The tram service is currently suspended at Beamish, with no trams expected to run in the period between Thursday 28th November and Sunday 1st December (inclusive) with the official explanation on the website saying that is due to essential maintenance.
We had only just run an article on the launch of Christmas events at Beamish with the trams currently being represented by three operational vehicles: Sunderland 16, Blackpool 31 and Oporto 196 whilst Sheffeld 264 is sidelined with a fault. But as a week is a long time in politics it seems a day is a long time for heritage trams!
Its believed that a broken span wire at Pockerley is to blame for the tram service having to be temporarily suspended. This will need to be repaired before trams can start running again and until that is done (which won’t be until after this weekend at the earliest it seems) the buses will be continuing to take the slack of heritage transport at the museum.
And talking of buses, Beamish have recently welcomed another local vehicle. Leyland PD2/1 KPT 909 was built in 1949 and operated for Weardale Motor Services until 1970. It was more recently at the Science Museum store in Wroughton (also home to Glasgow Standard tramcar 585) but has now made the long move to Beamish with a view to be returned to service. This is currently the last bus due to be added to the fleet at Beamish.
No trams in service means a full tram depot. Newcastle 114 (currently out of service), Sunderland 16 and Oporto 196 at the front of the depot.
Plenty of buses on show as well including newest arrival KPT 909, seen here in the gateway. To the left is Sunderland 139 and Rotherham 220 with Sunderland Crossley 13 at the very back of the shot. (Both Photographs by Trevor Hall, 28th November 2024)
I am sure I shall not be the only Severn Valley Railway volunteer who remembers KPT909. When the SVR took over the site of Bridgnorth Station, they inherited a genuine ex-GWR bus garage (from the time that the GWR ran the Wolverhampton – Bridgnorth bus service, now Arriva 9). However they needed a bus to put in it …
I cannot remember the name of the owner at the time, but it was looked after by a group of track maintenance volunteers (The “P-Way”) and so it was always referred to as “The P-Way Bus”. I enjoyed a couple of trips on it, here is a link to a couple of photographs taken at Crich in 1977: http://www.hatspics.co.uk/type_years_photos.php?type=SVR%20Social&year=1977.