The latest tram to have been returned to Wednesbury after repairs at Dudley is now back on the road to return having started tests on the mainline. 33 has been back at Wednesbury since 11th August 2023 when it was delivered on Bilston Road and towed back to the depot and now after further attention at the depot it has been spotted undergoing tests.
33 is the ninth tram to have come back from Dudley (the others being 17, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29 and 30) after going through the major repairs required to the trams after cracks were discovered. The other eight have all run in service although 17, 26 and 29 have since been sent for offsite storage at Worksop.
Back to 33 and the tram was spotted out “Not In Service” on 16th November 2023 with it initially running between Wednesbury Parkway and Priestfield before it stretched its wheels a bit further along the line.
Another Urbos3 which hasn’t been seen in service for a while is 18 and after it too was out on test last week it was in action on 15th November running as one of the peak time extra trams.
33 uses the crossover at Priestfield when out on test.
The tram is then seen at The Hawthorns when continuing its tests. (Both Photographs by Andy Walters, 16th November 2023)