The restoration of the last surviving Leeds horse tramcar, Leeds 107, continues to make impressive progress at the Middleton Railway. One of the most visible accomplishments since the tram arrived at this location late in the summer, has been the fitting of the wooden seats on the car’s open top deck. This has really changed 107‘s appearance dramatically and gives a good impression of how it will look when completed next year.
107 contrasts with the only other operational double-deck horse tram currently in preservation, Manchester L53, as its upper deck seats are reversible rather than being to the distinctive ‘knifeboard’ design. The top deck of this tram is now almost complete although some side panels remain to be added. Other recent work has focussed on finishing the staircases and the platform steps. The latter task has made getting on and off the tram much easier for the volunteers who are working on it!
On November 21st, 107 was moved from the railway’s engine house to the nearby paint shop to allow the former building to be decorated for a Santa event. This means that the horse tram is not accessible to the public at present, but this is obviously a small price to pay for the work being undertaken which should lead to it entering service next summer.