Top deck of Edinburgh tram on its way to Fleetwood!

It has been announced that agreement has been reached between National Museums Scotland and the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust for the display of the top deck of an early Edinburgh tram at the Copse Road Museum when it opens to the public in 2013.

The top deck of the tram has been stored out of public view for a number of years and this agreement will mean that the general public will once again be able to see it although this time in a foreign environment. It is planned that the tram will be delivered to the Fylde sometime in September after which selective renovation work will be undertaken on it before it is displayed in the new Museum. As part of this work it will retain its madder and white Edinburgh Corporation Tramways livery.

This will, of course, not be the first Edinburgh tram to be seen on the Fylde coast as Edinburgh 35 – now on static display at the Crich Tramway Village – operated on the Blackpool Tramway between 1985 and 1988, one of many trams to visit for the 1985 centenary of the Tramway.

The tram will form part of the display at the Fleetwood Tram Museum which is due to open next year at Copse Road depot – the last remaining Tramroad depot. Built in 1897 the depot remained in use by the Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramroad Company until their takeover by Blackpool Corporation Transport in 1919. It remained open to trams until 1963 when it was closed for the last time and was sold for commercial use. In recent years it has been used by the Fleetwood Car Centre but the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust now have a lease on the building and will turn it into the Fylde coast’s first tramway museum.

* In other news from the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust they have announced that Blackpool Brush 290 is due to be released from Kirkham Prison later this week for movement to its temporary home next to Pleasure Beach loop. The tram has had renovation work at the Prison in order for it to take a starring role in the 2012 Illuminations including a repaint, the addition of illuminations and students artwork in the saloon windows.

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