Crich Enthusiasts Tram Event 2010

The annual Enthusiasts Tram Event took place at the Crich Tramway Village on Sunday 30th May 2010. The day saw an intensive tram service, Works Cars in operation and withdrawn trams being shunted around the Depot. British Trams Online Webmaster Gareth Prior reports from the event.

Over the past couple of years the Enthusiasts Tram Event has been regularly shifted in the Crich special events calendar moving from its regular slot of September to July last year and for 2010 settling into the late May Bank Holiday weekend. In the last couple of years with the demise of Tramathon the event has also changed in emphasis from the very rare trams being displayed out and about to an extensive tram service, Works Cars in operation and various trams being displayed on the Depot Fan.

The day started with the service trams leaving Depot and heading for Wakebridge where a photo opportunity was planned and the service could be formed. At the start of the day there were 14 available passenger tramcars but only 13 crews so Leeds 180 did not initially see service. However, half way through the day Chesterfield 7 was removed from service so it could be prepared for its starring role at the following days “150 Not Out” event and this led to 180 entering service for the rest of the day. Then during the early afternoon Sheffield 74 was seen being towed back into the Depot by Blackpool Electric Locomotive 717 with a fault leaving 12 trams in passenger service for the remainder of the day.

The first major event of the day was to be a line-up of TSO trams on the Depot Fan. The TSO have been helping Crich to fund the restoration and overhaul of tramcars for many years and so there was a whole host of trams which could be chosen for this. The trams chosen for the line-up were Sheffield 510 (which is due to enter the workshops soon for an overhaul to return it to the operational fleet), Leeds 345, Cardiff 131, Leeds 180 and Blackpool Pantograph 167 (which was in the Workshops coming towards the end of its overhaul).

The other main theme of the day was to be Works Cars with Leeds Tower Wagon 2 specially commissioned for the event and recently arrived Croydon Tramlink KLV 058 (and trailer 061) also featuring. During both the morning and afternoon several of the Works Cars including 2, Sheffield Works 330 and the KLV made demonstration runs on the main line although in 2’s case it only ran between Town End and the Depot crossover.

The fun with the Works Cars didn’t end there though as during the afternoon a Depot Fan Line-up was put together involving 2, 131, 058+061, 330, Blackpool Electric Locomotive 717 and diesel locomotive GMJ. A parade of the vehicles also took place in the afternoon with 131, 330, 717, GMJ and KLV involved in this, joined by 2 in the Town.

The day also saw a large amount of shunting of the withdrawn trams within the Depot. Included in these shunting moves were Glasgow 1282 (moved from the Wash Bay to the Depot) and Paisley 68 (taken out of the Depot) and these two trams were displayed on the Depot Fan for more photo opportunities.

London County Council 106 was moved from the Depot into the Wash Bay and then following a clean it was moved into the Workshop where a start was to be made on commissioning as it is due to go to Blackpool for the 125th anniversary celebrations in September.

Blackpool 49 was moved out of Depot V into the main Depot and then attention was turned to moving Blackpool 166 from the main Depot into the space vacated by 49. However, when 166 was put into Depot V in front of Sheffield 189 it was discovered that it was actually too long to fit, as the doors would not be able to be closed if it remained there! So, 166 was moved back into the main Depot whilst the Workshop crew retired for a cup of tea to decide where it could go!

The final piece of shunting during the day saw Prague 180 moved from the old PCC Exhibition and put into Depot V (in front of 189 where 49 and then 166 had been earlier in the day). Then the final piece of the jigsaw was completed when 166 was moved into the old PCC Exhibition where it would join Blackpool Brush 298 and New York 674.

The day was also my first chance to see the Exhibition Hall, which is a vast improvement on what it has replaced. Although not fully completed at the time all the trams in there now actually have information on them and the decision to display Leamington & Warwick 1 in “as found” condition in a “garden” is excellent, showing what so many of trams looked like when they fell into the ownership of the TMS. It is also good to see Balloon 249 (aka 712) in pride of place in the Exhibition and hard to believe just six/seven months earlier I had been on that tram in service in Blackpool!

As the day drew to a close trams started to return to Depot after a hard days service and all in all it was another action packed Enthusiasts Tram Event at Crich with around 30 trams/vehicles seeing the daylight during the day – full credit for those involved in organising and making the day happen.

Trams in service:

Blackpool & Fleetwood 2

Chesterfield 7 (removed from service after lunch)

Glasgow 22

Blackpool 40

Southampton 45

Johannesburg 60

Sheffield 74 (removed from service after lunch)

Leeds 180 (entered service as lunch as replacement for Chesterfield 7)

Oporto 273

Metropolitan 331

Glasgow 812

Liverpool 869

London Transport 1622

Berlin 3006

Works Car Parade

Leeds Tower Wagon 2

Cardiff 131

Sheffield Works 330

Blackpool Electric Locomotive 717

GMJ

Croydon Tramlink 058

In Operation on Main Line

Leeds Tower Wagon 2

Croydon Tramlink 058 & 061

Cardiff 131

Sheffield Works 330

Depot Fan Line-Ups

TSO

Cardiff 131

Blackpool 167

Leeds 180

Leeds 345

Sheffield 510

Works Cars

Leeds Tower Wagon 2

Croydon Tramlink 058+061

Cardiff 131

Sheffield Works 330

Blackpool Electric Locomotive 717

GMJ

During Shunting

Paisley 68

Glasgow 1282

Shunted during the Day (and not mentioned elsewhere)

Blackpool 49

London County Council 106

Blackpool 166

Prague 180

Also on British Trams Online:

Gallery 223: Crich Enthusiasts Tram Event 2010 – 109 photos from Gareth Prior

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