As we start to approach the main summer season and with the UK currently in the middle of a heatwave more fair weather trams are being commissioned for service at the Crich Tramway Village. The latest tram is open balcony car Chesterfield 7 which was used for the first time in 2022 on Saturday 16th July.
When the 2022 operating fleet was announced ahead of the season starting, 7 was originally on the reserve list but with limited open trams currently available for service it seems to have been stepped up to being a main car. It becomes the second open balcony car to be commissioned (following on from Glasgow 22).
On its first day in use it was joined by open car Blackpool 236 and semi-convertible Oporto 273, giving the most open combination of trams available in the operating fleet at the moment.
13 different passenger trams have now been used at Crich in 2022: Chesterfield 7, Glasgow 22, Blackpool 167, Leeds 180, Blackpool 236, Oporto 273, Metropolitan Electric Tramways 331, Leeds 345, Leeds 399, Sheffield 510, Blackpool 630, Liverpool 869 and Berlin 223 006-4.