1004 has become the second of the T68 trams on Manchester Metrolink to be withdrawn from service following on from 1011. 1004 last ran in service during the evening of Wednesday 16th May when it was paired with 1016 on the Bury to Altrincham service.
Following the end of service 1004 was moved into the workshops at Queens Road depot where a start has been made on component recovery. As has been previously reported on British Trams Online it is currently planned to withdraw 12 of the original T68 trams from service as they have become increasingly unreliable in recent times with a number of high profile failures at key locations on the network (often within the City Centre which causes problems for most services). An extra 12 M5000s have been ordered to cover for these planned withdrawals with a number of the earlier deliveries of the Bombardier built vehicles having recently entered service (indeed 3026 is expected to join the ranks of the operational fleet shortly having received the ATS and VRS equipment).
1004 is a bit of a celebrity as it was used (along with 1008) on the first service tram from Bury to Victoria on 6th April 1992. After component recovery is completed it is likely that 1004 will be stored, at least for now, at Queens Road alongside fellow withdrawee 1011 which remains in the sidings there following its own component recovery.
It is not currently known which of the T68s will be next to go but the advice for anyone who wants to catch these original trams in service remains get to Manchester quick!
1004 is caught here shortly after being moved into the workshops for a start to be made on its component recovery. (Photo:Andy Coward)
1004 again this time from the other end having been officially withdrawn from service. (Photo: Andy Coward)
The first of the T68s to be withdrawn remains at Queens Road where it is seen stored with component recovery having been completed. (Photo: Andy Coward)
Though it is reported that these trams are becoming unreliable could a couple or a few be brought up to standard and then sold to Hertfordshire County Council for the proposed Watford to St Albans conversion of a main line railway to a light railway?? from what I understand this is one of the problems as to why this scheme has not yet been undertaken, though I may be wrong.
Additionally I hope that some tram preservation groups purchase these new generation trams for future use or display in museums. It is all too regular that preservation of modern traction can be ignored only to lose something of value for the future. I for one never saw a Manchester tram until recently despite the fact the tramway has been open for years.
Surely one of the T68s at least must eventually be preserved as the first second-generation trams to run in the UK, if we are not going to end up with a large gap in our tramway history. I would have thought that somebody would have their eyes on 1001, the first to be delivered, or 1007 which started the service off in 1992.
Maybe one could be saved as a “Party Tram”, these are popular in Europe for private hires!
I completly agreed. Ive recently had a whole day riding these trams around the Metrolink network and consider them far superior compared with the M5000. Ive already e-mailed the Crich tramway museum asking if they have any plans to preserve one as i think they should. One or even two should be saved.