Sunday 20th October saw Manchester 173 make a rare trip away from the Heaton Park Tramway as it was displayed at Victoria railway station, part of a special event held to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the opening of the station. This was the first time since 2014 that 173 has left Heaton Park (when it went to Leeds on two separate occasions) and except for the odd outside display during special events on the tramway it has been kept in the depot awaiting workshop space for a start to be made on its full restoration so the sight of the tram outside the station proved popular with visitors.
Remaining on the lorry throughout the day the tram was parked up outside the pedestrian entrance to the railway station. In this first view we see the tram gaining some attention.
Another view of 173 from the other side with information sheets attached to the tram. The National Football Museum can be seen on the right hand side. (Photographs x2 by Keith Chadbourne)
One final view of the tram on display. With the tram rarely seen out in the open it is certainly good to see the tram enjoying a brief spell in the limelight. (Photograph by Steve Kemp)
This reminds me of when a horse tram was taken to Sheffield and operated on the Supertram tracks at Cathedral. When I first saw a photo of it alongside a Supertram, I assumed this to be a photoshopped fake image, but it did actually happen. A series of photos are on the city council’s picturesheffield.com site.
It’s easy to become blasé about historic and modern trams operating side by side at Blackpool, but we should bear in mind what a rare treat this is, and how unusual across the UK as a whole.
That certainly did happen – I was working at an office behind the cathedral at the time and nipped out to see Sheffield horse car 15 operate on “one horse power” a short way along Church Street. Can’t put a hand on the photo but when I do I will forward it. Also – right up until the construction of Supertram a first generation feeder box survived on the street corner there.