Work on a major overhaul for Sheffield ‘Roberts’ car 510 inside the conservation workshop at Crich Tramway Village is now well underway, with the truck already heavily stripped for refurbishment and work on the interior also beginning. After only around a month in the workshop, 510 is already receiving some fresh paintwork for the first time in many years.
Early work on 510 has focussed on the conservation of its seating, and it is pleasing to see efforts being made to preserve the old seats rather than simply replace them. Some internal panels are also being removed to give workers access to the ageing wiring, which will be renewed as part of the tram’s overhaul. Meanwhile work on preparing the body for repainting is already at a surprisingly advanced stage and the lower side panels have already been painted in a rather fetching shade of pink! Enthusiasts need not panic though, as this is merely an undercoat which will precede the re-application of the ornate ‘Last Tram’ livery which 510 has carried during its entire life in preservation. Members of the Tramcar Sponsorship Organisation, who are funding the current work on the car, voted to retain this special commemorative livery in favour of returning the tram to its plain cream and blue livery, as worn by sister car 513 which is currently based at East Anglia.
A great deal of mechanical work is also being carried out and, following an initial investigation into the cause of excessive gear noise, a strip down of 510‘s truck has revealed some badly worn parts. The road gears, pinions and brushes have all been found to be life-expired and will need to be replaced, whilst the motors, wheelsets and compressor have all been despatched to contractors for attention. It was already known that one of the tram’s spring planks was worn out, but examination has revealed that all eight spring planks are showing considerable signs of wear, and so the decision has been taken to replace the full set whilst the truck is in kit form.
All of this investment should of course ensure that this very popular tram will be capable of many more years of regular operation at Crich, looking much smarter than it has done for quite some time. Regular updates on the overhaul progress, with photos, can be found on the TSO website: http://tramcarsponsorship.org/news.html