Picture in Time: Manx Electric Railway 26

Posted on Friday 19 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

Its that time again where we head into the photographic archives for another edition of “Picture in Time” – and we’re on the Isle of Man again.

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In Pictures: Overhead goes up along Talbot Road

Posted on Thursday 18 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

From tiny steps to giant leaps in no time at all – that seems to have been the story of the construction works in Blackpool for the extension along Talbot Road since it began and today we report on a significant leap as significant sections of overhead wire has now been installed with just the final few metres to be completed within the old Wilko’s site.

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On the internet: Photos from the GEC archive

Posted on Thursday 18 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

Since the first trams were introduced in the British Isles there have been probably millions of photos taken of them, whether that be official works pictures or a member of the public taking a quick snapshot in the city centre. With there little point having photos of anything without sharing it wider many of those photos have ended up in books or on the internet and in this, the first of a new irregular, series we take a look at one such collection which can be found online.

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Safer Streets funding to go towards making Metro even safer to travel on

Posted on Thursday 18 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

A new £800,000 investment in CCTV, Metro safety volunteers, increased lighting and a new reporting app is aiming to make travel safer for women and other passengers as well as visitors to local parks following a award to the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuiness, from the government’s Safer Streets fund.

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In Pictures: More tram track uncovered in Southend

Posted on Wednesday 17 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

Most of our articles featuring Southend-on-Sea on the Essex coast usually look at the Pier Tramway/Railway (which is seeing new trains introduced within the next few months) but the town used to be home to a 3ft6in gauge tramway from 1901 until 1942 and continued roadworks in the town centre have seen further track discovered and removed.

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Edinburgh Trams starts major recruitment drive

Posted on Wednesday 17 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams are looking for 20 new Ticketing Service Assistants as part of a new recruitment campaign which will also see tram drivers and engineers recruited as the tramway recovers from the pandemic and ahead of the expansion of the route to Newhaven.

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New apprentices start at Nexus

Posted on Wednesday 17 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

Ten new apprentices – aged between 16 and 20 – have started new careers with Nexus following an extensive recruitment campaign earlier in 2021. They will be trained in a variety of different roles, including track and signalling engineers, project management, bus services and contracts and commercial services.

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In Pictures: Bus Running Day at Beamish – with added trams!

Posted on Tuesday 16 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

On Saturday 23rd October, Beamish held their second transport based event since re-opening after the pandemic with a Bus Running Day taking place. As well as resident buses there were a number of visiting vehicles and with the trams (Blackpool 31 was the chosen tram for service) also running it gave the opportunity to get some unique photos. In this pictorial article – a kind of “Trams &” special! – we feature some of those unique photo opportunities. Trevor Hall is the photographer.

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In Pictures: A busy day on Edinburgh Trams

Posted on Tuesday 16 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

When there is an event at Murrayfield Stadium – whether that be a rugby international or a concert – Edinburgh Trams really comes into its own and plays an even more vital role than it does usually as it transports crowds with a more intensive timetable in operation. One such occasion was on Saturday 13th November when 17 of the 27 strong fleet of CAF trams were noted in service.

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Stourbridge Dasher seeks alternative funding

Posted on Tuesday 16 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

The proposed Stourbridge Dasher – which it is hoped will run between Stourbridge and Brierley Hill using a low-cost light rail vehicle – is now looking for alternative sources of funding to achieve its ambitions after the Department for Transport decided it was suitable for local funding services and not the highly-publicised Restoring Your Railway scheme.

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In Pictures: Ocean Winds increase to a second tram

Posted on Monday 15 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

There is now a second tram advertising Ocean Winds on Edinburgh Trams after 262 was spotted with the vinyls when in service during a busy day for the trams on Saturday 13th November – with Scotland playing a home rugby match at Murrayfield against South Africa. The advert is identical to that carried by 257.

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3132 enters service on Manchester Metrolink

Posted on Monday 15 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

The 132nd M5000 on Manchester Metrolink has now entered service on the network with 3132 now part of the operational fleet for the first time. The tram carries the standard fleet livery and was first spotted in service on Saturday 14th November 2021.

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Trams &: Manchester Metrolink 1011 & bus

Posted on Monday 15 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

In this latest instalment of “Trams &” we are heading back in time to the early days of Manchester Metrolink when we take a look at one of the T68s along with a bus.

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Stop by Stop Nottingham Express Transit: Central – Lace Market

Posted on Sunday 14 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

We continue our way along Nottingham Express Transit as we enter the city centre and reach the stop at Lace Market.

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In Pictures: Christmas adverts on Nottingham Express Transit

Posted on Sunday 14 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

We don’t often feature updates on adverts carried on the trams of Nottingham Express Transit (mainly because we don’t get regular updates on them!) but we slightly remedy that in this article as we take a look at recent external adverts applied to Incentro 215.

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More frontline staff on the Metro

Posted on Sunday 14 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

The Tyne and Wear Metro is moving more frontline staff onto both stations and trains to care for customers with them also being available for longer each day and with a new more visible look. Passengers on the Metro have long asked for more staff to be available, particularly in the evenings, and these changes will see that introduced between now and Christmas.

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What’s New on British Trams Online? 14th November 2021

Posted on Sunday 14 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

Two more Photo Galleries have been added to the site this week, photos coming from Dublin and Blackpool’s Tramtown (Rigby Road Depot):

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Second strike set for 23rd November on NET

Posted on Saturday 13 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

The GMB Union have confirmed that they will be instructing their members to walk out on Tuesday 23rd November as the dispute over pay shows no signs of being settled. The first strike on Saturday 6th November saw no services run at all on the network with the shutdown starting the previous evening from around 2200 to ensure everything was back in the depot by the midnight start of the industrial action.

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More financial support for Scottish light rail

Posted on Saturday 13 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

An additional £2.2 million of emergency funding for light rail in Scotland – covering both Edinburgh Trams and the Glasgow Subway – has been confirmed bringing the total funding they have received since the start of the pandemic to £36 million. This now covers the period up until March 2022 (the same period as English light rail systems have confirmed emergency funding for) and comes after ongoing discussions between Transport Scotland and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Edinburgh Trams.

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Around the World in Trams: Melbourne 671

Posted on Saturday 13 November 2021 by Gareth Prior

Its not just trams which used to run on the Ballarat tram system which feature at the museum as shown in today’s image which is one of the ubiquitous Melbourne W class of trams.

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