A tram – which is no longer a tram but railway coaching stock – which we’ve featured several times over the past few months is former Aberdeen Suburban Tramways Company 11 which is currently enjoying an overhaul at the Alford Valley Community Railway in Aberdeenshire. In this latest update we take another look at the tram/coach as it continues its road to a return.
It is now hoped that it may be ready to be used again for Santa Specials in the lead up to Christmas 2025 but there is still a fair amount of work to be completed before this can be confirmed. Recent progress has included the wheelchair space being almost finished with a few more repairs also required ahead of a full repaint into red and cream once more.
The vehicle was built in 1914 by UEC and had fewer than ten years of service before it was withdrawn in the early 1920s. After its life as an operating tram came to a close it ended up as a summerhouse before being discovered and rescued in the 1980s. The Alford Valley Railway restored it as a carriage and it was used on the line until 2018, at which point the railway was closed.
Following the takeover of the line by a local community group, it reopened in 2023 but the former tram needed workshop attention before it could make a return. Restoration work has been taking place over the last 18 months or so and it was far enough advanced in March 2025 for a test run. As noted above further work has now taken place and more will happen over the coming months before it can return to the rails on a full-time basis.
- The Alford Valley Community Railway runs every Saturday and Sunday. Full details on their website at https://avcr.org.uk/
The interior of the tram/coach clearly showing its tramcar origins.
The exterior shows the rubber down paintwork in preparation for a repaint. Just taking a look at the vehicle makes you think that’s a tram!
Another view of the outside showing the area where there will be accommodation for a wheelchair user. (All Photographs by William Brown, 31st May 2025)