Six months into the year and we finally have the first new advert on Edinburgh Trams with 258 receiving vinyls for the recently refurbished John Lewis store at the St James Quarter – it may have been a while since we last saw a new ad in Edinburgh but its still in the same style with full height adverts of the third and fifth sections and only above window ads on the rest of the tram.
258 had previously advertised CR Smith (from Turnberry to Blair Drummond) but these were removed at some point between June 2018 and February 2021 while the tram was out of service receiving repairs. This was the tram which was involved in a collision with a bus just outside Edinburgh Airport suffering severe damage which needed almost three years to repair.
Since 258 returned earlier this year it has been running without adverts with the cab end which suffered the damage having a revised livery as it didn’t have the extra grey and madder stripes. These remain missing now but it does now have the adverts for John Lewis with the slogan “Edinburgh’s New Shopping Landmark”. The advert was first seen during late May 2021.
A view of 258 on Princes Street with the now closed Jenners department store behind (the building dates from 1895 and the owner of the building now plans to revive it with a hotel on the upper floors, a café/restaurant on one of the middle floors and retail on the lower floors). The tram is bound for York Place here.
The other end of the tram is seen here on its return journey to the Airport. This view shows the end of the tram which has the missing bits of the fleet livery. (Photographs x2 by Roy Calderwood, 4th June 2021)
Another look at 258 and its new advert as it heads through the Edinburgh Park development.
One of the full height advert sections showing a scenic view of Edinburgh.
The other full heigh advert showing a chair on top of Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park. (Photograph x3 by blackpool_trams, 4th June 2021)