Private and public events to mark ‘TMS 60’

As reported previously, the Tramway Museum Society celebrates its sixtieth anniversary this year and this milestone will be marked with a special event entitled ‘TMS60’ which is being held on Saturday 19th September, incorporating the annual Enthusiasts Day. However, it has just been announced that a second event will also be held on Saturday 7th November, although this will solely be for TMS members and other invited guests.

After the museum’s main opening season has finished for 2015, the trams of Crich are to be given an extra day of work to do with the Crich Tramway Village due to be opened up for special guests on November 7th. All Society members are welcome to attend but will need to book a place in advance to give an idea of expected attendance numbers, and will also be required to show their membership card on arrival at the admissions building. In addition, members of three UK tram-related groups whose existence predates that of the TMS will also be welcome to attend; these being the Tramway & Light Railway Society, the Light Railway Transport League and the Scottish Tramway & Transport Society.

On this special day trams will operate every five to ten minutes and the Forge Shop and Red Lion will also be open for business as normal. There will be access to the tram depots and Exhibition Hall and, as an added bonus, it is hoped that Museum Guides will be on hand to allow access to some cars from the static collection, giving a rare chance to board vehicles which are not part of the current operational fleet. There will also be a chance to visit the Workshop, where talks about the ongoing project to restore LCC 1 to running order will take place. In all this promises to be a fascinating day for those who are able to attend and anyone wishing to join in is requested to contact the museum using a specially created email address – tms.60@tramway.co.uk.

Details of the main public event to mark the ‘TMS60’ anniversary remain a closely guarded secret, although one small bit of information that has been revealed is that the ‘Big Book Sale’ will return on this day. After taking a break last year, this popular addition to previous events will be back with a good selection of surplus books and journals from the Society archives being offered for sale – so as well as there being lots of trams to see and ride on, the event could also offer some bargains as well! It remains to be seen what sort of event will be held, and which trams will play a starring role in the proceedings. An attractive logo has been designed for the celebrations featuring Southampton 45 which was of course the first tram to be secured for preservation by enthusiasts who subsequently formed the Tramway Museum Society in 1955; however as this tram was withdrawn from service at the end of the last year it is not known what role it will have in the events this year.

Being the first tram to be preserved by founder members of the TMS, it is only right that an image of Southampton 45 accompanies this article. The tram is seen in action at last year's 'Electric 50' event shortly prior to withdrawal. (Photo by Andrew Waddington)