The Lancastrian Transport Trust have announced details of a swap deal with Merseytravel, the organisation who aim to takeover the heritage tramway operation at Birkenhead. This is their second such arrangement, having previously acquired Balloon car 708 only to give it to the Manchester Transport Museum Society in exchange for sister car 704. This latest deal is a far more bizarre and confusing one, however!
Two trams which had been purchased by the LTT for potential use to provide spare parts for other trams in their collection, Brush Railcoach 637 and Trailer 687, have now transferred to the ownership of Merseytravel. In return, the LTT have acquired Towing car 671 as a potential future restoration project – yet strangely, its trailer 681 remains the property of Merseytravel! It is believed that the company have plans to motorise at least one of the trailer cars they have purchased from Blackpool, and 681 would be a good candidate for conversion as it is in a particularly good condition, having been partly rebuilt after its cab end was destroyed in a severe collision in summer 1997. By contrast 687 has
been stored out of service since the 2004 illuminations and has already surrendered its seats to the illuminated Train – although like all the trailers it has had an easy life and the body structure remains in a sound condition.
It is believed that Merseytravel now own a total of five trams – as well as the two Trailers and 637, they also have refurbished Brush car 626, which is already based at Birkenhead but has not yet entered service there, and the other tram is reported to be Brush car 625. Like 687, this car has been stored since 2004 but is still able to move under its own power, as it proved earlier this year when it starred in a charity calendar photo shoot. These trams should not be regarded as preserved museum cars however, and at least some of them are expected to be heavily modified in order to comply with modern accessibility legislation. Of course, the future of these cars is largely dependent on Merseytravel’s takeover bid being successful; it is unclear what will happen to them if the plans fail to come to fruition. Hopefully the decision to proceed with this swap arrangement is a positive sign that negotiations between Merseytravel and Wirral Council are approaching a positive conclusion, especially as cars 625, 637, 681 and 687 are all expected to leave Blackpool before the end of the year.
Moving now to the Lancastrian Transport Trust, whose decision to acquire Towing car 671 without its trailer must surely rank as one of the Trust’s more baffling decisions to date. The Trust have stated that 671 ‘represents a much better restoration project, being in good condition and having 24v equipment fitted’, and it is believed that the tram may be restored as a single car, albeit in its 1960s condition with flat ends, as it did briefly operate in this guise when newly rebuilt. It should also be noted that 671 will have just one controller; presumably 681 will retain its single controller at its new home.
Many tram enthusiasts are likely to be disappointed at the decision to separate the first standard Twin set, although in fairness to the organisations involved, it was never likely to be restored or even remain as it is for long with Merseytravel, who are acquiring trams for rebuilding, not to preserve them. The LTT will also benefit from having one less tram to accommodate, which will doubtless be a welcome relief if Blackpool Transport opt to charge rent for the continued storage of their collection.
Report by Andrew Waddington