Today for our Picture in Time we head back to Manchester for a view of another of the Metrolink T68s in action during their early years and this time we feature the first numbered – 1001 – in April 1992.
Having been delivered to Manchester on 29th August 1991 1001 then made history when it became the first LRV to run on the streets of the UK when it was used on an initial gauging run through Manchester City Centre on 15th September 1991 albeit being hauled by Metrolink’s Special Purpose Vehicle. It was then used on the first day of operation on 6th April 1992. As the years went by 1001 settled into regular operation before it went to Wolverton Works in 2005 for refurbishment works as did the rest of the fleet. November 2008 saw the tram involved in a serious collision with a bus which saw it having to spend four months out of use but when it did return it had been modified to allow it to operate on the Eccles line unhindered. The end finally came for 1001 on 7th August 2012 when it became only the fifth of the class to be withdrawn and it then departed Manchester on 15th April 2014 on a one way trip to the scrapman in Rotherham.
This view shows 1001 passing the G-Mex Conference Centre on 27th April 1992 which was the first day of the section between Victoria and G-Mex.
(Photo by Ralph Oakes-Garnett)
The G-Mex stop is now Deansgate-Castlefield and the conference centre is now Manchester Central.
Great photo!
Ah – the one that got away. Not wanting to start the debate again, I understand why there was a desire to preserve 1007 and I am pleased that at least one of them will have a long term future, but I still believe 1001 was far more historically significant. I also accept the reasons why it wasn’t saved (it was one of the worst for bodywork rot at solebar level, hence it being an early casualty), but it is a shame the historical relevance of this particular tram did not allow it to survive.
And on a personal level – it was also the tram that I passed my Metrolink driving assessment on, back in 2000.
I saw a picture of 1001 at the scrapyard with one half with no roof. The windows and doors were trimmed off. The other half was whole. 3098 has now arrived.