Since being repatriated following five decades spent in Paris, work has commenced on a major restoration of Glasgow ‘Standard’ car 488. Since being moved inside the Boston Lodge railway works at the Ffestinog Railway at the end of the summer, the lower saloon of the tram – which is destined to operate at the East Anglia Transport Museum once completed – has been stripped to a shell for a full assessment of the required work.
Work has so far been focussed on the bottom deck of the tram, with the wooden framework being cleaned and repaired as necessary. A full strip down has revealed that the car is in remarkably good condition considering its age, and of course the fact that it was withdrawn from service more than fifty years ago and has not run since! The veneer panels – which have been damaged – have been dispatched to a specialist company for attention, with another contractor responsible for shot-blasting various fittings. Of note, one end will require more substantial rebuilding than the other, having been rather crudely cut off for ease of transit when it first moved to France! Meanwhile some of 488‘s electro-mechanical parts will be overhauled by volunteer members of the East Anglia Transport Museum Society, as part of their contribution to the project.
For recent photographs and other updates on this fantastic project, take a look at http://www.488.cyberpictures.net/index.html