As winter turns to spring it’s a chance to see progress on those projects which have been ongoing throughout the darker, colder months. One of the most significant infrastructure projects which has been taking place is at the East Anglia Transport Museum where a second tram depot is being built to house the ever expanding tram fleet.
Initial construction on the new depot, to be known as the West Tram Depot, started last year with it being located on the expanded museum site which will eventually also include an extended tramway. Last time we featured a progress report on the depot, the basic structure was up and it included track but there were no doors and a final concrete surface needed to be installed.
Fast forward to March 2023 and the structure is nearing completion. It now has doors installed and the concrete floor has now been laid. There does remain other work to be completed, including on the exterior trim of the building and guttering and associated drainage works, but the rapid progress being made on the structure is very much apparent.
It is already home to a couple of trams as well with two of the 2022 Blackpool tram arrivals – Brush 625 and Balloon 726 – situated inside the building.
- The East Anglia Transport Museum is also gearing up for its 2023 opening. Its first operating day will be Sunday 2nd April.
The shute from the cement mixer is seen on the far left of this shot as work to level out the concrete takes place. This is the section between the two tracks within the depot.
To allow the work to take place Brush 625 was moved out of the depot building and looks on as more concrete is poured. Note the roller shutter doors are raised.
With the concrete floor now in place both 625 and Balloon 726 are seen within the building.
Outside the depot with the doors closed showing the simple but very important building. (All Photographs by Tim Major, 22nd March 2023)
Fantastic achievement.
Excellent work. Having trams and other vehicles under cover is important, as is space for an ever increasing museum fleet. This expansion also supports the hiring in of trams from other sites (e.g. the LCC type B tram from Crich). Well done! Having visited Crich and the LT Depot (S. Acton), the EATM will probably be next on my list!