Tram of the Year 2007

We have now finished Stage 1 of the British Trams Online Tram of the Year 2007 and have formulated a shortlist of three trams. Many thanks to everyone who made nominations for the contest this year, after much consideration I have come up with three of the trams which I feel have made the biggest contribution to the UK tram scheme this year - Blackpool Brush 623, Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Replica 7 and Midland Metro 09. See below for a short write-up on each of the trams nominated, and then feel free to vote for your favourite tram, either in the voting box on this page or on the British Trams Online homepage. VOTING CONTINUES UNTIL SATURDAY 29TH JANUARY 2008.

Blackpool Brush 623
Why is it nominated? Returning to service in Blackpool after mothballing - and in Wartime Green & Cream Livery!

623 was stored in the depot "motballed" for two years carrying a defunct all over advertising livery seemingl destined for an unknown future. But when Blackpool Transport needed to reinstate a single deck crew operated tram it was top of the list as it was in the best condition of those stored. If that is not reason enough for a nomination then how about painting it into the incredibly popular Wartime Green & Cream livery! The tram has been the one to get a shot of in Blackpool and many photographers have been chasing the must have shot of it alongside fellow wartime liveried tram 605 and 700.

Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Replica 7
Why is it nominated? Has been all over celebrating the centeneary of the opening of the tramway in the North Wales towns.

With the Centenary of the opening of the 3' 6"gauge Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway fast approaching, the Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Tramway Society decided the event must be marked with something tangable.

Sadly with the exception of one tram (No.6) which returned to Bournemouth after the closure of the line in 1956, no other rolling stock from the former seaside tramway remained. The Society had earlier located the body of another ex-Bournmouth Brush built open-top Double-Deck Tram (No.126) which was similar to 9 of the 10 which operated in North Wales for 20 years from 1936.

A massive search locally found many original parts such as some upper deck seats, old railings and netting, lamps and other artifacts. Over 9 months between September 2006 and May 2007 these were put together to form a Replica Tram which could be taken for display to various local events. As no suitable location could be found for laying any track, it was decided to mount the body on a road trailer so it could be towed round using the 1943 Matador "Mighty Muriel" already owned by a member of the Society. We were delighted to receive the cup for the best exhibit at the Llandudno Carnival.

The tram has even been hauled to the Birkenhead tramway where it became the start attraction of the "Wirral Bus and Tram Event" on Sunday 7th October standing alongside the operational 4' 8 1/2" former Merseyside trams.

After a visit to the former private way trackbed at Bodafon fields, Llandudno on the actual Centenary on 19th October (see attached pictures), the tram was hauled the following day along the full length of the former tramway from Llandudno West Shore to Colwyn Bay then continuing to Old Colwyn (former Queens Hotel) along the route which closed in 1930.

Words by John Bird, Webmaster Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Tramway Society

Midland Metro 09
Why is it nominated? First tram to enter service in the Network West Midland Magenta and Silver livery.

At the end of 2006 09 was involved in a collision with sister 10 at Soho which caused major damage to both trams. It spent several months away at Crewe undergoing repairs before returning to the Wednesbury Depot in May/June finished in a new "eye catching" livery of Magenta and Silver. In truth the tram is only half of 09 (at the Birmingham end) as the damage to the trams was so severe it is a "cut and shut" with the Wolverhampton end being the undamaged end of 10. The tram entered service to a fan fare of publicity and has since seen regular service on the Birmingham-Wolverhampton route.

About The Tram of the Year

The BRITISH TRAMS ONLINE TRAM OF THE YEAR contest was conceived at the end of 2003 as a bit of fun for tram enthusiasts at the end of the year. The whole idea is for people to firstly nominate, and then vote on trams they feel have had a remarkable previous 12 months. This can be due to many reasons, such as a tram returning to service after a major restoration, a brand new tram operating for the first time, a tram running the first ever service on a system or any other reason you can think of.

The whole contest depends on the loyal readers of BRITISH TRAMS ONLINE getting involved in several different stages. Firstly, ideas of trams which should be up for accolade are needed and then voting in numbers so we can find out which tram should be getting the award! There are several stages to the contest and they are listed below.

Stage 1: Selecting a Short List
During November (deadline for nominees is 2100 on Saturday 1st December 2007) the field is open for you to put forward your ideas for which trams are worthy of the honour of being the BRITISH TRAMS ONLINE TRAM OF THE YEAR 2007!
If you have any ideas of trams which have done something really special or have returned recently to service after a major overhaul let us know by email. It is up to what you class as a tram having done something special but if you have any thoughts do not hesitate to email us giving details of the tram and why it should be considered for this award.

Stage 2: The Main Vote
Following the closure of nominees the main voting stage will commence. The final shortlist will feature a maximum of 3 trams and I will have to make the decision from all of the ideas I get from people. After the decision has been made on which trams are to make up the shortlist a series of short profiles will be uploaded (on this page), in case you don't know much about the tram or why it has done something so special in 2007.
This year there will be extended voting time with your chance to put your vote available throughout December 2007 and the majority of January 2008, with the deadline for voting set as Saturday 29th January 2008 at 2100.

Stage 3: And the Winner is...
After the voting closes on 29th January 2007 we will be in a position to name the BRITISH TRAMS ONLINE TRAM OF THE YEAR 2006. As usual there will be no lavish awards ceremony but the closest we will get is by making a major annoucement on the BRITISH TRAMS ONLINE home page!

For any more details or to put in your initial nominations do not hestitate to email BRITISH TRAMS ONLINE on britishtramsonline@lycos.co.uk. And happy voting!!!!