As part of a major shunting operation at Crich Tramway Village on Saturday 25th August, Sheffield 510 was moved from the rear of the running sheds to the workshop. There, the tram is to receive a major overhaul thanks to funding from the Tramcar Sponsorship Organisation to allow it to rejoin the musuem’s operating fleet. Its place in the depot was taken by Glasgow 1282 which has now been commissioned ready for the upcoming enthusiast event.
510 was withdrawn from service several years ago with a few faults and at the same time concerns were expressed regarding its general condition. The TSO kindly stepped in to provide the required money to get the popular tram back into pristine condition, and as well as body and mechanical attention it will be fully repainted. This will be no easy task as it will involve replicating the distinctive ‘Last Tram Week’ decorations on the side panels.
With various long-running projects recently finished or nearing completion, it is pleasing to see 510 move into the workshop as the next tram to receive major workshop attention at Crich. The car has a long history with the musuem, having debuted in service there in the very first season of electric tram operation (1964), and hopefully thanks to the efforts of the workshop team and the TSO, it will soon be back in action for many more years to come.
To find out more about the project to overhaul Sheffield 510, and to make a donation towards the work, please click here: http://tramcarsponsorship.org/projects/510.html