Over the past year or so the East Anglia Transport Museum tram collection has been increasing with a number of new additions in the form of three trams from Blackpool (Brush Cars 625 and 627 and Balloon 726) whilst Glasgow 488 (top deck only) has also arrived at the site in Carlton Colville. But there is another tram which has been seeing attention for a number of years and is still being worked on with a view to it too being prepared for service in the future. That tram is local car Lowestoft 14.
It has been a couple of years since we last featured Lowestoft 14 in its own article and at that time there had been good progress on the painting of the tram within the main tram depot (which at the time was the tram depot!). Since then more work has taken place on the paintwork and it has also received between deck adverts with work on the interior also underway.
Built in 1903, 14 has never run in preservation with its last operation being 1931 at the latest at the time that Lowestoft Corporation Tramways closed. Like many other redundant trams it was sold on for further use (living accommodation in this case) but was acquired by enthusiasts in 1962 and the following year it moved to a site just by what would become the East Anglia Transport Museum. Originally enjoying a cosmetic restoration more recently it was decided to bring it up to operational condition, work that continues to this date.
A head-on view of 14 in the depot showing the between deck adverts in situ.
Looking inside the lower deck saloon. (Both Photographs by Bryan Grint, 25th June 2023)