The May mileage figures for the Seaton Tramway have been revealed and there isn’t really a surprise at the top of the list with one of three newest purpose built trams out in front – no. 9. But its what comes next in the list which is more of a surprise as it’s the oldest tram in the fleet (excluding those which have rebuilt from first generation tramcars) – no. 6!
As they have been doing for a little while each monthly newsletter sent out to subscribers by the Seaton Tramway includes a fascinating insight into which trams have been used during the previous month, and as the season really ramps up and we’ve also been spoilt with pretty decent weather it’s the open toppers which dominate.
9 managed to operate 1020 miles in May – that is the equivalent to 170 return trips up and down the approximately 3 miles line between Seaton and Colyton. But then comes the surprise with 6 having managed 902 miles (that’s around 150 trips). 6 is a small double decker which dates from 1954 and whilst it does see regular use to see it used more than 10, 11 and 12 is pretty unusual.
8 remained out of service during May having been loaned to the engineering team whilst the restoration of Works Car 02 is ongoing. However, it was back in passenger service from Saturday 14th June 2025, and whilst its still expected to be used for out of hours engineering work, it can now be considered as being back in service.
Another tram which has been out of service is ex-Bournemouth car 16 (106 in Bournemouth) which has been seeing some maintenance to its south cab.
Mileage data for May is:
9 – 1020 miles
6 – 902 miles
11 – 876 miles
10 – 870 miles
2 – 576 miles
15 – 372 miles
12 – 330 miles
14 – 264 miles
19 – 144 miles
16 – 96 miles
4 – 66 miles
- Seaton Tramway is open daily, operating the Blue timetable which includes departures every 20 minutes from Seaton between 1000 and 1700, with trips from Colyton every 20 minutes between 1040 and 1700. The Pink timetable (the same but with extras as required) kicks in from Saturday 26th July.