In Pictures: Volks Electric Railway works continue

Posted on Tuesday 20 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

The Volks Electric Railway in Brighton currently remains closed with the “Saving Volks” project running behind schedule. The last reports suggested that it may run again in the autumn although no official word has confirmed recently whether this will be possible. What is known is that it will miss the main summer season for the first time since 1948. Work is now continuing as seen in this pictorial update from Tony Sullivan on 19th June.

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Posted in Volk's Electric Railway | 1 Comment

Manchester Metrolink service change: Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th June

Posted on Tuesday 20 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

There will be changes to the service pattern on Manchester Metrolink over the weekend of 24th and 25th June to allow for further work to take place as part of the improvement package which is seeing two new substations installed on the network. The works will affect services on the Bury and Rochdale lines.

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Picture in Time: Leeds 525

Posted on Tuesday 20 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

Today Picture in Time is going back to 1958 for a view from Leeds Corporation Tramways with one of the Feltham trams transferred from London featuring.

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Dudley & Stourbridge 5 returns home

Posted on Monday 19 June 2017 by Andrew Waddington

It has come to light that Dudley & Stourbridge 5 has recently returned home to the Black Country Living Museum, following a lengthy period spent in Wales where the tram has been undergoing a major overhaul. It is not known how long the tram has been back at Dudley, but it appears that the work is largely complete; certainly the tram appears to be structurally completed and it is also fully painted.

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Posted in Black Country Living Museum | 3 Comments

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Posted on Sunday 18 June 2017 by Gareth Prior | 6 Comments

Overhead problems cause delays for Midland Metro

Posted on Saturday 17 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

Services on Midland Metro were disrupted on Saturday 17th June after a pole arm supporting the overhead wire near to The Crescent came down, bringing the overhead wires with it. Following this incident all trams from Grand Central were terminated at Wednesbury Parkway with a shuttle tram service initially provided from there to Priestfield (where services are currently terminating due to trackworks towards Wolverhampton).

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Picture in Time: Docklands Light Railway 22+58

Posted on Saturday 17 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

In this instalment of Picture in Time we are back in London for another image from the Docklands Light Railway, this time coming from 2005.

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Trams lead the way for passenger satisfaction in the UK

Posted on Friday 16 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

It seems that if you want to satisfied about your morning commute the only way to travel is by tram! The latest Passenger Focus survey has shown that on average across the UK (except for on London Tramlink) passengers have given trams a 93% overall satisfaction score – similar surveys on the buses (87%) and trains (81%) have come in much lower.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Edinburgh Trams, Manchester Metrolink, Nottingham Express Transit, South Yorkshire Supertram, West Midlands Metro | Comments Off on Trams lead the way for passenger satisfaction in the UK

In Pictures: Another outing for Burton & Ashby 14

Posted on Friday 16 June 2017 by Andrew Waddington

The latest open day at the Statfold Barn Railway near Tamworth provided another opportunity for enthusiasts to see and ride on Burton & Ashby 14. The tram was of course returned to service following careful restoration earlier this year, having been repatriated after spending well over thirty years based in Detroit.

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In Pictures: Metrolink 3022’s special livery

Posted on Friday 16 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

Last week we reported on Manchester Metrolink 3022 being named Spirit of Manchester and receiving a special livery featuring the worker bee which has become a symbol of the city since the tragic terrorist attack at Manchester Arena. With thanks to Steve Kemp we are now able to bring you photos of the new look tram.

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In Pictures: Trackwork begins on Midland Metro

Posted on Friday 16 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

The long six month closure between Priestfield and Wolverhampton St George’s on Midland Metro has begun as planned. The last trams ran the full length of the line on Saturday 10th June with the trackwork starting the following day with some progress already in evidence. Andy Walters provides us with a photo update.

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2CC wins an award

Posted on Friday 16 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

Manchester Metrolink’s Second City Crossing has walked away with its first award – less than six months after opening. The line won the Transport Policy, Planning & Implementation award at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport ‘North West Region Awards for Education and Excellence’ whilst outgoing Metrolink Director Peter Cushing was also honoured.

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Tramlink set to introduce speed monitoring devices to trams

Posted on Friday 16 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

Transport for London are looking to fit speed monitoring devices to trams following last year’s tragic derailment at Sandilands. The idea of the devices is that they will alert drivers if they are going too fast and to apply the brake.

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Man dies after incident at Victoria

Posted on Friday 16 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

A man has died at Manchester Metrolink’s Victoria stop following an incident where he was allegedly pushed in front a tram. Philip Carter, 30, died after the incident on Sunday 11th June. Charrissa Loren Brown-Wellington, 31, appeared in court this week charged with his murder. The incident happened just as tens of thousands of people were starting to leave Heaton Park where a major music festival had been taking place and with trams understandably suspended they were advised to make their way to the city centre by walking.

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An accessible Amsterdam tram?

Posted on Friday 16 June 2017 by Andrew Waddington

At the East Anglia Transport Museum near Lowestoft, Amsterdam 474 has been out of service for some time awaiting rectification of mechanical defects, primarily affecting its motor. However, the tram is far from forgotten and in fact, recent thoughts have been turned towards its long-term future, and the possibility of fitting a wheelchair lift to offer improved access to disabled visitors so that they can enjoy a vintage tram ride.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Twin Car 676+686 & Balloons 726 & 704

Posted on Thursday 15 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

We have a busy scene in Blackpool for our latest delve into the archives in this instalment of Picture in Time.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Picture in Time | 1 Comment

Pop stars take over trams for BBC Music Day

Posted on Thursday 15 June 2017 by Andrew Waddington

Passengers on some of the UK’s light rail systems may have been surprised to hear some familiar voices in an unlikely setting on Thursday 15th June, as part of the celebrations for BBC Music Day. One of the more unusual events saw a diverse selection of singers provide the vocals for on-board announcements on trams in Manchester, Birmingham and Blackpool.

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Marton 31 to miss summer 2017?

Posted on Wednesday 14 June 2017 by Andrew Waddington

Despite having returned to Beamish Museum from Blackpool in March of this year, Blackpool Marton Box 31 has still not returned to service at its home tramway. This is due to the car having worn tyres, and it has now been confirmed that it is unlikely to operate at all this summer, with a current target of November for its reappearance.

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Posted in Beamish Tramway, Blackpool Tramway | 2 Comments

Bournemouth 85 gets a visit from the TMS

Posted on Wednesday 14 June 2017 by Andrew Waddington

It may be recalled that, some time ago, the Tramway Museum Society announced that Bournemouth 85 would be joining the national collection at Crich. On 13th June, a small team of volunteers from the Crich workshop travelled to Christchurch to inspect the tram, and to draw up a plan to extract it from the building in which it currently resides to be transported to its new home in Derbyshire later this year.

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Posted in Crich Tramway Village | 5 Comments

Picture in Time: Volks Electric Railway 2, 5 & 7

Posted on Tuesday 13 June 2017 by Gareth Prior

In this edition of Picture in Time we head to the Sussex coast again although whereas last time we were there we were concentrating on the Modern Electric Tramway operation this time we are looking at the Volks Electric Railway.

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Posted in Picture in Time, Volk's Electric Railway | 3 Comments