Crich Tramway Village have announced that their ‘Access Tram’, Berlin 223 006-4, is currently unavailable for service and is expected to remain so until approximately 14th April. As the only tram at the museum able to carry visitors in wheelchairs, the Berlin car has a higher availability requirement than the rest of the fleet but presumably is suffering from some sort of defect which cannot be repaired immediately.
This once again highlights the need for a second wheelchair accessible tram at Crich. Over a decade ago, Halle 902 was acquired for this very purpose but was later deemed unsuitable and today sits in a far corner of the depot complex gathering dust. Other options to resolve this issue have been discussed in the past, but all has gone quiet in recent years and with the workshop largely focussed on the major restoration of London County Council 1, it is likely to be some time before the ‘Access Tram 2’ project could be undertaken. Hopefully 223 006-4 will soon be back in use and can continue to serve its owners well whilst a second ‘Access Tram’ remains a pipe dream for the time being.
Bah. I’m going to Crich tomorrow.
Personally I’d restore/convert G&I 14 as its not likely to see any other use and would at least allow a ride on a British Tram. though there are plenty of foreign Trams up for grabs all the time. Maybe the will just isn’t there to progress this?
I may be wrong but I thought that G&I 14 was owned by the National Railway Museum and on loan to Crich. I know that it was the case when it first went to Crich.
14 is definitely owned by the TMS. It did spend some time at York before arriving at Crich in about 1990, but I don’t think the NRM ever actually owned it.
G&I 14 & 26 were both set aside for preservation as part of the British Transport Commission Historic Collection. Much of the collection but not including either of the G&I trams was displayed at the Clapham Transport Museum. While the majority of the BTC collection formed the core of what is now known as “The National Collection”, not all items from the BTC collection passed to the National Collection, some passed to other Transport Preservation groups, generally with certain covenants about conservation, public access, and disposal, including the two G&I trams to their respective current owners, the TMS and Beamish.
The National Collection does however still include two trams; Glasgow standard 585 in the Science Museum store at Wroughton airfield and Bournemouth 85 on loan to the Museum of Electric Traction in Bournemouth.
G&I 14 would pose several problems as an Access Tram. To get passengers in wheelchairs into one of the saloons you would have to alter one internal bulkhead of this unique tram.
Also, getting it into the stub at Glory Mine will not work, that is too short. Having G&I 14 plus a second tram in the stub at Town End will not work either. Also, G&I 14 would need a full restoration.
I think the ideal second Access Tram will be a bogie car with a larger number of seats than the Berlin car. It will need more than one door on each side and ideally it will neither need a full restoration nor huge structural alterations. Ideas on a postcard, please.
I’ve often thought that New York 674 would make a good Access Tram – admittedly it would presumably need a major restoration, but otherwise seems to tick all the boxes Christoph mentioned. Granted it is a historic exhibit, but personally I’d be more comfortable with a tram from overseas being butchered than a British one, and it would be a good excuse to get an interesting car back into service.
Obviously doing a full restoration would cost a lot of money and be time consuming, but in the long run it might be worth it. What are the chances of getting hold of a tram in really good condition that could easily be converted? Most places would only be willing to dispose of something that was virtually life expired.
So basically Halle 902 then?
G&I 14 may actually be a better prospect for use as an access tram than most traditional cars. The large centre luggage doors and compartment may mean little or no visual alteration is needed, only whatever is needed to accommodate the lift mechanism below floor level…
Nothing wrong with the tram itself, the problem lies with the lift mechanism and the supplier cannot get the replacement part for about a week.
If they want a second access tram the best candidate would be that PCC they got hold of a few years ago and have never done anything with. Converting a PCC should be easy as all the PCC3 cars currently operating in Philadelphia can carry wheelchairs.
However the question is do they really need an wheelchair tram? My memory of Crich is that most wheelchair users amazingly manage to get onto the top deck of 45 when the sun shines, leaving their chairs at Town End! Most people in wheelchairs are not strictly confined to them all the time.
Wasn’t the PCC acquired as a static? I’m sure it has no motors and not sure about control equipment.
Here’s a radical thought – replica/reconstruction! Surely people want to ride a British Tram so perhaps the replica Manchester car which is often mentioned could be a possibuility?