There are now more T68/T68As withdrawn than there are in service in Manchester following the withdrawal of 1014. 1014 has actually been out of service for a couple of weeks with a traction fault but has now been officially withdrawn from service, becoming the unlucky thirteenth T68 to be taken out of use and the seventeenth of the combined T68/T68A fleet. With just 15 remaining available for service this now means there are more stored at depots than running in service.
1014 last ran in service as part of a double unit (with 1017) on 29 May when it operated on the Bury-Altrincham direct service. Following a fortnight of limbo at Queens Road the decision has now been taken to withdraw it permanently and it is now likely to undergo the usual component recovery process before being eventually transferred to Trafford for further storage.
1014 was the last of the T68 fleet to enter service at the end of 1992 having been initially used (alongside 1015) as a source of spares for the rest of the T68 fleet. It spent many months in 1992 at GEC Alsthom’s temporary commissioning facility in the old electric car sheds at Bury (now used by the East Lancashire Railway as their locomotive works) before it was moved to Queens Road where it was rebuilt and joined the operational fleet at the end of 1992. Less than 21 years later and its career in Manchester is now over.
On the plus side for the T68s 1016 is going to be repaired following its RTA damage sustained at the weekend and this will then return to service although currently remains out of use.
1014 joins fellow withdrawees 2002 and 2005 in remaining at Queens Road with all of the other withdrawn vehicles having been moved across to Trafford for storage.
As always when we publish articles like this the advice is to get the remaining T68/T68As whilst you can!
1014 departs St Peter's Square on 20 September 2012. (Photo: Gareth Prior)
2003 appears to have a regular diagram, the last 3 days it has been on an Altrincham-Bury service at Victoria about 1255pm each day heading towards Bury.
1016 also noted back in service, on the Eccles route