For a village (a large village as Wikipedia tells us) there is a lot of transport interest in Alford, Aberdeenshire. We have regularly seen updates from the Alford Valley Community Railway this year as former Aberdeen Suburban Tramways Company 11 is restored into a carriage, and alongside the railway is the Grampian Transport Museum. And then within the grounds of the Grampian Transport Museum is the Bus Collection at Alford which will be holding an open day on Sunday 13th July 2025.
All three of the aforementioned transport collections have tram interest too. Obviously the Alford Valley Community Railway has no. 11 which is being restored and then the Grampian Transport Museum includes Cruden Bay Tramway no. 2 on display.
For the Bus Collection at Alford the tram interest is supplied by unrestored Aberdeen Corporation Tramways 15 which has been there since being moved from Dundee in 2019.
15 was built in 1901by Brush in Loughborough, one of 12 supplied as the Mannofield route was electrified. It was initially an open topper but by 1910 had received a top cover (albeit with open balconies). A few years later and it was fitted with Pilcher patent folding windscreens and it would remain in this condition until being withdrawn in 1929.
Following withdrawal it was sold and firstly became a weekend retreat by the Loch of Loirston to the south of the city of Aberdeen. Following World War II it was rebuilt with masonry block extension and became a permanent dwelling. That was until 2010 when the site it sat on was acquired for development. Fortunately in 2013 it was carefully extracted from the site and moved to Dundee for storage.
In January 2019 the tram was moved from the Dundee Transport Museum to the Grampian Transport Museum, more precisely the buildings used by the Bus Collection at Alford, with the Aberdeen and District Preservation Society starting to formulate long-term plans for its restoration.
The unrestored tram will be viewable on Sunday 13th July when there will be an open day at the Bus Collection between 1000 and 1600. Admission is free but donations are welcome. Full details of the event on the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/661467579673171/ and more information on the Bus Collection at Alford at http://thebuscollectionatalford.co.uk/.
A picture of 15 on the day it arrived at Alford. (Photograph by William Brown)