The Heaton Park Tramway have revealed that, on completion of its winter refresh, Stockport 5 will return to service looking rather different. The tram is set to receive authentic period-style advertisements, which will be recreated using modern vinyls and applied to its decency panels. This will create an even more attractive, and historically accurate tram which will no doubt look absolutely stunning for its visit to Beamish this spring.
When 5 was first restored and loaned to Blackpool Transport, the tram had to be fitted with large decency panels for health and safety reasons to allow it to operate on a public transport system. This resulted in a large expanse of white paint, which will now be hidden behind a selection of colourful advertisements for Ty-Phoo Tea, Lipton’s Tea, Bovril, Hudson’s Soap and Gossage’s Dry Soap. These will wrap around the entire decency panels, along both sides and ends of the car. All of these posters have been reproduced based on research on adverts carried by original Stockport tramcars. Rather than stretch these posters or have a white gap above or below them, a simple but ingenious decision has been made to paint a thick black band above the adverts to disguise the additional height of the panelling. This should allow the panels to blend in well with the black handrails above. At times 5‘s decency panels have been criticised for being unauthentic, but this will be a good compromise without the considerable expense of replacing them, which could clearly be put to better use.
The proving model showing how 5 will look on completion of this work has been presented to Committee members of the Manchester Transport Museum Society and the Stockport 5 Trust, and has met with universal approval so far. At minimal cost, an already popular tram will be able to take on a new look – once again illustrating the imganiation of Manchester tramway enthusiasts.
The model of Stockport 5 presented at the MTMS Committee Meeting, showing how the tram will look with its advert vinyls and black band on its decency panelling. (Photo courtesey of the Heaton Park Tramway Facebook page)
Well done – that vast expanse of white ruined the heritage appearance of this tram – there again – what did H & S “experts” ever offer that was constructive??
It may only be cosmetic – but it looks a whole lot better, but as a museum exhibit now, and not a public transport vehicle, is it at all necessary to perpetuate this myth? The top deck has its rails in any case.
I can’t think of any other heritage vehicle that has been despoiled like this.
I have seen photos of Stockport’s buses and trams, and comments on different websites, showing that the livery was red and white, also that it was red and ivory. My memory accepts both schemes. Does anyone know for sure which is correct? Could it be that the ivory was changed to white during the 1960’s, so that is what people remember and assume that it was always the case?