Article updated 04/05/2024 with additional photos.
Its become something of a tradition that a tram in Edinburgh receives an advert for The Royal Highland Show each year and in 2024 the tram chosen for these vinyls is 257. The sixth different advert carried for the Royal Highland Show.
The Royal Highland Show association with Edinburgh Trams started in 2017 when 261 received special vinyls. This was more an internal promotion (it was before commercial advertising commenced) with the slogan “Trampede”. Then in 2018 it was the turn of 276 to have the first commercial advert for the show and then in both 2019 and 2022 it was 272’s turn (no show in 2020 and 2021) before 264 received the advert in 2023.
With 257 now advertising The Royal Highland Show it means its previous advert for Leonardo has been removed. This was applied in August 2022. Previous adverts on the tram had been for Johnnie Walker #jointhepact (February 2018-January 2020), Ray Harryhausen exhibition (November 2020-October 2021), Ocean Winds (October 2021-July 2022) and Edinburgh Napier University (July and August 2022).
This latest advert for The Royal Highland Show is of the partial type (full height on two sections of the tram only and the rest just above windows) and makes a lot of use of yellow as its base colour.
257 at St Andrew Square carrying the new advert for the Royal Highland Show. (Photograph by Alan Absolom)
The advert for 257 is a two sided affair with different designs on each side. This is the yellow side with the tram just having pulled away from McDonald Road on the way towards Newhaven.
And here we see the green side of the ad again. Its just rounding the corner from York Place on to North Saint Andrew Street with a service to the Airport. (Both Photographs by Roy Calderwood, 3rd May 2024)