As usual Sunday’s Picture in Time features a modern tram and this week we are heading to Manchester Metrolink with an image of T68 1009 in 1992.
1009 first arrived in Manchester on 12th January 1992 and at the end of the following month was used to transport a group of passengers between Victoria and Bury to evaluate the internal layout of the trams (both disabled and able bodied passengers were included in this trial). Entering service on day one of public service – 6th April 1992 – 1009 actually had a fairly boring operating life mainly just keeping itself to itself and running between Bury and Altrincham before it went through the Universal Running modifications programme in 2010 allowing it to spread its legs to the Eccles route as well. It also spent three months away from Manchester from September 2005 when it went to Wolverton for refurbishment works. The end finally came for the tram on 17th December 2013 when it became the 24th to be withdrawn. It had been the last of the vehicles not to receive air conditioning units and was initially earmarked for withdrawal 13 months earlier but in the end it achieved a stay of execution. 1009 left Manchester for Booths in Rotherham on 12th September 2014 and now is just a distant memory having been scrapped soon after.
This photo shows 1009 in Manchester City Centre on 27th April 1992 with a service for G-Mex. This was the first day of public services through the city centre. At this time the tram was carrying the CIS 125 Special name stickers with the addition of CIS logos on the ends in the position which would later feature the trams number.
Photograph by Ralph Oakes-Garnett