Today we reach the letter L in our “Completely Random A-Z of Trams in the British Isles!”.
There was a time when the sight of a tram being transported on a low loader was a relatively rare occurrence. Obviously we had new trams being delivered which arrived on the back of a low loader but these didn’t seem to get captured on camera a huge deal. But in more recent years heritage trams have regularly taken a trip on the back of a low loader – with many of these seeing them switched being storage location, indeed some trams have become common sights as they move from here to there and then back to here again.
The photo we use for this letter shows a tram on the back of a Scotts low loader at Beamish. In 2013, Beamish’s tramway was due to celebrate its 40th anniversary and a number of trams were set to visit in time for a special event. However, late and heavy snowfall that year delayed many of these from arriving and in the event Glasgow 1068 only arrived during the “Our Friends Electric” event which is when we see the tram here. Unloaded and commissioned 1068 did enter service at Beamish and operated for a short time before returning to Crich. (Photograph by Gareth Prior, 5th April 2013)