Crich Event Preview: The Best of Sheffield

For one week during May, Crich Tramway Village is hosting a celebration of all things Sheffield to co-incide with the return to service of Sheffield 510 after a major overhaul and repaint in its special ‘Last Tram’ livery. As well as the trams themselves, this special event will feature other historic vehicles, food and drink and much more from the famous ‘steel city’. Read on for a full preview of what to expect from this event.

When is it happening?

Saturday 17th to Friday 23rd May inclusive. The village is open daily from 1000 until 1730. On the Saturday and Sunday the site is open until 2000, with the last tram departing from Town End at 1900 (last admissions 1700). The actual launch of Sheffield 510 is due to take place at 1100 on Saturday 17th May, followed by a special trip for TSO members and other invited guests. Most interest for enthusiasts will be happening on the first two days.

Which trams will be running?

On Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th May, a ten minute service is due to operate with trams mostly running in pairs. Sheffield cars 74 & 510 should be joined by Chesterfield 7, representing a neighbouring tram system, plus two or three other trams (these should be different on both days to provide additional interest). Sheffield works car 330 is also expected to operate at irregular intervals for the duration of the event, and will be posed on the depot fan at other times.

The rest of the week should see at least three cars running daily with the Sheffield trams expected to be used as much as possible. In addition, horse tram rides will be available on the Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday when Sheffield 15 will be running.

What other trams can I see?

It is intended to have Sheffield 189 displayed on the traverser, and it will be manned by representatives of the Tramcar Sponsorship Organisation (who have funded 510‘s overhaul) who will use it to promote their activities. The depots, Exhibition Hall and the workshop viewing gallery will all be open as normal offering views of the cars that are not in service.

What other attractions are there?

As well as the usual stuff that Crich has to offer, there will be a ‘Sheffield Trail’ around the village site, showcasing other Sheffield-related items from the collection besides the actual trams. The Learning Centre will host ‘Interactive Sheffield Memories’ with video footage, personal recollections and historical artefacts offering a taste of life in Sheffield, particularly from the 1940s and 1950s. Appropriate Yorkshire goodies will be available at the various retail and catering outlets, and on the Saturday and Sunday there will be visiting vintage vehicles from the city on display, including a parade of steam traction engines on Saturday lunchtime which will be paying a brief visit to the museum. Finally, look out for an ‘O’ gauge model layout featuring Sheffield trams in the Exhibition Hall.

How much will it cost?

Normal admission prices apply for this event and membership cards, free passes etc. will be valid as normal. Unlimited tram rides are included in the entry fee. For further details please visit www.tramway.co.uk.

Live coverage of this event will hopefully be provided on 17th May on the British Trams Online Facebook page, and we’ll be providing more extensive coverage on the main website later on.

Thanks go to event organiser Gordon Burch for helping with the preparation of this feature.

A recent view of the immaculate Sheffield 510 during a test run ahead of its planned launch following the recent major overhaul. The tram is pictured at Stephenson Place. (Photo courtesy of Crich Tramway Village)

 

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8 Responses to Crich Event Preview: The Best of Sheffield

  1. Daniel says:

    Sounds great! I’m very disappointed that I won’t be able to make it though.

  2. Stuart Cooke says:

    15 is attending First South Yorkshire open day at Midland Rd Rotherham on 10th May .

  3. Andy says:

    15 isn’t going unfortunately

    • Andrew Waddington says:

      Thanks for the clarification Andy, that info could well save a few of our readers a wasted journey!

  4. A. D. Young says:

    Lovely, but will it not prove possible also to air (if not operate) Sheffield 46 and 264? Nevertheless, wish I could be there.

    • Andrew Waddington says:

      Considering 46 is at Clay Cross, it was never likely to feature in this event – the costs of bringing it back to Crich would be prohibitive I’m sure. 264 could probably have been brought out of the Exhibition Hall, but this would take a lot of effort, and as the event is mainly aimed at people from Sheffield the idea is to encourage them to explore as much of the site as possible, hence having a Sheffield tram in the static exhibition area could be advantageous.

  5. A. D. Young says:

    Yes, that makes sense, now that it’s been explained to me. I hadn’t realised 46 was still at Clay Cross. Good luck with the weekend though, a terrific project.

    A. D. Young

  6. Gordon Burch says:

    Andrew is correct about 264. A positive decision was made to leave it in the Exhibition Hall as part of the plan to encourage new visitors to fully explore the Museum.
    Moving 46 up from Clay Cross to Crich was in the original event proposal and was budgeted for. The reason for not going ahead was that the location of the car at Clay Cross would have made the process extremely difficult and time consuming; it was decided that this could not be justified for a short appearance.

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