Bang, bang! Car v tram in both Manchester and Wolverhampton

Posted on Monday 28 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

Easter Sunday went with a bang on both Manchester Metrolink and Midland Metro with two tram versus car incidents although thankfully in both cases no serious injuries were reported.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink, West Midlands Metro | 2 Comments

An Easter resurrection **updated**

Posted on Monday 28 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

The Easter 1940s event at the Crich Tramway Village is traditionally one of the more popular special events at the museum and also provides the first chance for an intensive tram service to run for the year and the 2016 event has been no different. However the biggest talking point of the event for enthusiasts was not the re-enactors or visiting WW2 era vehicles but the resurrection of a tram which was not expected to be prepared for service in 2016 – London Transport 1622.

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Posted in Crich Tramway Village | 3 Comments

This week on British Trams Online – & an appeal

Posted on Sunday 27 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

There isn’t a huge amount added to the website this week but we have been continuing our spring cleaning on the Fleet Lists section and there is also the addition of a Picture of the Week photos archive:

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Posted in Site News | 7 Comments

Picture in Time: Croydon Tramlink 2545

Posted on Sunday 27 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

Back to a still image for today’s Picture in Time as we head to Croydon for a view of one of the original trams during the testing and commissioning process in 1999.

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A very good Friday for Blackpool!

Posted on Sunday 27 March 2016 by Andrew Waddington

The Easter weekend got off to a fantastic start in Blackpool on Good Friday, 25th March with a ‘bonus’ heritage tram service operating. Although unfortunately it was decided not to run a gold timetable on this Bank Holiday, a few very special attractions combined with glorious spring weather ensured that this was a very enjoyable day for those who descended on the seaside town early for the weekend’s events.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 1 Comment

In Pictures: New Birmingham Snow Hill stop opens

Posted on Saturday 26 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

Good Friday, 25th March, saw the temporary opening of a new stop on Midland Metro with the newly located Birmingham Snow Hill stop welcoming its first passengers. With further preparation works for the opening of the extension through to New Street Station taking place over the Easter weekend the current terminus at Bull Street was closed and rather than use St Paul’s as a terminus again the decision was taken to use Snow Hill – or at least half of it anyway.

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Stadler 2563 enters service **Updated with photo**

Posted on Saturday 26 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

The last of the second batch of London Tramlink’s Stadler Variobahns – 2563 – has now entered service. The tram, which was delivered to Croydon on 6th December 2015, was used in revenue earning service for the first time on Friday 24th March having successfully completed the testing and commissioning process. Of the Stadler built trams only 2556 remains out of service following its January return from Germany where it had been receiving repairs. With the entry into service of 2563 the introduction of the full line 4 service between Elmers End and Wimbledon is expected not to be too far off.

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Posted in London Trams | 2 Comments

Norbreck North opens for business!

Posted on Friday 25 March 2016 by Andrew Waddington

Blackpool’s newest tram stop opened to passengers on Tuesday 22nd March – Norbreck North. This was one of the many stops from the old system which were not retained when the tramway was upgraded to light rail standards, however a succesful campaign by local residents who felt that the distance between stops at Little Bispham and Norbreck was unreasonably large led to the stop being reinstated.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 6 Comments

Blackpool Council progress plans for North Station extension

Posted on Friday 25 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

Whilst a lot of excitement when it comes to the Blackpool Tramway tends to be concentrated on the heritage operations behind the scenes progress has been continuing on the proposed extension of the tramway up Talbot Road to Blackpool North railway station. This week Blackpool Council have revealed plans for the purchase of the Wilkinson’s building which would be demolished to make way for a proposed tramway terminal.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 20 Comments

Southport Pier tram removed

Posted on Friday 25 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

The chances of the Southport Pier Tramway being resurrected in the future now seems to be over with the articulated tram – introduced onto the line in 2005 – having this week being removed from the Pier with the Council planning to sell the vehicle as the operation of the tramway is not considered viable.

