For the second year in a row, Beamish celebrated all things public transport with Fares Please! which for 2024 took place on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June. Whilst the original event in 2023 was originally conceived as being a celebration of 50 years of the tramway it quickly evolved to being a bigger celebration of public transport with buses taking centre stage and that continued this year with only three trams being available for service alongside many buses (both resident and visiting). In what could be advertised as a “Trams &” special, Trevor Hall provides us with some photos of the weekend.
Whilst Lisbon 730 is not yet ready to enter service following its arrival from the Wirral earlier this year (it requires some attention to standardise its systems with the other trams at Beamish), it was displayed outside the depot on both days of the event.
Blackpool 31 was one of the trams in service and we see it here at the Foulbridge/Home Farm tram stop running on the clockwise circuit. The bus is ex Tyne & Wear Transport Leyland Atlantean 218 KBB118D in special Queen’s Silver Jubilee livery.
Also available for service was Newcastle 114 and here as passengers climb the stairs to the ever popular top deck the tram is at Foulbridge. Bus interest this time comes from Doncaster Transport AEC Regal MDT222, which was visiting from the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft.
And the tram’s in service were completed by Sunderland 16 and once again that is seen here at Foulbridge. The bus alongside is RML2443 which is a walking advertisement for West End musicals with ads for The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and The Lion King all visible.
Lisbon 730 is now joined by Middlesbrough Corporation Dennis Loline 99 JDC599 outside the depot.
What do you do when two of the three trams you have available are open toppers and it starts to rain? Close the top deck to passengers! With a packed lower deck Newcastle 114 at Foulbridge. (All Photographs by Trevor Hall)