We may still be a week or so away from the operating season getting underway on Manchester’s Heaton Park Tramway but they are already planning for the rest of the year with an announcement of a series of events.
As previously reported, the season’s start was delayed due to a fault in substation but this has now been repaired and the past few weeks have seen extensive testing and commissioning of the tram fleet taking place. This will allow the tramway to open again on Saturday 15th June and to mark the occasion trams will stay running until 2000 – subject to weather this will hopefully see an open car in operation.
Over the past few years there has been a successful heritage bus link from the Manchester Museum of Transport at Boyle Street and that will again be happening this year with dates set as Sunday 16th June and Sunday 14th July. And if buses are your thing Sunday 18th August will be another date for your diary as there will be a cavalcade of vintage buses from the Museum of Transport.
Saturday 31st August will see the return of the Model Tram Exhibition and then just over a week later on Sunday 8th September is the annual enthusiast event, Tramtastic! where you can expect all operational trams running at some point and special photo opportunities of stored cars.
The year then ends on Saturday 9th November with an End of Season Running and Evening Service. This will again include a vintage bus service as well as trams running after dark.
More details on all the above will doubtless follow in the coming months!
Saturday 15th June – Tramway Reopening with services until 2000
Sunday 16th June – Vintage Bus Service to Manchester Museum of Transport
Sunday 14th July – Vintage Bus Service to Manchester Museum of Transport
Sunday 18th August – Vintage Bus Cavalcade
Saturday 31st August – Model Tram Exhibition
Sunday 8th September – Tramtastic!
Saturday 9th November – End of Season Evening Running and Bus Service
Great to learn the outstanding Heaton Park Tramway will soon be open again! It’s also interesting to read about the collaboration with the Museum of Transport in Manchester. If I am allowed to mention the word ‘bus’ on here(!) I was able to visit just a small part of an event the Museum held last weekend as part of celebrations of 200 years of the bus, in this case focusing on buses of the 1940s/50s. There were some exceptional vintage buses usually in their displays but for once actually on the road and providing rides, including ones of the long defunct Crossley make from Manchester and Stockport which I hadn’t
seen running since the 1990s! If you like older vehicles I wonder if any of these might turn up in Heaton Park this year alongside the superbly restored trams.
year alongside the superb restored trams