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Posted in General | 3 Comments

Blackpool gets ready for Easter

Posted on Friday 25 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

This Easter weekend sees the return of the Gold timetable for Blackpool’s Heritage Tram Tours between Saturday 26th and Monday 28th March and there is also a bonus heritage service on Friday 25th March – including evening runs to Fleetwood.

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First volume of new Regional Tramways book series released

Posted on Friday 25 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

The first volume of a new book series that will cover the history of tramway operations in the British Isles has just been released. This first book concentrates on Yorkshire and North East England and is written by established author Peter Waller with the publishers being Pen & Sword Books.

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Posted in General | 1 Comment

Metrolink 2CC continues to progress

Posted on Friday 25 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

Work on bringing the vital Second City Crossing (2CC) on Manchester Metrolink to life is continuing ahead of its opening in 2017 with tram tracks now in place along Cross Street between King Street and the junction with Princess Street and John Dalton Street allowing the road to reopen to traffic.

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Metrolink delays after train derailment

Posted on Friday 25 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

Manchester Metrolink services to Bury were suspended for a day after the derailment of a Network Rail weed killing train on the connection between the Metrolink network and the East Lancashire Railway. The derailment happened at approximately 1030 on Tuesday 22nd March and caused the cancellation of all services between Whitefield and Bury for the remainder of the day.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 1 Comment

No Tramlink services in central Croydon for a week

Posted on Friday 25 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

London Tramlink services are again suspended around the central Croydon loop over Easter with trackworks due to take place in the Church Street area. Trams from Wimbledon will be terminating at Reeves Corner with services from New Addington, Elmers End and Beckenham Junction ending at East Croydon from Friday 25th March until Saturday 2nd April. The same arrangements as normal for the stabling of trams on the eastern half of the network are in place with some being stabled on the Elmers End branch with others in Sandilands tunnel.

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Fare increases on the way for Supertram

Posted on Friday 25 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

Some fares on Stagecoach Supertram are to increase from Sunday 3rd April due to “increased costs”. The only fares to be affected will be Adult long distance single, Tram only weekly megarider and the Tram and Bus monthly scratch card.

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Douglas Horse Tramway WILL run in 2016

Posted on Thursday 24 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

The Douglas Horse Tramway will run after all in 2016 but the future of the line beyond this season is still to be decided. The Department of Infrastructure have announced that they will take on the operation of the line for this year with a service set to operate between 30th April and the end of October – a later end to the season than has become the norm in recent years.

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Posted in Douglas Bay Horse Tramway | 9 Comments

And then there was one!

Posted on Thursday 24 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

It has been another busy couple of days on Midland Metro with not one, not two but three of the remaining T69s taking their leave from Wednesbury Depot. The three to depart are 04 and 12 on Wednesday 23rd March and then 10 on Thursday 24th March leaving just 16 all alone at the depot where it looks set to stay for now with no plans for Allelys to return for it.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 2 Comments

Video in Time: Crich in the 1960s

Posted on Wednesday 23 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

It’s Picture in Time with a twist today as we actually looking at some moving pictures for our very first Video in Time. This footage dates from the 1960s and shows the early years at what we now know as the Crich Tramway Village.

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Posted in Crich Tramway Village, Picture in Time | 2 Comments

New blow for Douglas Horse Tramway

Posted on Tuesday 22 March 2016 by Gareth Prior

Just when you thought things couldn’t get much worse for the future of the Douglas Horse Tramway a new plan is put forward by the Department of Infrastructure which will see the tracks ripped up between the Sea Terminal and Villa Marina permanently – regardless of any positive decision on the future of the historic tramway. The latest plan was announced by the Department following the rejection of the preferred option to redevelop Douglas Promenade which would have seen the horse trams consigned to a single track line on the Prom walkway.

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Posted in Douglas Bay Horse Tramway | 9 Comments