDownUnder <tramsdo...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Do Victorians call themselves Mexicans?

Tony P

--

cheers and best wishes,
David in Avenel.au,    
[Before you change anything, learn why it is the way it is.]

[David McLoughlin]

Tony P wrote:

>  Never heard the term Mexicans used in NSW. I hear everybody here typically call you Victorians. Do Victorians call themselves Mexicans?

Language is so interesting.  Despite living in NZ, I understand the term "Mexicans" as a term applying to Victorians as seen from NSW. This slang dictionary has references: 

https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/roe5huy

When I visit Germany, a place I am very fond of, I always note how trams are called "trams" in both Berlin and  München,  but almost everywhere in between  (and in places such as Wien) they are called Strassenbahnen (street railways).  My German friends have been unable to explain this odd difference, and friends who don't live in Berlin have been surprised to learn from me that their  Straßenbahnen are "trams" in Berlin, even doubting me till I produce my photos showing proof.

Attached a photo I took of an advert in a Berlin tram for women tram drivers  (Tramfahrerin  -- the "in" at the end denotes female; another feature of the German language).

Ka kite

dmcl

[Jeremy Wainwright]

Thanks, David. The specific reference to its usage of 'Mexican' among people from the South Coast region of NSW is consistent with my experience in Canberra. 

JWW

---

From: tramsdo...@googlegroups.com <tramsdo...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of David McLoughlin <mcloug...@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, 18 April 2026 09:57
To: TramsDownUnder <tramsdo...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [TramsDownUnder] Tail ends

 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TramsDownUnder" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tramsdownunde...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/defda6eb-dba0-4cd9-ac22-4e25e2ef8296n%40googlegroups.com.

[TP]

Well, Victorians can get their own back by calling Tasmanians Mexicans, including renaming Bass Strait the Rio Grande.

Jeremy, I live on the south coast of NSW and have never heard Victorians referred to as Mexicans! 

In Czech Republic, trams are known by the common Slavic term Tramvaj, but in Brno they're called Šalina.

Tony P

[Jeremy Wainwright]

Tony, the South Coasters I'm thinking about are from about Mollymook south, the area commonly invaded by 'Mexicans' in the summer months.

David, thanks, too, for the observations on 'Tram' as a German word. I noted it on a fleeting visit to Berlin in 2005 and got the impression (apparently erroneous) that it related to some particular (indefinable) kind of Strassenbahn service. I did not note it on a similarly short visit to München in 2010.

And back to you, Tony: what is the ordinary meaning of Šalina?

Continuing the linguistic theme, I think it is fairly widely known that, at least in relation to the  first-generation, trams were known in Rio de Janeiro as 'bondes', a reference to the financing of an early installation.

JWW

---

From: 'TP' via TramsDownUnder <tramsdo...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, 18 April 2026 10:33

To: TramsDownUnder <tramsdo...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [TramsDownUnder] Tail ends

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TramsDownUnder" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tramsdownunde...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/3b92f400-f149-4f12-b484-bf24a10e9f84n%40googlegroups.com.

[Mal Rowe]

On 17/04/2026 16:39, 'Geoff Olsen' via TramsDownUnder wrote:

"Would that be too much?"  Taking into account the current world situation I would be inclined to reply in the affirmative:-)

I tend to agree Geoff.

But, getting back on topic, here's another snap from Thursday night.

2069 had just arrived at the corner of Victoria St in Elizabeth St showing NOT IN SERVICE.

I presume it was on a test run from either Brunswick or Essendon depot.

The driver is in the process of changing ends to shunt at the crossover just visible behind the tram.

Off Topic: 

For those interested in such things the image has been processed using "Affinity" which is a completely free image processing program that handles bothh pixel and vector adjustments and additions.

It has a learning curve but once you find the right menus it is very powerful.  https://www.affinity.studio/

Mal Rowe in a city (down south)  where there always seems to be something happening.

[TP]

Šalina is local Hantec slang.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantec_slang

Tony P

[Geoffrey Hansen]

Fair's Fair or are you going to call people north of the border Trumpians?

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/0871d953-fb25-40dc-9776-99337fa5a99dn%40googlegroups.com.

[Greg Sutherland]

David

Are you a "jaffa"? 😛

Greg

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TramsDownUnder" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tramsdownunde...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/defda6eb-dba0-4cd9-ac22-4e25e2ef8296n%40googlegroups.com.

[Malcolm Rowe]

Whoa!

I started this thread as a joke. 

If we start going racist I will immediately stop access for anyone going down that path. 

From Mal in transit

---

From: 'Greg Sutherland' via TramsDownUnder <tramsdo...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2026 8:12:50 PM
To: tramsdo...@googlegroups.com <tramsdo...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Re: [TramsDownUnder] Tail ends

 

David

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/aea1be5e-04fa-4af7-9f9d-6d5522ea396d%40ozemail.com.au.

[Greg Sutherland]

Its geographic not racist.

Greg

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/LV8P220MB1354BD95B8A3FF4A4AD29B67FA212%40LV8P220MB1354.NAMP220.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.

[TP]

Am I the only one now curious as to what a Jaffa is, apart from a city in Israel and an orange from Jaffa? Done the internet and that reveals no additional information.

Tel Aviv's light rail Red Line, passing through Jaffa:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1oV-I28FHU

Tony P

[bblun...@yahoo.com]

Iconic Kiwi lolly the Jaffa has been discontinued and will disappear from shop shelves for good. Sweetmaker RJ's, who manufacture the orange chocolate balls, confirmed the treat has been pulled, with a company representative saying: “we are unfortunately unable to keep making Jaffas due to declining sales”.2 July 2025

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/59ffcadb-6a70-4488-92db-39e8cc3e058dn%40googlegroups.com.

[David McLoughlin]

Greg asked:

>  Are you a "jaffa"? 😛

I live near Wellington, so no.

Many non-Auckland Kiwis humorously call Aucklanders "Jafas."  It stands for "Just another f-f-friendly Aucklander" and no it is not remotely a racist term, and has no racial meaning at all. It's even more innocent than NS Welshpeople calling Victorians "Mexicans."

dmcl.

[Mal Rowe]

Thanks!

 Like others I only knew about the chocolate coated orange sweet.

Mal noting that the sweet have a health star rating of 0.5

[TP]

And Jaffa cakes and biscuits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa_Cakes

Jaffa is a sort of generic synonym of orange. And, as it turns out, Aucklanders are JAFAs.

Tony P