Whilst various historic tramcars were being transported back home to Blackpool’s Rigby Road depot, another fascinating series of events was also unfolding in the North East. At Beamish Museum, work has finally got underway on starting the major restoration of Sheffield 264, a tram which last ran in regular service at the museum about a decade ago and has been stored awaiting overhaul for many years.
On Monday 9th December, 264 was towed outside and shunted onto road 2 in front of the tram depot. With various fixtures and fittings having been removed recently, a crane was used to seperate the tram into two sections, with the upper saloon being lifted off the bottom deck. This left the remaining lower deck looking very strange, particularly as the decency panels and ironwork which surround its top deck open balconies remained in situ! These were then detached with assistance from a small forklift truck, whilst the upper deck remains were placed on two small accomodation bogies and shunted back onto depot track 4, where this tram has generally rested of late. As the upper deck is largely of fairly new build it is not expected to require such significant attention as the lower, and will be stored in the depot for now until its turn for restoration arrives.
However, the work to dismantle the tram did not end there, as the lower deck was then removed from its four-wheel truck, and placed on a waiting truck which was used to transport the body to the Regional Heritage Engineering Centre (RHEC), located to the rear of the bus and tram sheds. The truck has also been moved out of the way. Apart from a brief interruption when staff were called to assist with re-capturing an escaped pony, the operation went extremely smoothly and the various bits of Sheffield tram were soon moved into the appropriate spaces.
Progress on the lower saloon has been swift, with some panelling already removed just a couple of days later and this has revealed the wooden body frame to be in a far superior condition to what was anticipated. The longitudinal bench seating has also been removed to allow closer examination of the timber framework. It is hoped to retain as much material as possible in this restoration to enhance 264‘s historic value, although a new underframe will be required. The museum hopes to have 264 completed and operational by 2015, which will certainly be a very impressive achievement if they manage it, and of course we will provide frequent updates on its progress from now on.
We have lift off! The dramatic sight of Sheffield 264's upper saloon hovering above the lower deck, as it is removed by crane leaving only the balcony panels in place.
One of the most bizarre images we have ever published, with Sheffield 264's lower deck, truck and upper balconies all visible - but all seperated! Here we see the tram body being placed on a truck for transfer to the RHEC.
The final view shows the upper deck saloon mounted on a temporary set of mini bogies for ease of shunting. (All photos from the Beamish Transport & Industry Blog)