As reported earlier this week, work on the refurbishment of Leeds 6 at the Heaton Park Tramway in Manchester continues to progress, with a small team of dedicated volunteers working extremely hard to restore the car to a smart appearance. We are pleased to show some pictures of the tram being worked on, which were taken during a recent working party on Tuesday 30th April.
Close examination of the bodywork has led to a decision being taken to fully repaint car 6, although for the time being it will retain the grey Leeds works car livery applied back in 2008 when it was last overhauled. It is still hoped to return the tram to its Hull livery at some point in the future, but it will be easier and more cost effective to retain it in grey for now. Due to the amount of peeling paint, merely touching-up the paintwork, as was the original intention, would not have been viable. New vinyls are now on order to replace the ‘LCT’ lettering and fleet numbers.
Hopefully Leeds 6 will be back in service on its home tramway looking much smarter than it has done for several years this summer, and plans for its relaunch into traffic will be announced in due course – giving this tramway yet another good excuse to put on an entertaining event for enthusiasts to enjoy!
When the tramway is not open Leeds 6 is normally stabled in front of the depot protected by tarpaulins, as shown here. Notice the repainted platform steps, as well as the absence of any external fleet numbers. (Photo by Joe Savage)
Pulling back the covers on 6 to reveal the truck, which has recently benefitted from a lick of paint to reverse the effects of outside storage. (Photo by Joe Savage)
A view of the no.1 end platform showing the controller casing which has been rubbed down for repainting. Despite the overall shabby appearance of the tram, its brasswork has been superbly maintained during its time spent at Beamish Museum. (Photo by Joe Savage)