The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley has the only operational 3’6” gauge tramway on the UK mainland and normally operates a one tram service between the entrance and the town using either Wolverhampton & District 34 or Wolverhampton 49. The Museum also has a fleet of trolleybuses which operate regularly. Unfortunately due to a broken rail trams are currently only able to run between the Mine and the Town.
The current mainstay of operations Wolverhampton & District 34 sits in the sun outside the tram depot at the town.
The two operational electric trams at the Museum stand side by side. 34 is joined by the stunning restoration of Wolverhampton 49.
A close-up view of 49.
34 is joined by a trolleybus and a bus.
Also tucked up in the depot is Wolverhampton horse car 23 although this is unable to operate as it is standard gauge. (All photos: Steve Kemp)
Really interesting pictures – early Wolverhampton trams were surface contact and not overhead powered, but it’s too much to expect a re-creation of that system with nothing left to work on. But it’s not the only three foot six operational tramway on the UK mainlaind – the Great Orme at Llandudno is that gauge.
Birmingham trams also were three foot six guage.