The Number 20: West Midlands Metro 20

Posted on Sunday 4 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

The next tram with a connection to the number 20 is actually the last tram which currently carries that number and is the only modern UK tram to carry that numbers. We’re off to the West Midlands Metro to look at Urbos3 20.

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Mini Festive Tours back in Blackpool!

Posted on Sunday 4 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Starting on Saturday 19th November, Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours are again running Mini Festive Tours in connection with the Christmas by the Sea event taking place on the Tower Headland. The tours run from North Pier and Tower up to Bispham and back and with the Illuminations extended through until the start of January again it also gives a mini Illuminations Tours passing the tableaux on the cliffs.

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What’s New on British Trams Online? 4th December 2022

Posted on Sunday 4 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

This week’s photos start off a new series as part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations: “20 Years in 20 Photos”. Crich Tramway Village is the first location to feature.

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Tram of the Year 2022 – nominations now open!

Posted on Sunday 4 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

As we enter December it is time once again to launch the British Trams Online Tram of the Year contest – every year since 2003 we have run a vote to find the “Tram of the Year” with 2012 seeing “Event of the Year” and “Tramway of the Year” added and then in 2014 we added the final category “Tram (Modern) of the Year” with the original “Tram of the Year” category being reserved for traditional trams. Whilst 2022 seems to have been a bit of a holding pattern of anticipation of what is to come soon there have still been some notable events across the British Isles tram-wise and now its open to you to make your nominations for things to be included on the shortlist.

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Welcome to Edinburgh Bark Station as 264 receives new advert too

Posted on Saturday 3 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Its not that often that tram stops get renamed but that is what has just happened in Edinburgh – although its only temporary as part of an advertising campaign to mark the opening of a new pet store at Hermiston Gait Retail Park. The stop which has been renamed is Edinburgh Park Station which will be known as Edinburgh Bark Station throughout the month of December. Alongside the renaming of the stop 264 has received an advert for the pet store as well.

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Around the World in Trams: Dijon 1002 & classmate

Posted on Saturday 3 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Another trip to Dijon today for this edition of “Around the World in Trams”.

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15 Years Apart: Blackpool Balloon 723

Posted on Saturday 3 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Blackpool always features heavily in our then and now series “15 Years Apart” mainly because there are often major changes over the years with many different liveries having been carried. Today we feature a tram which has enjoyed a repaint in 2022 and so was always likely to be featured during this series – Balloon 723.

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Crich Photo line-ups: Works Cars – 2009

Posted on Saturday 3 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

During this series we’ll be seeing the same themes in some of the line-ups but usually with a few different trams or in different positions around the depot fan as there are only so many different themes which there can be! We head back to 2009 for today’s images which show a Works Car line-up.

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Preparations begin for tracklaying in Digbeth

Posted on Saturday 3 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

We recently bemoaned the apparent lack of tangible progress on the Birmingham Eastside extension on the West Midlands Metro but it would appear that is not the case as there has been initial preparation work taking place in Digbeth ahead of tracklaying commencing.

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Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Electric Railway 7 returns!

Posted on Friday 2 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

It has been a long three years for the Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Tramway Society with firstly Covid and then major repairs needed to the Matador lorry which they use to transport their replica tram around the local area thwarting their attempts to get out and about again. But all that is now at an end with the Matador lorry fixed and no. 7 was able to go on a test run to the Llandudno Food Festival on Sunday 21st November. And after a few items on a snagging list were dealt with it is now planned that the tram will appear at the Annual Llandudno Christmas Parade on Saturday 3rd December – yes that’s tomorrow!

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In Pictures: Sunderland Station revamp underway

Posted on Friday 2 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Sunderland Station – served by both trains operated by Northern and Tyne and Wear Metro services – is currently undergoing something of a revamp. Work started earlier this year and will see the station transformed as part of a £26 million project.

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Picture in Time: Aachen 1010

Posted on Friday 2 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Its time to go inside the sheds at Derby Castle on the Isle of Man again for this edition of “Picture in Time”.

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The Number 20: Birkenhead 20

Posted on Friday 2 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

We continue our look at trams with a link to the number 20 to help celebrate our 20th anniversary and this time we head to the Wirral Heritage Tramway for a shot of Birkenhead 20.

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15 Years Apart: Croydon/London Tramlink 2537

Posted on Friday 2 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Back for another December outing this year is “15 Years Apart” where we take a look at two pictures of trams – one in 2007 and the other in 2022. And this year’s series starts with images from the Croydon/London Tramlink system.

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Replacement trams for Tramlink on TfL’s Business Plan

Posted on Thursday 1 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Transport for London have published their latest Business Plan and included in their long term aspirations are the procurement of replacement trams on London Tramlink. These would replace the original Bombardier built CR4000 trams which are now 23/24 years old and starting to prove less reliable leading to reduced services operating at times due to “tram availability”.

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Posted in Docklands Light Railway, London Trams | 2 Comments

Old Edinburgh Trams IT equipment donated to Africa

Posted on Thursday 1 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Following a recent upgrade of IT equipment in Edinburgh Trams’ Operations Control Centre, the old hardware has been donated to the Turing Trust. This will enable schools in Africa to receive the repurposed equipment to help students in the developing world to learn life-changing digital skills.

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Crich Photo line-ups: London Trams – 2013

Posted on Thursday 1 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Throughout December this new photographic series will be taking a look at some of the line-ups at the Crich Tramway Village showcasing the many varied trams in their collection, usually with a theme whether that be a certain system or a certain type of tram. These are often some of the highlights of special events at the museum and during this series we will show some of the best in recent years. We start off in 2013 with a London line-up.

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The Number 20: Manx Electric Railway 20

Posted on Thursday 1 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

As we are celebrating our 20th anniversary we thought a good photographic series would be to look at trams with the number 20. Then we looked at how many trams there are in British Isles with the number 20 which still exist – and we realised there weren’t actually that many! So, this series will involve getting the calculator out to make 20 out of other numbers or include the 20th tram of a class – you get the idea! But we do start with a tram with the number 20 as we head across to the Isle of Man.

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Happy Birthday to us! British Trams Online is 20 today!

Posted on Thursday 1 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Now this is a day I wouldn’t have predicted on 1st December 2002 – today is the 20th anniversary of British Trams Online! That’s right British Trams Online has been taking bandwidth on the internet for a full two decades. From the very first article written (a cheery headline for that first story “Great Grandmother killed by tram in Croydon”…) we have sought to bring news, photos and fleet lists from tramways across the British Isles and we have no plans to go anywhere just yet! Read on for some memories from the one who has been there from the start – me!

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Advent Calendars 2022 are now online!

Posted on Thursday 1 December 2022 by Gareth Prior

Its December and you know what that means! Its time for the British Trams Online Advent Calendars 2022! Once again this year we bring you two Advent Calendars: Traditional Trams and Modern Trams. Its really an excuse just to bring you more photos with each window having a tram behind it – all photos have been taken during 2022. The Advent Calendars Index can be found here.

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