As one year rapidly comes to a close our attention starts to turn to the next and plans are made for events at the various heritage tramways across the UK. We have already reported on the events planned for the Isle of Man and Blackpool and now turn our attention to the home of the National Tramway Museum, the Crich Tramway Village.
Crich in 2017 will be building on the successes of 2016 with a very familiar events programme featuring all the old favourites. For the enthusiast the highlight will once again be Tram Day which in 2017 will take place on Saturday 16th September (a week later than in 2016 meaning it will be the week before Blackpool’s Anniversary Spectacular). It is far too easy to tell what will be on the agenda for Tram Day but most readers of this website will know the sort of thing to expect: plenty of trams in service and some rare trams out of the depots and Great Exhibition Hall posing for photos in the open.
The Horse Tram Days will also return with Joseph heading to Crich on six occasions: Thursday 11th May, Sunday 18th June, Saturday 15th June (as part of the Edwardian Event), Monday 31st July, Tuesday 22nd August and Thursday 31st August.
Elsewhere it is the return of the old favourites World War Two Home Front event (Easter and August), Beside the Seaside (May/June), the previously mentioned Edwardian Event and the Starlight Spectacular at the end of the season in October. There are also numerous classic vehicle days where the trams will be joined in the street by visiting cars and motorbikes amongst others.
Models are also not being forgotten with not only the Models Weekend (August) taking place but monthly between April and October there will be a model rail and tram layout in the Great Exhibition Hall including the R Whetstone models which are on loan to Crich.
The full list of special events is as follows:
16 to 17 April: World War II Home Front Event
23 April: Model Layout in the Great Exhibition Hall
29 April: Beer and Bands at Crich
11 May: Horse Tram Day
14 May: Buckingham Insurance Tally Ho Classic Run
20 May: New Members Day
21 May: Model Layout in the Great Exhibition Hall
27 May to 4 June: Beside the Seaside
11 June: Classic Transport Gathering
18 June: Horse Tram Day
18 June: Model Layout in the Great Exhibition Hall
1 July: Retired Driver’s Day
2 July: Classic Motorcycle Day
9 July: Model Layout in the Great Exhibition Hall
15 to 16 July: Edwardian Event (including Horse Tram Day on 15 July)
19 July: Model Layout in the Great Exhibition Hall
31 July: Horse Tram Day
12 to 13 August: World War II – Home Front
19 to 20 August: Models Weekend
22 August: Horse Tram Day
27 to 28 August: Classic Vehicle Gathering
31 August: Horse Tram Day
16 September: Tram Day (including Model Layout in Great Exhibition Hall)
7 October: Steampunk Day
15 October: Model Layout in the Great Exhibition Hall
23 to 29 October: Starlight Spectacular
30 October to 5 November: Winter Festival
Crich will reopen for 2017 on Saturday 18th March and will then be open every day until Sunday 5th November.