Blackpool Tramway suspended north of Thornton Gate after collision with van

Posted on Friday 14 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

Services on the Blackpool Tramway were suspended between Thornton Gate and Fleetwood Ferry for a time on the morning of Tuesday 11th May after a van and tram collided close to the stop at Rossall Square. The collision happened shortly after 0920 with services suspended for a couple of hours while the emergency services were on the scene.

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Picture in Time: Graz 225

Posted on Friday 14 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

This week we are again visiting Summerlee for a view of one of their original fleet of trams with a later image of Graz 225 featuring.

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In Pictures: Derby 1 & Cardiff 21 on display at Crich

Posted on Thursday 13 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

Sunday 2nd May saw Crich give visitors a final chance to see Derby 1 and Cardiff 21 out in the open ahead of their departures for Clay Cross and Cardiff respectively with some old friends also joining in the fun on the day. There was an East Midlands theme for Derby 1 while Cardiff 21 got to pose alongside fellow Cardiff tram, water car 131. Peter Whiteley has shared these photos with us.

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M5000s have now travelled over 100 million kilometres

Posted on Thursday 13 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

Manchester Metrolink’s Bombardier built M5000 trams have now clocked up more than one hundred million kilometres in service since the very first one entered service in 2009. The major milestone was reached at the end of April 2021.

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Stop by Stop Nottingham Express Transit: Toton Lane line – University of Nottingham

Posted on Thursday 13 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

Onwards we go with our look at the tramstops of Nottingham Express Transit’s Toton Lane line – this time out it’s the stop at University of Nottingham.

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Edinburgh Trams to increase services

Posted on Wednesday 12 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

There seems to be an unwritten rule – we publish an article with details of something and then almost immediately afterwards it all changes! And so it has happened again with Edinburgh Trams announcing just a day after we published our service summary that they will be increasing services from Monday 17th May!

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In Pictures: Blackpool 007 returns to action

Posted on Wednesday 12 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

We reported last week after 001’s return to service in Blackpool after a short period out as it received attention at Starr Gate Depot and the fleet of Flexity2 trams available for use ahead of a timetable improvement has also increased further as well with 007 now back in action.

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Still Standing! Highgate Horse Tram Depot entrance, London

Posted on Wednesday 12 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

In this edition of “Still Standing” we find some old tram track in London which used to be the entrance to the Highgate Horse Tram Depot.

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Crich to reopen interior areas from 17th May

Posted on Tuesday 11 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

After the latest government announcement of progress along the “roadmap” to easing restrictions it has been confirmed that from Monday 17th May the interior areas at the Crich Tramway Village will be able to reopen. This will include the indoor exhibitions as well as the Workshop Viewing Gallery.

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1,000 metres of overhead comes down on Tyne and Wear Metro

Posted on Tuesday 11 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

As if to prove that it isn’t just the West Midlands Metro who have overhead problems, the Tyne and Wear Metro branch to the Airport was suspended on Monday 10th May after a suspected lightning strike brought down 1,000 metres of overhead wire. The disruption was first reported early afternoon on Monday 10th with services able to resume from the start of the next day.

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Picture in Time: Croydon Tramlink 2542

Posted on Tuesday 11 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

Before we move on from Croydon we feature an image of a tram which received an all over advert before the system had even opened.

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Graz 225 to be dismantled

Posted on Monday 10 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

Graz 225 – which has been owned by the Brighton Tram 53 Society since 2010 – is currently being dismantled with the Society not having the resources to give it a full restoration. The tram has been stored out in the open throughout its time in East Sussex having also spent the last few years of its time at Summerlee outside and would have needed significant investment to even cosmetically restore it. Coupled with the fact that the owner of the location where the Society keep their trams has asked them to remove it the decision was taken to dismantle it.

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Tyne and Wear Metro in wool and Meccano!

Posted on Monday 10 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

What do you do in lockdown when everything is closed and you have to entertain yourself? It would appear that if you are in the northeast you use the Tyne and Wear Metro as inspiration – with one of the original Metrocars immortalised in wool and one of the new yet to be built trains created using Meccano! Both creations are at very different ends of the spectrum but neither are any less impressive for it!

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Whatever Happened To? Crich Tramathon 2005 – Chesterfield 7

Posted on Monday 10 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

In this latest edition of “Whatever Happened To?” we move on from the Blackpool trams which ran in passenger service and today feature Chesterfield 7.

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Update – Current services on operating systems across the British Isles

Posted on Monday 10 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

As restrictions continue to be eased we thought it was time to bring another summary of what services are being operated on tram and light rail systems across the British Isles. This is just the “public service” systems and doesn’t include any heritage tramways – to find out the latest on those please take a look at this article ( ) where we have full details on those.

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Trams in Video: Seaton Tramway – a ride on board no. 4

Posted on Sunday 9 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

In this latest “Trams in Video” we are again heading down to Seaton in Devon. This time we are on board no. 4 as we take a ride from Riverside loop to Colyton during the 50th anniversary celebrations in August 2020. As we ride along we pass other trams also in service as well as seeing the views enjoyed by visitors to the tramway.

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Improved Tram-Train service in the evening from 16th May

Posted on Sunday 9 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

Stagecoach Supertram services to Rotherham Parkgate are to start operating to an improved frequency in the evenings from 16th May but there is still no sight of an increased daytime frequency with the service continuing to run two an hour until further notice.

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Lockdown Walks: Manchester Metrolink 3042

Posted on Sunday 9 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

In this latest edition of “Lockdown Walks” we take a trip out in Manchester as we view another of the M5000 trams in service.

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Manchester Metrolink Engineering Works: Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th May

Posted on Sunday 9 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

There will be major engineering works taking place on the Manchester Metrolink network over the weekend of Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th May, timed to coincide with the next planned easing of relaxations the following day. Most of the works will see rail replacement at Coronbrook but the chance will also be taken for other maintenance work elsewhere on the network.

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Metrocars 4055 and 4062 withdrawn and moved to South Shields

Posted on Saturday 8 May 2021 by Gareth Prior

It is believed that two of the Metrocars which operate on the Tyne and Wear Metro have been withdrawn and sent to the newly opened training site at South Shields. 4055 and 4062 have not been seen in service during 2021 and are now understood to have been transferred to South Shields where they will be used for hands-on training,

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