They’ve Run in 2022!

Thank you to everyone who has provided updates to this list which are now shown below.

The last time we brought you this round-up of heritage trams which have run in the British Isles this year it was April, so what changes have there been over the past (nearly) six months? Quite a few with more trams having been used in service on various tramways – it may not have been as many as expected but there have still been a varied selection in operation. To remind you of the purpose of this article: its to list all heritage trams which have run with passengers during the calendar year (including private hires but not testing). This list is correct to the best of our knowledge, but as always if you notice any errors or omissions please let us know (full contact details are available at the end of the article).

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Posted in Beamish Tramway, Black Country Living Museum, Blackpool Tramway, Crich Tramway Village, Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, East Anglia Transport Museum, Great Orme Tramway, Heaton Park Tramway, Manx Electric Railway, Seaton Tramway, Snaefell Mountain Railway, Summerlee Museum Tramway, Volk's Electric Railway | 3 Comments

Night at the Museum returns to Birkenhead

Its not often you get the chance to ride on a tram after dark on the Wirral Heritage Tramway in Birkenhead but on Friday 4th November you can as Night at the Museum returns. With a tram set to be in service between 1800 and 2100 the Transport Museum will also be lit up in this special event.

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Out and About: Edinburgh Airport tramstop

Its back to Edinburgh for today’s “Out and About”. This time we feature trams around the Airport stop – probably the least photographed of all the stop, most likely because its cost nearly £5 extra to get there than between any other stop of the system!

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Trams &: Manchester Metrolink 3010+3028 & bus

Our “Trams &” series continues today as we again feature a tram alongside a bus – this time in Manchester.

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Metro opening plaque restored to former glory

The commemorative plaque that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II unveiled when she officially opened the Tyne and Wear Metro in 1981 has been restored to its former glory as a mark of respect following her death in September.

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NET Commercial Manager to join “Big Sleep Out”

Chris Williams, Commercial Manager at Nottingham Express Transit, is showing NET’s support for some of the most vulnerable people in the communities it serves by joining volunteers and supporters of the charity Framework for a “Big Sleep Out” at Nottingham Racecourse on Saturday 15th October.

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Drivers get used to Newhaven extension with new simulator

It may still be several months before trams are able to run through to Newhaven but drivers are already in training with a new state of the art custom built simulator in use at Edinburgh Trams Gogar Depot.

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Around the World in Trams: Vienna 2597 & 4042+1442

We move from Switzerland to Austria for this week’s edition of “Around the World in Trams” as we visit Vienna for the first of several views of the tramway in the Austrian capital.

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LRSSB appoint new Head of Safety Risk Management

The Light Rail Safety and Standards Board have recently appointed a new Head of Safety Risk Management to aid the development of a comprehensive, sector-wide risk model. Laura Reardon arrives at the LRSSB following 13 years experience in the rail industry and will also be responsible for working closely with individual networks on the administration, development and implementation of their own models.

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£3 million public realm works at four Metro stations announced

South Tyneside Council have announced a £3 million investment programme to improve walking and cycling links at four Metro stations. The work will start from 10th October and go through until April 2023 at Chichester, Bede, Tyne Dock and Simonside stations.

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Emergency Incident Exercise at Crich

Friday 7th October was not a normal day at the Crich Tramway Village – the museum remained closed as it does on most Fridays throughout the season but it was still a hive of activity as it was used for an Emergency Incident Exercise which saw the Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service re-enact potential scenarios in case the worst ever happens in the future.

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What’s New on British Trams Online? 14th October 2022

This week our photos come from the Anniversary Weekend in Blackpool:

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Picture in Time: Blackpool OMO 5

Today’s “Picture in Time” again features the Blackpool Tramway in September 1984.

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Could Supertram come under public control again?

The South Yorkshire Supertram network could find itself under full public control again from 2024 if proposals are approved by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) at a meeting later this month. Supertram has been operated as a concession by Stagecoach since 1997 but with this contract ending in March 2024 alternatives for the future of the network are being investigated.

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In Pictures: Another trolleybus arrives at Beamish

As part of the “Remaking Beamish” redevelopment at the museum it is planned that eventually the new 1950s town will have an operating trolleybus route. In preparation for this, Beamish has been the home of Newcastle trolleybus 501 for a number of years (stored in the tram depot) and this has now been joined by another trolleybus – Teesside 11.

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Engineering Manager from Edinburgh Trams recognised at Scottish Transport Awards

Stuart Mearns, an Assistant Engineering Manager at Edinburgh Trams, has been recognised once again for his actions in administering first aid to a member of public hit by a train at Edinburgh Gateway. Following on from an internal award, he has now received an award at the Scottish Transport Awards.

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Event Preview: Manx Heritage Winter Transport Festival 2022

The last big heritage tram event of the year (plus a bit of steam railway thrown in for good measure!) will take place on the Isle of Man between 26th and 30th October. The Manx Heritage Winter Transport Festival will provide “five action-packed days’ on the Isle of Man’s award-winning network of heritage railways” and both the Manx Electric Railway and Douglas Bay Horse Tramway will be featuring heavily in the events programme.

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More demolition on the way in preparation for Birmingham Eastside extension

The Birmingham Eastside extension – which will see West Midlands Metro services run between Bull Street and High Street Deritend – is set to take another step forward with an empty city centre building which stands in its way set to be demolished in the coming weeks.

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In Pictures: Water works lead to Supertram alterations

As we mentioned last week, Sunday 9th October saw a revised service on Stagecoach Supertram because of Yorkshire Water works in the Hillsborough area. This meant that all trams on the Blue and Yellow routes were unable to operate any further than Shalesmoor with Supertram tickets valid on local bus routes instead to get to Malin Bridge and Middlewood.  Judging by the below images the emergency work was definitely needed as it was a case of a new river through the middle of Hillsborough whilst the repairs were undertaken. Stuart Cooke shows us where the work took place.

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In Pictures: Work on Picardy Place tramstop

In this latest article looking at the construction works for the Trams to Newhaven project we are at the start of the line (the city centre end) as we take a look at work on the first tramstop on the line – Picardy Place.

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