We head back into the 1950s for the latest Picture in Time instalment and we feature a tram which is sadly no longer with us – Liverpool 166.
Liverpool 166 was built by the Corporation’s own workshops in 1937 as one of batch of 38 trams known officially as Bogie Streamliner Cars – a type still represented in preservation by 869 at the Crich Tramway Village (albeit 869 is from an earlier construction batch). The majority of the Bogie Streamliner Cars remained in service until the closure of the last routes of Liverpool Corporation Tramways in September 1957.
This view – taken at some point in the 1950s – was captured by Danish photographer Palle Gabriel during a visit to the UK and shows 166 whilst working on a route 19 service (which ran from Pier Head to Kirkby).
Photograph by Palle Gabriel
I always thought the last of the 8 wheel cars (31 of them) were withdrawn in November 1956 with the closure of the 19 route. They were taken to Kirkby and towed by a diesel loco over the estate railway to be scrapped. That left the 4 wheel Baby Grands to run the surviving 6A and 40 services till the dreaded 14th September 1957. Question: were the bogie streamlines ever called Green Goddesses whilst in Liverpool or was this a name they were dubbed with on arrival in Glasgow?
When I worked in Liverpool the older staff called them Green Goddess which at the time the same name was used for the green military fire engines in use during firemen’s strikes. Younger ones got quite confused about it all.
An old Liverpool born colleague of mine’s dad had worked at Edge lane for a while and he always swore that Green Goddess was applied to the modern bogie cars, including Marks etc. The Goddesses were liners (and I think Grands). Perhaps your Liverpool readers could enlighten us more.
I read somewhere that the Green Goddess label was applied to the Priestly Bogies (770-781) but not to the Robinson Cabins (782-817) or Marks Bogies (818-867). I also read somewhere that the term Bogie Streamliner, Streamliner or just ‘liner applied to 868-992 and 151-188. The four wheelers (201-300) were dubbed Baby Grands or just Grands.