We hope your Christmas Day is going well! We’re still here (well we’re not really – the joys of being able to schedule posts!) and its time for another look at one of the Crich Photo line-ups in recent years. And we think that the one we feature this Christmas afternoon is probably one of the, if not the, best line-up we have seen. It included a large selection of open toppers.
Enthusiasts Day on 19th September 2015 was set to have one of the biggest and most spectacular line-ups on the depot fan ever. Although when it was announced before the day what would be happening may have seemed like it was akin to telling the weather gods to drop a large amount of rain on this small part of Derbyshire the plan was to go-ahead as expected with no fewer than nine open toppers displayed on the depot fan. Hill of Howth 10 set the ball rolling and it was joined by fellow Exhibition Hall residents Derby 1, Douglas Marine Head Drive 1 and Blackpool 4 – ordinarily that would be spectacular enough but there was to be more! Southampton 45 (which had been recommissioned for service for one day only), London County Council 106, London United Tramways 159, Glasgow 1068 and Newcastle 102 were all also put onto display making a complete and very difficult to photograph line-up!
This photo shows six of the nine in one shot. 159, 106, 10, 45, 102 and 1068 are all featured here,
We can just about make out the other three trams in this photo – and 159 puts in another appearance too! Closest to the camera is Derby 1 and its bent trolley pole then we have Blackpool 4 and at the back on the Traverser is Douglas Head Marine Drive 1.
159 keeps getting into these shots! A better shot of Douglas Head Marine Drive 1 with Blackpool 4 and London United Tramways 159.
This is about our best effort to get all nine in one photo – and the sun is in the wrong place! From left to right we have 1068, 102, 45, 10, 106, 159, 1, 4 and 1. (All Photographs by Gareth Prior)