The last of the “forgotten” three trams at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine, USA is the latest vehicle to feature as a “Lost Tram” – Glasgow Coronation 1274. Like the Leeds and Liverpool cars already featured in this series this tram is also stored in a derelict condition in the car sheds at the Museum waiting for its turn to be restored having been touched since arriving 50 years ago.
Built in 1940, 1274 was the first of that year’s batch of Coronation trams to enter service and was used in service up until the end in 1962. Upon withdrawal the tram was donated to the Seashore Trolley Museum directly by Glasgow Corporation Transport. The tram left the UK aboard the SS American Scientist and arrived at Seashore in September 1963.
1274 is another tram never to have operated at Seashore but has remained undercover in the large “car barns” there along with the Leeds Feltham and Liverpool Baby Grand already mentioned in this series. Its future remains secure in the USA although the chances of it being returned to operational condition are incredibly remote.
A view of 1274 at Seashore on 14th September 2013 in the cramped conditions of the big car barns at the Museum. (Photo: Stephen Cobb)
What a depressing series this is, these wonderful old trams from Britain rotting away in America until Seashore closes down and they are scrapped.
But if they hadn’t have gone to America would they still be in existence at all or would they already have been scrapped?
Another factor to consider is: are these trams really any worse off than many of those that are preserved in the UK? At least they have survived, and are in safe undercover storage. I also take comfort in the fact that none of these trams are actually unique, although admittedly I’d love to see the Feltham restored here in the UK!
At least they’re not parked up in yards or on open-air seafront sites exposed to the elements.
Indeed all valid points, but the question I am asking of all these examples is that there is no purpose to near-derelict trams rotting in a shed with no prospect of ever being in any condition better than they are now – 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, 100 years? They are in limbo. As to having only one example of any kind of tram preserved in a collection, MUNI want two Blackpool boats to run in San Francisco, which belies the ‘one tram only of each kind’ principle.
Who knows what the future holds? Blackpool Standard 147 would have once fallen into the same category as these three, and look at it now… as for my comment about duplication, I don’t mind having more than one of certain types of tram preserved, far from it, but considering the vast amount of money it would take to get any of these trams shipped back to Britain and then restored, I would personally rather see something more unique tackled instead. That’s just an opinion of course and if any rich benefactor wanted to sponsor the return of these trams, then I’d certainly be very much in favour of it!