Liverpool 869 lifts off!

A satisfying step towards the return to service of Liverpool 869 at Crich Tramway Village occurred on Saturday 16th August, when the tram was lifted off its bogies for a heavy overhaul to begin. This follows a period of inactivity for this particular tram which last operated in passenger service in 2010, although it was used on a restricted basis in 2011, primarily for public driving courses.

Liverpool 869 has now replaced Oporto 273 in the works, the latter car having now returned to the main depots after receiving some repairs following an incident at Town End. Moving 869 into the workshop was not as simple as it sounds however, as the tram was very reluctant to leave its previous resting place in Depot V; a repeat of its move there earlier in the year, when the tram proved difficult to move off the traverser, as witnessed by numerous onlookers. However the tram was eventually extracted and moved into the workshop. The bogies have now been removed from the car body and transferred onto track 1, where they will be stripped down for attention. In addition, the lifeguards and trolley pole have also been removed. Other work on the tram will see ongoing problems with its braking equipment tackled, whilst the seats will also need some work as in places the leather has been damaged by broken springs. This work is likely to take several months, but hopefully 869 will be back in service at some point next year, providing a welcome contrast to the museum’s other operational trams.

For the time being, 869 is appropriately standing alongside London Transport 1 – a tram which introduced many design innovations which influenced the Liverpool bogie streamliners. It is exciting to think that, in a few years, both trams will be able to run together for the very first time, effectively showing what London could have had if further trams like 1 had been built for the capital city.