In Pictures: Crich with its Covid restrictions

The Crich Tramway Village has been open again since Saturday 11th July with the expected Coronavirus restrictions in place to ensure the safety of visitors, volunteers and staff alike in these unprecedented times. As we’ve reported before this has included timed tram travel tickets (with only one ride initially available to all visitors), the closure of depots and restrictions around the exhibitions (including the now obligatory one way system). David Maxwell took a trip to Crich on a relatively quiet midweek September day with the following photos showing what a 2020 visit to Crich looks like.

On 24th September a two tram service was in operation (the norm for midweek days now we are out of the school holiday season) with Blackpool 167 and Leeds 399 the allocated trams. Only a limited number of seats are available for visitors to sit at and only round trips are available – from Town End up to Glory Mine and back. There is no getting off or on the trams at any intermediate stops to allow for full social distancing to take place. Our correspondent was initially allocated a trip on the 1145 departure from Town End on board Leeds 399 but as it was a quiet day he was able to return to admissions after 1300 to be allocated a second ride. This time it was on board Blackpool 167 which would leave Town End at 1330.

The depots are currently closed to visitors but the doors are still open to allow anyone with an interest to peer inside and see what is there. The Workshop Viewing Gallery is open but barriers have been put in place so that you can’t get too close to the edge to keep those in the Workshop fully safe. The other exhibitions were open but all interactive exhibits are not available and the Shop, Tearoom and Pub were also open with the standard social distancing restrictions in place there too.

We leave the final word with David himself: “I have to pay tribute to the management, staff and volunteers at Crich for the work they have put in to making the site Covid secure and therefore able to open. There is considerable attention to detail in sanitising touchpoints and ensuring visitor safety and I felt perfectly comfortable. I think they have succeeded in retaining the essential elements of a visit to Crich within the regulations and guidelines caused by the pandemic.”

* Crich Tramway Village is open Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of October. It will then be open on Sunday 1st, Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th November.

The two service cars are seen at Stephenson Place. Leeds 399 waits to move forward to the loading stop as Blackpool 167 heads up the line.

Extra cleaning measures are in place on the trams as demonstrated here on those regularly touched surfaces.

On board the trams and as with some light rail systems across the country some seats are unavailable for use. On Leeds 399 these are shown by red crosses and green ticks on the windows.

Blackpool 167 is seen from the Bowes Lyon Bridge as it heads up to Glory Mine.

Restrictions in the Workshop Viewing Gallery with these barriers in place.

Talking about the Workshop and the three major projects remain in place. Newcastle 102 and London County Council 1 are at the back with London Transport 1622 in the foreground. Note the new period advertising on 1622.

The depots may be closed but with the doors open there is still a chance to see which trams are waiting for their next action. Berlin 223 006-4 dominates this view.

A view from Leeds 399 across towards the depots with the barriers blocking access to the actual building seen in front of the trams. (All Photographs by David Maxwell, 24th September 2020)

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