Earlier this year we saw the high-profile transfer of trams from the Wirral to Crich, as Birkenhead 20, Liverpool 762 and Wallasey 78 were transferred from the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society to the Tramway Museum Society to provide a secure, and in the future operational, future. But it shouldn’t be forgotten that the MTPS have also been owners of other trams, and indeed still are, this includes three horse cars which had already moved away from the Wirral Transport Museum in late 2023.
The MTPS have long been owners of Liverpool 43 – a double deck horse car which ran in the late nineteenth century on the Old Swan-Pier route. After withdrawal in 1900 it was some 70 years later that it was rescued and restored. After a spell at Crich it moved to the Wirral Transport Museum where it remained until it was moved to the new MTPS base at Hooton Park.
More recent horse car acquisitions were Douglas Bay Horse Tramway pair 11 and 47. Both these trams last ran in 1978 and were surplus to requirements on the Isle of Man and were acquired by the MTPS a few years ago, moving to the Wirral initially in May 2021. As part of their plan for the future both trams moved to Hooton Park in October 2023.
Hooton Park is now the main base for the MTPS and provides undercover storage and a place to work on the trams. They aren’t the only trams there as Chester 4 is also located there, this is the sole surviving electric tram from Chester which has made a home there for a number of years with good progress being made on its restoration by a dedicated group of volunteers.
Hooton Park Hangers is located in Ellesmere Port and is open on the last Sunday of every month. Chester 4 is on display in the main hanger but the three horse cars are in another hanger which is not usually open to the public.
The MTPS three are seen in this view. Closest to us is Liverpool 43. The further tram is Douglas 47 which has had restoration work completed including attention to its paintwork which is looking a lot brighter than it did when the tram arrived in the UK. In between those two is Douglas 11 which is partially dismantled. (Photograph by Rod Bryant, 29th June 2025)