The 2018 operating season may still have one more week at Crich but that doesn’t mean that we can’t look forward to next year with the first special event dates now released. One of the highlights looks set to be a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the acquisition of the now familiar site at Crich with a two-day event due to take place on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd September 2019.
This will be the first time since 2014 that the main enthusiast event at Crich will be on for two days (when it was the excellent Electric 50 event which included several visiting trams). Obviously at this stage no details have been released as to what is planned over the two days but it is expected to take the usual enthusiast event form with the majority of the operational trams likely to run over the weekend and there will more than likely be withdrawn and stored trams on display for unique photo opportunities. More details will be reported on these pages when they are announced.
The Crich 60 event will be commemorating the purchase of the former Cliff Quarry site in 1959 which soon became home to an ever increasing number of trams from across the country. The first tram on site, Cardiff 131, was soon joined by Leeds 399, Sheffield 15, Leeds 180 and Leeds 345 and it is likely that all five of these trams will play some role over the weekend. Of course, 131 was restored to operation for the Crich 50 event in 2009 and has remained in service since, including visits to Beamish and Blackpool.
This event is just one of the events already added to the Crich Tramway Village with others set to include:
Sunday 21st & Monday 22nd April – World War II Home Front
Sunday 5th & Monday 6th May – Beer and Bands
Sunday 19th May – Classic Transport Gathering
Saturday 25th May to Sunday 2nd June – Beside the Seaside
Sunday 7th July – Classic Motorcycle Day
Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th August – World War II Home Front
Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th August – Models Weekend
Sunday 25th & Monday 26th August – Classic Transport Gathering
Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd September – Crich 60
Monday 28th October to Saturday 2nd November – Starlight Event
I wonder why they have chosen to clash with Blackpool’s Anniversary bash next year? Whilst the date may not have been announced its always that weekend. Now some joined up thinking to do something ‘together’ would be awesome.
Minor point – but won’t the Blackpool anniversary be 28th/29th – 22nd seems a week early
As Blackpool have not announced a date but Crich have, would not the possible clash be the other way around?
A matter of semantics – you can spin it either way for whichever organisation you favour…
If there is a clash; you could ‘blame’ the organisation that announces the date second, or you could ‘blame’ the organisation that has moved their date from the previous year (Crich “Simply Trams” was 1 September, Blackpool Anniversary was 22/23 September this year).
As the other Paul says, it is 1 week prior to the exact date of the inauguration of the Blackpool Tramway (as the last two years have been), but it is 4 months after the first trams arrived on site at Crich so neither has an automatic claim to that weekend.
Either way it helps nobody to split the audience…
Paul D – especially if volunteers are volunteers in both places!
As I say no date for Blackpool announced but has been the same weekend for 4 years! It doesn’t take a genius to work out it will be that weekend again – you’d just ask LOL.
As many people expected, it has now been announced that Blackpool’s Anniversary weekend is in fact 28th & 29th September. So the comments regarding a “clash” with Crich were a little to premature.
Actually not premature as when asked at the September event Heritage had said that it was ‘expected be the same weekend as this year.’ Anyhoe we can now all attend both events which is good for all.