The North East Electrical Traction Trust (NEETT) have recently earned a reputation as one of the most promising organisations in the UK tram preservation scene, with hardly a week passing by without some exciting news emerging from this group. This time, their fleet is set to shrink slightly, following a surprise announcement that Budapest 2576+2577 will be heading back to their native land.
The Budapest twin set first arrived on British shores way back in 1985 when they became part of the West Yorkshire Transport Museum collection. A decade later, the pair inaugurated the tram service at the newly opened ‘Transperience’ attraction near Bradford, but sadly this was not a success and closed down after just a few years, leaving 2576+2577 as the only trams ever to have operated there. After being sold, the duo were eventually moved to the North East, later becoming part of the NEETT collection. The cars are presently stored undercover along with Graz 210 – another escapee from the ill-fated ‘Transperience’ project – and were expected to move to the North East Land, Sea & Air Museum near Sunderland in due course.
However, in an unexpected twist, NEETT have received an expression of interest in repatriating the trams with a view to displaying, and hopefully operating them, in their native Budapest. The possibility even exists that they may be able to run on their original tramway for the first time since 1981 at some point in the future. After careful consideration, the current owners came to the decision that such a move would be highly beneficial for the trams, and so agreement has been reached for them to return to Budapest. After a rather less than prosperous time in the UK, this should give 2576+2577 a happy ending and hopefully will be seen as a positive move as it will allow the trams to be enjoyed much closer to home.
The slight downside of this development is that the opportunity to exhibit the Budapest twin set alongside Blackpool Twin car 674+684, illustrating two different countries’ takes on the same basic concept, will be lost. However, by re-homing 2756+2577, more depot space will be available at the group’s Sunderland premises, potentially allowing even more British vehicles to be displayed there. Once again NEETT are showing their dedication to doing what is best for the vehicles in their care and ensuring that another of their acquisitions can enjoy an operating future, even though in this case it is not in the UK!