On Monday 10th June, the second tramcar arrived at the North East Land, Sea & Air Museum (NELSAM) site near Sunderland. Following in the tracks of Blackpool Balloon 721, Krefeld 412 has now arrived on site, having only just been acquired by the North East Electrical Traction Trust. This will hopefully mark the beginning of a more prosperous time in the life of this tram, which has endured many years of outside storage.
Discussions have been taking place regarding a possible transfer of ownership to NEETT for this German Duewag car for a number of weeks, and this has now reached a positive conclusion. This car has been in outside storage for many years and is currently residing in the London area, after being shipped to the UK as a town twinning gift in the 1980s, but has spent most of its time on British soil standing outside after plans to operate it fell through. As a result, its condition has deteriorated badly and its external appearance leaves a lot to be desired, yet the interior looks remarkably smart, suggesting that a restoration of the tram may not be as challenging as it first appears.
A team from Scott’s Heavy Haulage arrived at the Pump House Museum in Walthamstow on Friday 7th June, and after an uneventful loading, the car was kept on a low loader over the weekend before making the journey by road to its new home on Monday 10th June. Although on arrival the tram was unloaded in a different position to that planned, the most important fact is that it has now been saved and can look forward to a more prosperous future.
With both Blackpool 721 and Krefeld 412 now on site, work continues on laying track on which NEETT’s other tramcars can stand. It is expected that the Trust’s other Blackpool trams – Centenary car 647 and Twin set 674+684 – will also be making the journey to Sunderland in the fairly near future, along with Balloon 708 which is owned by the Manchester Transport Museum Society and will be loaned to this museum. As reported previously, it is hoped that 708 will ultimately be restored as an open topper whilst at the North East, so this pro-active preservation group certainly won’t be short of projects for the foreseeable future!
The rotting shape of Krefeld 412 seen arriving at the NELSAM site aboard the familar low loader from Scott's Heavy Haulage.
Another view of Krefeld 412, this time after being unloaded at its new home on 10th June.
Despite its rusting exterior, this internal shot of 412 confirms that the tram is actually in a surprisingly good condition and remains largely intact despite years of outside storage. (All photos provided by NEETT)
Nice to hear some good news.
I understand that Krefeld tram (trailer)41 is in Nottinghamshire. Has it been renovated? What do they use it for? Would it be possible for it to be reunited with the motor car at Sunderland?