The amazing work being done at Birkenhead to restore Liverpool ‘Baby Grand’ car 245 to a pristine and operational condition is continuing, with the tram now nearing completion. Final painting is actively underway and another major milestone occured on 6th March, when car 245 made its first tentative moves under power since it arrived at Birkenhead.
Peter Price, who is responsible for 245‘s paintwork, has now completed the “A” end and both sides of the tram. The only outstanding paint work which remains to be finished, is the troublesome “B” end doors and two lower panels at the front. The last jobs which need to be done are the fitting and painting of the “B” end fenders, the stencil number and letter at the “B” end and finally, the addition of the Liverpool Coat of Arms on both sides. However, the addition of fleet numbers at the other end and the legal transfers on the tram’s bodysides have greatly enhanced the appearance of this stunning vehicle, as has the fitting of headlamps, lifeguards and fenders.
A depot shunt on Tuesday 4th March gave a perfect opportunity for 245 to be photographed in all its glory without other trams getting in the way. However, a much more significant event occured two days later when the car made some moves within the confines of Taylor Street depot under its own power – the first time that this has happened since 1957, when the Liverpool tram system closed for good. If we remember the terrible condition of the tram when it first arrived at Birkenhead for restoration, then the significance of this milestone cannot be underestimated and everyone involved in bringing this maginificent tram back to life deserves considerable praise.
No final date has yet been given for Liverpool 245‘s expected entry into public service, although it is now considered unlikely that it will be ready in time for Easter, as previously suggested. Instead, a launch in May is more likely, and of course once a date is confirmed this will be posted here on British Trams Online.
Meanwhile, some footage of 245’s first historic moves can be viewed on YouTube using the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJTl2RZspQY&feature=youtu.be
What a beauty! The immaculate paintwork and latest fittings on Liverpool 245 are shown off to wonderful effect in this view taken in a largely empty Taylor Street depot on March 4th. (Photo by John Hewitt)
Marvellous restoration can’t wait to see 245 for real.
Fantabulous, blooming lovely job. Must get down there to see her and get some photos.
Does 245 run on standard gauge track. It should visit nottingham/wolverhampton
It does; however the higher voltage and lower overhead lines would almost certainly prevent it from operating on any UK light rail system (Blackpool excluded).
Even when you watch Peter Price painting, you can’t believe how he gets that superb finish! Mind you he does an awful lot of
prepping…….No wonder he is so thin. He has certainly had a good workout on this Baby….Grand!!!
It gives a really warm feeling inside, seeing here moving under herown power, especially after all the work I, and others, put into the truck rebuild.
I wonder what George and Albert Humphries would think (my two late Great Uncles, who used to drive her). I’m sure there would be a tear or two if they could see her now!!!
Wow the Baby Grand lives on in utter splendour. Great credit to the staff at Birkenhead Heritage Tramways, Peter Price deserves all the accolades for his magical painting job a sheer work of art.
Can’t wait to see her in the flesh!!!!
Just look at that – then look at the tramway products inflicted on us some seventy years after this design – and tell me we have made progress – and Will I larf? – I surely will!
A good reason for visiting Birkenhead from Belgium!
Yes Frank if we want to get out of the EU we really need to re-appraise our engineering or lack of it. Pity all our tram operators could not produce something suited to GB instead of relying on foreign imports and all the problems with spares and repairs etc. Problem is this Thatcher based contractor way of doing things. At least London has come up with anew bus with Wrights, Maybe Wrights could be persuaded to look at trams and LRT in the future.
Wrightbus are no different to Alexander Dennis who provide Stagecoach with most of their new orders. They are british bodied but the chassis and drive train is usually Volvo or Scania! With regards to trams, the expensive you would go to having the tram chassis shipped to Northern Ireland to be bodied would surely make it unaffordable!
You think things are expensive now, god help you should Britain ever come out of the EU! I’ve just returned from Norway where it was roughly the equivalent of £8.50 a pint!
Why ship anything to Ireland? There are still body builders in the UK and if they came up with a good reliable product at sensible prices then Britain’s tramways may buy them. I fail to see how foreign companies can build them and ship them here only to take them back to their own country for repair when they fail to work. Bombardier have a workshop at Derby which could produce British trams using British labour for British systems and then when we have proved ourselves we could export around the world as we used to do.
There simply isn’t the demand for trams in the UK to support a production line in Derby.
It is much cheaper to ship 16 completed trams from Germany than it is to ship all the equipment used on the production line to Derby and back again or to assemble a duplicate production line in Derby.
What exactly has EU politics got to do with the marvelous job done of restoring this tramway that was withdrawn 15 years BEFORE the UK joined the then common market…
As for the ‘New Bus for London’/’BorrisMaster’, they are a very expensive white elephant pandering to one politician’s rash promises. They cost 2.5 times the price of any other bus capable of doing the same job or over a third the price of a Blackpool Flexity!
Can we stop the diversions onto commentators individual political hobyhorses and stick to the topic please, and congratulate the MTPS on the magnificent job done on 245.
It is a pity Paul did not read my piece properly. I did not mention the EU and I proposed BRITISH built trams by BRITISH workers.
The MTPS have had the parts from chassis up made in England so why can’t the companies who are complaining of no work do something and get some good looking BRITISH trams running.
On behalf of my co-workers on 245 thank you for your good comments. come and see us some time we are open Sat & Sunday 13.00-16.30 all year around.
You didn’t mention the EU David, but both Ralph and ‘Trambola’ to whom both you and I were replying did…
As lovely as this continued conversation is I don’t really think it has anything to do with the actual subject of the original article – the restoration of Liverpool 245.
If anyone feels that strongly that somewhere in Britain should be designing and building some new “good looking” trams then feel free to put your thoughts in writing and we would gladly publish your article…
Congratulations to the restorers for doing such a wonderful job!
Those who talk about Europe should remember that it was British politicians who decided that all the original tramways (except Blackpool and the Great Orme) in the UK should be torn up. If it were not for German and Dutch engineers who designed articulated trams and proved their worth on modernized systems, we would have none of the second-generation lines now.
True, but it shows how much this country has gone down the pan from the days when British engineers led the world.
As stated above, congratulations to all concerned for a superb restoration.
Saw 245 last November,and can’t wait to see her again on next visit to UK in July.Fantastic job,well done by a great friendly team.