We stay at Crich for this latest edition of “Picture in Time” and feature a tram which was on loan at the time but is now a permanent member of the collection.
That tram is Blackpool Boat 607 (now back to its original number of 236) which was one of the trams sent to Crich as part of an exchange for others to go to Blackpool for the 1985 Tramway centenary. Arriving in April 1985, the 1934 built tramcar, would prove to be a popular temporary addition to the operating fleet, although probably few thought that in the future it would return but permanently! The tram departed in the December of 1985 and returned to standard use on Blackpool Prom and received adverts for Travelcard ahead of being withdrawn in 2004. After storage it was donated to the Tramway Museum Society, entering service in April 2012.
The below photo shows 607 arriving at Wakebridge just having passed the siding which used to be located here. It’s a full load by the looks of things with those on board looking forward to a ride up to Glory Mine.
Photograph by Keith Chadbourne, June 1985
Why did they have that siding
If I remember right it dated back to the time when Wakebridge was the terminus of the line and allowed two trams to use the terminus.
The siding was also used by the PW gang, with Rupert or GMJ (the diesel locos) often storred there when work was going on in the area on an operating day.