| The British Trams Online Tram of the Year 2003 This page was last updated Sunday 4 January 2004 |
The Final Result
The Nominations The nominations have now been received by the one (yes folks thats right we received one email with ideas for the inaugural competition!). After all of the sifting this took the shortlist for the Tram of the Year has been drawn up and voting can now take place on the home page with 5 candidates. We now take a brief look at why the five trams are in for the award. Blackpool Coronation 304 This tram needs little introduction having been the star of the February 2003 Channel 4 program, Salvage Squad. The tram was restored with help from the program and put into working order for the first time in many years since its withdrawal. Since then the tram has seen repairs to the Vambac unit which was never fully operational for Channel 4 and it has also done further filming work for an encore. It has also undertaken a Lancastrian Transport Trust tour to show its worth. Blackpool Twin Car 672+682 672+682 were the first trams in the Blackpool fleet to receive the Metro Coastlines style of livery when they were painted in Orange and Yellow back in February. The tram also received an overhaul and was installed with saloon heaters so that it could be used all year round. The reason for the tram being put into the competition is that the pair of them started a new era for the Twin Cars and possibly even the Blackpool Tramway. Leeds 602 The star of the Crich Tramway Village Tramathon 2003 was Leeds 602. The tram had spent a number of years out of service due to a leaky roof but in time for June 2003 the crews at Crich were put through their paces on the tram and it was without doubt the star for the Tramathon. The tram was at the time the only Vambac operated tramcar operational in the UK. Nottingham Express Transit 208 The only second generation tram in the list is NET 208 which was the first tram into the city centre (twice!). 208 entered the city centre for both the first and the official first runs and as such has provided history. Stockport 5 Although this tram has been in Blackpool for 7 years now, 2003 has been the year that it has really come into its own. With the new vintage tram policy of using them much more at weekends, 5 has been used fairly regularly and has proved to be a star when it has operated. You now know the choices so all you have to do is vote. The voting has been set up so you can only vote once per cookie. About The Tram of the Year As we approach the end of 2003 our attentions naturally turn towards looking back on the past 12 months. As part of this British Trams Online are pleased to announce stage 1 of Tram of the Year! What is Tram of the Year I hear you say don't I? Well probably not but I am going to tell you anyway as after all you clicked on this link didn't you?! The whole point of this is to have a vote on what British tram enthusiasts think has been the tram that has either made a large impact (hopefully in a good way!) or has done something really special. I have some of my own viewpoints on which trams could be put onto a shortlist for everyone to vote for but there may be some of you out there who have your own ideas on a favourite tram. This brings us nicely to look at the different stages that this competition (I suppose thats what we could call it( will feature. Stage 1: Selecting a Short List For the next 3-4 weeks (until around the end of November) the field is open for you to put forward your ideas for which trams are worthy of the honour of being the inaugural British Trams Online Tram of the Year! At this stage I will not let on the trams which I think should be on the list but rather I will throw it open to you, the loyal reader of British Trams Online. 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 By the start of December we should be in a position where we can reveal the shortlist and let the voting commence. Once all of the nominations have come in I will have to make the tough decision of 3-5 trams which will go out for the public vote. After the decision has been made on which trams are to make up the shortlist a series of short profiles will put onto this page to give details on the lucky trams. The voting is likely to allow you to vote for your winner as many times as you want, although this could change depending on where I go to get the voting equipment! This stage is likely to last all of December Stage 3: And the Winner is... By the end of December all of the votes will be in for the lucky trams and then we will be in a position to name the British Trams Online Tram of the Year. There will not be a glitzy award ceremony as the trams arrive on a red carpet along with their owners and opertors, but rather the announcement will be made on the BTO home page and probably through the UK Trams Yahoo Group. There will also be no prize (unless someone wants to sponsor a wash or something!) but the tram will have the knowledge that it has been voted for by its fans! For any more details or to put in your initial nominations do not hestitate to email us on britishtramsonline@lycos.co.uk. And happy voting!!!! |
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