On Saturday 1st February, the doors of the National Tramway Museum were thrown open unusually early, to allow enthusiasts to witness a series of interesting shunting movements involving tramcars which are not currently part of the operational fleet. Although no trams ran in passenger service, there was no shortage of excitement with a total of ten non-runners moving over the course of the day, including some very welcome surprises! Andrew Waddington reports on an unexpectedly action-packed day in Derbyshire.
Early visitors to Crich on this special open day were greeted by the fine sight of Edinburgh 35 and Leicester 76 basking in the glorious winter sunshine on the depot track fan. Both trams had been moved outside, ready to be moved inside the Exhibition Hall ahead of the main 2014 season. Before this could happen however, it was necessary to move a number of other trams out of the way, and the first to emerge from the depths of the Exhibition Hall was Brussels snow broom 96, closely followed by Hill of Howth 10. Both trams were temporarily placed at the front of the main depot, on roads 11 and 12 respectively. Then it was time for Johannesburg 60 – which had been in the position normally occupied by 76 since last September – to be moved onto the traverser, and unusually this car was then stabled behind the Exhibition Hall. This was to be the first of several surprises on the day, which was well received by the many photographers on site who savoured the chance to capture some very unusual scenes. Leicester 76 was then returned to its usual position, with Howth 10 and the snow broom then being put back in front.
Attention was then turned to Southampton 45, another temporary resident of the Exhibition Hall, which was also moved on the traverser, being placed at the top of road 12 in the depot complex, with its trolley raised and put back on the wire; possibly a sign of a potential return to service? Its place was to be taken by another, much larger open-topper in the shape of Newcastle 102: a tram which had not emerged into daylight for four years. First, the truck of London County Council 106 (mounted on a flat bed wagon hailing from Leeds) was moved out of the way, and then 102 was gingerly moved onto the traverser. Despite having suffered a broken axle and having barely moved in the last decade, 102 was moved surprisingly easily and has now taken its well-deserved place in the static exhibition.
After a short lunch break – and the chance for visitors to warm up in the Red Lion – it was the turn of the horse cars to take centre stage, with both Chesterfield 8 and recent arrival Leeds 107 moving on the traverser together, and being deposited on depot road 11, with car 8 just sticking out. Getting the electric tug that is used to shunt trams past it without it falling into the traverser pit was an interesting challenged, albeit one that the expert driver passed with flying colours! It was then Liverpool 869‘s turn to be dragged out of the Exhibition Hall, and the plan was for this car to take 102‘s former position at the rear of Depot V. However, due to some issues with its brakes, this proved rather problematic, but after being moved up and down the depot fan a few times with assistance from the Blackpool electric locomotive, 869 was eventually tucked up inside, with Johannesburg 60 going in front. This then left Edinburgh 35 to take up residence in the Exhibition Hall following a partial repaint and re-varnish, with the two aforementioned horse cars then being moved in front of it as the final piece in the jigsaw puzzle.
Although the shunting described above was done for good reason, rather than solely to entertain the gathered crowds, those who braved the cold seemed extremely impressed by what they had seen. The decision to allow free entry to the site to witness these movements was undoubtedly a fantastic public relations exercise from the Tramway Museum Society, and has certainly set the scene for what is shaping up to be a year of considerable interest at Crich. Those involved in making it all happen deserve considerable praise, and hopefully a repeat performance will be considered the next time a major shunt of the static collection takes place. It must also be mentioned that the volunteers involved made great efforts to ensure that all present came away with the photographs they wanted, which was very much appreciated.
A small sample of images from this memorable day can be seen below, with a full gallery showing all the highlights will follow on the main website in due course.
Quite possibly the highlight of the 'Big Shunt' at Crich was this rare outside appearance by Newcastle 102, shown here posed on the traverser carriage.
Three more stars of the show; Johnanesburg 60 parked behind the Exhibition Hall, with Leicester 76 being moved back inside as Southampton 45 waits for its turn to be moved. (Photos by Andrew Waddington)
A fantastic day, thank you to all at Crich that made it happen.
Can only agree with Andrew’s and Martin’s comments. A day that far exceeded all expectations resulting in excelent PR for the museum at minimal cost.
It is also worth mentioning that the workshop viewing gallery was opened for a time during the afternoon to allow the work in progress there to be inspected. Most interest seemed to centre on the painstaking detective work being carried out on the north London horse tram. And thanks to the catering staff for providing warm shelter, hot drinks and hot food.