29th August marks the 25th Anniversary of the arrival into the UK of the first of a new generation of trams with Manchester Metrolink’s T68 1001 being delivered on this date in 1991. To mark the occasion our latest edition of Picture in Time heads back to Manchester for some images showing the tram during its operation career in Manchester.
Although we have featured 1001 in this archive photo series before it is worth just recapping the “key dates” of the trams career. As mentioned in the introduction it was delivered to Manchester on 29th August 1991 having being built by Firema’s Casaralta Works. Having been used for initial testing (including the first gauging run through the city centre) it entered service on 6th April 1992amd remained in service until withdrawal on 7th August 2012. It remained stored in Manchester until 15th April 2014 when it departed the city for the last time for Rotherham. Despite being the first of the class the tram was soon scrapped.
Our first view of the tram was taken in March 1992 and shows the tram arriving at Brooklands wearing the original fleet livery during testing.
Moving on 16th March 2010 and we see 1001 wearing the revised livery with aqua doors at Trafford Bar with a service for Altrincham.
Both Photographs by Steve Kemp