Now this is a day I wouldn’t have predicted on 1st December 2002 – today is the 20th anniversary of British Trams Online! That’s right British Trams Online has been taking bandwidth on the internet for a full two decades. From the very first article written (a cheery headline for that first story “Great Grandmother killed by tram in Croydon”…) we have sought to bring news, photos and fleet lists from tramways across the British Isles and we have no plans to go anywhere just yet! Read on for some memories from the one who has been there from the start – me!
A question I’ve been asked in the past is why did I create British Trams Online? It would be fair to say why is a question I’ve asked myself a lot – particularly when I’ve been working hard on getting an update ready and would rather be watching something on television! I decided to set it up as I saw a bit of a gap for a website which would cover all British tramways and having been out of university for over a year decided I needed something to keep me occupied. And so British Trams Online was born!
But the website you read today in comparison with the website it was then is a very different beast! Back in 2002 it used to take a couple of hours a week to complete the update – and now in 2022 it can often be at least two hours an evening in the week and depending on other commitments maybe another seven hours at the weekend. But if I didn’t still enjoy it (most of the time!) I wouldn’t be continuing to update it so those hours are just something which needs to be done to bring you the latest tram and light rail news and photos.
There have been several “milestone” moments for the website. Firstly, when we moved from free webspace to the britishtramsonline.co.uk address and paid for hosting. Then we had the introduction of this blog which enables the website to be updated from anywhere with internet access and also allows us to schedule articles to be published which means I don’t constantly have to be there clicking publish – and also means that although we have updates most days throughout the year I’m not actually there online doing it!
There have also been challenges. I definitely don’t forget the time when I forgot to renew the hosting and the whole website was lost (hopefully a mistake I won’t be making again as rebuilding the website now would be a mammoth task!) and there have been many other technical issues over the years (including a hosting upgrade which seemed to be anything but when the website didn’t return for several days!). in fact technical issues have often been the worst part of it – especially when I have no idea what’s going on and the hosting help don’t help a great deal!
Away from the actual website and in previous significant anniversaries we have sponsored two heritage tram projects – and it would be fair to say neither of them went according to plan! For our tenth anniversary we sponsored the repaint of Blackpool Boat 233 when it was loaned from the Lancastrian Transport Trust to Beamish. The repaint ended up with a minty green cream colour and then the tram’s loan was cut short with it moving to San Francisco. Then for the 15th anniversary we sponsored the loan of Birkenhead 20 to Blackpool – and the tram barely ran during its time there but we did get a hire of it just before departure. It was just a shame I didn’t get to ride on it having sponsored it! After those challenging sponsorships we aren’t currently planning another one although if anyone has any project (cheap one!) they think we could support please do let me know and we’ll see if it’s a possibility.
Of course, British Trams Online is nothing without you – whether you’re reading the website or have contributed in any way a big thank you! I’d particularly like to mention Andrew Waddington for all his help when he was the only other “member of staff” as our “Senior Contributing Writer” which came at a time when there seemed to be a lot going on with heritage trams across the country – and also coincided with the initial introduction of this blog for the news. But it’s a big thanks to everyone else who has contributed (I won’t try to name you all as I’m bound to forget someone!), without those contributions British Trams Online would not be the website it is today as I can’t be everywhere and at times I can’t be anywhere as sadly real life work gets in the way a lot (especially this year where its often amazed me that I’ve managed to do any updates at all!). And if you just read what we bring you – thanks to you as well, there’s little point in doing the website without you!
I won’t go into too much detail about the most significant news stories we’ve seen in the past 20 years but it would be fair to say a lot has changed in those two decades! Some of it for the better and maybe some of it not so much. I’ll always try and look at the positives in most stories (maybe its what comes of being a long suffering Aldershot fan – you take any crumb of comfort you can!) as after all its just a hobby.
As in recent years we’ll be treating December as a celebratory month with three new photo series featuring. The first is a returning series as we again look at trams “15 Years Apart” whilst two new series will look at “The Number 20” (trams related to the number 20 – and there aren’t many just numbered 20 which still exist!) and feature many of the “Crich Line-ups” which we’ve seen in recent years during special events.
Happy Birthday to us!
The photo to accompany this article is purely selfish – as it’s the only tram which has operated in the past 20 years from my home county! Its Southampton 45 at Crich at the Entrance on 13th September 2014. (Photograph by Gareth Prior)
Congratulations Gareth, Thanks for all you do, it is much appreciated. This is one of my go-to websites most days. All the best to you
Congratulations Gareth and keep up the good work!
A massive achievement to have administered and updated a site – pretty much daily – backed up with encyclopaedic knowledge. And whilst collisions with other road users have occurred ever since George Train set up shop in Birkenhead, more importantly you are documenting a story that is positive – a revival of something thought gone forever. 20 years ago, when you recorded Croydon, how many would have thought that London No.1 which once graced that borough would be on the verge of carrying passengers, or that Blackpool, far from closure, would actually be extended.
Nice one Gareth. Keep up the excellent work you do for all us Tram Enthusiasts.
Deserved congratulations, Gareth on your 20th. You give all us tramlovers what is for me a daily a treat.
Lang may yir lum reek (and that of British Trams On Line)!
Well done Gareth, ten out of ten!
To thanks for all your hard work Gareth
I view the site every day to keep up to date with what goes as around the UK .
You are well known by the staff at wm metro and I bet other tram networks too .
Keep up the good work and thank you ???
Many Congratulations Gareth!
Twenty years is a major milestone and a great achievement. My ‘go to’ for a daily tram fix. Long may it continue!
Thanks?
Congratulations Gareth. It can’t be easy maintaining such a concise, well informed web site, on your own, but your work in this is very much appreciated. My go to website on a daily basis for the latest, up to date, news. Long may it continue !
Gareth. Many congratulations on all your hard work over the last twenty years. As I think you know I read the web site virtually every day.
A real milestone for you, and British Trams Online, Gareth, for which you must be congratulated and thanked.
My “obsession” since I retired in February 2022 (as my wife calls it) with two tram systems – Manchester Metrolink and West Midlands Metro is all your fault!!!… and I am really thankful for it.
I baulked against photographing Metrolink on the grounds that “they are really trains that run through the streets stopping at platforms” but my interest was nurtured by reading articles on here.
I had photographed West Midlands Metro in the pre-blue era but only if I saw one. My daughter’s marriage and move to West Bromwich, coupled with reports on BTO started my campaign to “get a photo (or video for Youtube these days) of everything that goes on inasmuch as I can when I visit with my wife. Those visits have increased since the birth of our gorgeous granddaughter, Molly, in October 2022, who travelled on the first tram to Edgbaston Village so that mum and dad could make a video for me.
It has now become a “daily check to see what’s happening” when I visit your site and I enjoy making the odd contribution here and there.
Keep going for yet another 20 years to your “Ruby Jubilee” and we will all be happy.
Absolutely well done….. and when you come up to Blackpool next, look us up.
Well done. Keep up the good work!
One of the the few wesbites I look at daily – great work and thanks.
Paul Stewart, Great Malvern
Congratulations on achieving this anniversary and just to express my appreciation for your hard work to provide this group with such information and entertainment
Thank you for all the hard work. So many interesting snippets.