The only tram at the Aldridge Transport Museum – formerly the Aston Manor Road Transport Museum – has recently received some new interpretation to give visitors to the museum a better idea of what the tram would have looked like. The tram is Birmingham 107 which has been preserved at the museum since 1988.
Only the lower saloon of the 1906 built tram remains with this section having been discovered in use a summerhouse in Bromsgrove when it was rescued for preservation. Originally an open balcony tramcar it was constructed in Preston by UEC and remained in service on the Birmingham system until withdrawal came in 1939.
The lower deck has had limited attention during its preservation career and a volunteer at the museum had made a start on installing a replica staircase at one end. However, he is now no longer able to attend the museum so the decision has been made to remve the staircase and it has now been replaced by a information panel which includes photos to show what the cab and staircase area would once have looked. The photos feature fellow Birmingham car 395 which can be found at the Thinktank museum in the city centre.
It is hoped that this new interpretation on 107 will allow visitors to the Aldridge Transport Museum to understand more about the tram.
- Information on the Aldridge Transport Museum can be found on their website which is http://www.amrtm.org/.