Picture in Time: Metropolitan Electric Tramways 331

Metropolitan Electric Tramways 331 is a tram which has featured before in our archive photo series, following its restoration to passenger-carrying status at Crich in its latter day identity as Sunderland 100. However, a little known fact about 331 is that it actually first ran at Crich in the 1970s – and so we are turning the clock back to 1974 to see the tram on an early trial run at the museum.

After arriving at Crich in 1961, significant electrical and mechanical work was undertaken on MET 331 during the early ’70s allowing it to make some appearances out on the main line on testing and demonstration runs, the main aim here being to prove that the car’s condition was not as bad as some had suggested and that it was indeed a viable candidate for restoration. Although the tram was subsequently stored in the depots for many years, this work was an important turning point in its preservation history and was key to it eventually being selected for a full rebuild enabling its participation in the Gateshead Garden Festival in 1990, yet it sometimes appears to be airbrushed from history. For unknown reasons, the innovative and highly successful bolster rollers were changed for pads during the final restoration for the Garden Festival, ignoring one aspect of the car’s technical integrity, and the auto weak field and auto door equipment were not reinstated, further detracting from the truthfulness of the job. Despite this, 331 has been active at Crich for most years since its major restoration and after being repainted in three different liveries in less than two years, it has remained as Metropolitan 331 since 1991.

Our grateful thanks go to David Holt for supplying the information and the picture in this article.

MET 331 at what is now Stephenson Place during one of its early forays onto the tramway during the 1970s, well over a decade before it carried its first passengers at the museum. (Photo by David Holt)

 

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1 Response to Picture in Time: Metropolitan Electric Tramways 331

  1. Andy says:

    Regards the roller bolsters, issues were found with the operation by the fact that they used to jam with all of the muck and dirt being thrown up. This then led to flats on the rollers and rapid wear.

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