After a week of nominations (thanks to everyone who took the time to contact us with their nominations) we are delighted to announce the final shortlists for the British Trams Online Tram of the Year 2024!
Tram (Heritage) of the Year
Blackpool Brush Railcoach 634
Launched into service at the East Anglia Transport Museum during a special event over the Easter Weekend, this Brush Railcoach has been used extensively throughout the year at the museum. Owned by the Fylde Transport Trust and on a five year loan at the museum, a lot of the work on its restoration was completed by former owner Andy Ashton and his family in the years following its original move from Blackpool. With a stunning interior restoration and an eye catching “The Terror Tram” livery is has quickly become a popular addition to the fleet at Carlton Colville.
London County Council 1
Ten years of work. £500,000 of funding. 67 years since it last ran in service. Those numbers alone are impressive enough to warrant a nomination on the shortlist. “Bluebird” was officially launched back into service on Friday 13th September (nothing unlucky about that day!) at Crich giving the public the first chance to see the high-quality restoration and to take a ride on the tram. It subsequently was used over Tram Weekend, proving to be very popular with visitors. Funding for the restoration came from the London County Council Tramways Trust and was worth every penny!
Newcastle 102
With thanks to the Tramcar Sponsorship Organisation, Newcastle 102 returned to service during the summer – the first time it has run in service since being withdrawn in 2000 after suffering a broken axle. It has undergone significant attention in the workshops at the Crich Tramway Village over the past few years and was finally ready to return to action. Although not enjoying its own launch event like the other two trams, it saw extensive use when the weather allowed on the demonstration tramway.
Tram (Modern) of the Year
Blackpool 018
After all the years of waiting, Blackpool Flexity2 018 had the honour of being the first tram to run onto the North Station extension with passengers when it was used for the various pre-opening special trips in the days leading up to the official opening.
South Yorkshire Supertram 105
105 returned to service for the first time in over three years in September 2024. The tram had been involved in a collision with a lorry at Hyde Park which saw it derailed and suffer significant damage on 23rd July 2021. It was sent away to Kilmarnock for repairs and returned to Sheffield in March 2022. After further work at Nunnery Depot it finally returned to service on 8th September 2024.
Tramway/Museum (Heritage) of the Year
Crich Tramway Village
A year which saw two trams join the operating fleet after not having been in use for some time (Newcastle 102) or ever (London County Council 1) helped the home of the National Tramway Museum to another good year. In total 18 different trams ran in passenger service during the year – the highest number of any UK based heritage tramway.
East Anglia Transport Museum
The year started with a bang as Blackpool Brush 634 entered service at an event over the Easter weekend and things just went from strength to strength there. Work on the restoration of Glasgow 488 also moved forward with the top deck moved into the main workshop.
Tramway (Modern) of the Year
Edinburgh Trams
With the Newhaven extension now fully embedded into the network having been open for almost 18 months, 2024 has been another record-breaking for the system. Helped in no small part by Taylor Swift, the system truly comes into its own when there are special events taking place although passenger numbers do also remain high throughout the year.
Manchester Metrolink
The system continues to bounce back from the Covid years with passenger loadings again reaching similar levels. There has been more of a change towards leisure travel with record-breaking numbers seen at weekends at times during the year.
South Yorkshire Supertram
The end of Stagecoach operations came in March, with a new company set up by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to take control. Major trackwork in the summer followed along with deep-cleaning and a piloting of a new timetable with extra services at peak times.
Event (Heritage/Modern) of the Year
Blackpool – Opening of North Station extension events
Yes, it was delayed by many years but June 2024 finally saw the short extension of the Blackpool Tramway up to North Station opened. Ahead of the official opening, there were a number of pre-opening specials for special ticket holders – and this include the first use of a heritage tram up to the station when Balloon 700 was in use.
Crich Tramway Village – Tram Weekend
The annual enthusiast event at Crich once again pulled out all the stops. With London County Council 1 making its first official public appearances, the weekend also saw fellow London County Council tramcar 106 return to service and Newcastle 102 was also in use. The weekend also saw numerous tram line-ups on the depot fan which included the rare sight of Leicester 76 out of the Exhibition Hall.
Crich Tramway Village – A Journey Through Light and Time
A brand new event for 2024 took place at Crich after the main season had ended, with special lighting added to the museum site as trams ran after dark. Leeds 399 also received external illuminations for the event which proved very popular with the visiting public.
East Anglia Transport Museum – Blackpool Tram Event
Starting the 2024 season of special events, the long Easter weekend saw a Blackpool Tram Event take place at the East Anglia Transport Museum. This included the launch into service of Blackpool Brush 634 but also saw all other operational trams with a Blackpool link in operation – Standard 159, Marton VAMBAC 11 and Sheffield 513.
Manx Heritage Transport Festival
The big event of the heritage transport calendar on the Isle of Man returned again in 2024 with six days of events across the various heritage lines on the island. This included the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway run various different trams at different times (including the first use of 1 since pre-pandemic) whilst the Manx Electric Railway again featured extensively, including various parallel runs, behind the scenes tours and special tours of the line.
How to Vote
You now know what has been shortlisted so it is now time to register your votes! Votes can be submitted at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/56WZYXX. You can vote in all of just some of the categories but please remember multiple votes will be discounted so if you’re not sure don’t submit one vote and then decide to go in later and change your mind!
Voting is open from now until 1000 on Saturday 4th January 2025. Please remember only vote once (multiple votes will be removed!) and that the contest is just for fun!
Good luck to everything nominated!
- You can find more details of the Tram of the Year contest at http://www.britishtramsonline.co.uk/tramofyear.html