In all honestly the 2006 TRAM OF THE YEAR was not really a contest from the very early stages with Leeds 345 pulling away with votes and never even looking like being caught by Seaton 11 or Stagecoach Supertram 115. The reasons why 345 was chosen can be seen below, and it seems the British public were in agreement with those who decided to nominate the tram as it got a huge 68% of the just over 100 votes polled. As you can see the results of the contest can be seen above. 345 becomes the second tram from Leeds to win the awrad in just four years. Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote this year.

Tram of the Year 2006

We have now finished Stage 1 of the BRITISH TRAMS ONLINE TRAM OF THE YEAR 2006 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 - Leeds 345, Seaton 11 and Stagecoach Supertram 115. 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 HAS NOW BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL SATURDAY 13 JANUARY 2007!!!

Leeds 345
Why is it nominated? Returning to service at Crich after major restoration

Although it was on the shortlist last year, Leeds 345 once again makes the final three as it was finally relaunched back into service on 1 April 2006. The restoration of the tram started in 2003 and after delays in the later stages it was not launched back into service in September 2005, as originally planned. This is the first time the tram has ever operated at Crich, despite it being one of the first trams to arrive at Crich (on 15 August 1959 along with fellow Leeds car 180 and Sheffield 15).

Seaton 11
Why is it nominated? Officially entered service at Seaton.

11 became the last of the three new built trams to enter service at Seaton. The tram was built by Bolton Trams of Lancashire in 2001/2 before being delivered to Seaton in April 2002. Work then commenced on preparing the trucks and the rest of the trams for service. It was delivered along with 9 and 10, both of which had previously entered service at Seaton. The tram is based on design elements from Plymouth and Blackburn tramcars and is finished in Liverpool First Class livery.
If anyone has a photo of 11 they are willing to allow to be shown on BRITISH TRAMS ONLINE please contact me at the usual email address.

Stagecoach Supertram 115
Why is it nominated? First of Sheffield's new trams to undergo its mid-life refurbishment.

The only new generation tram to be nominated for this year is Stagecoach Supertram 115, which was the first tram to be treated in Sheffield's own workshops with major internal changes and also externally with a catching new livery. The tram re-entered service at a special launch on 27 January 2006, and has proved to be a success in service with its lighter interior, and better access for the disabled. Since the tram was dealt with another six have been so treated, with a eighth member currently being dealt with.

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 9pm on Saturday 2 December 2006) 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 2006!
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 2006.
The voting will continue throughout December 2006, with the deadline for voting set as Saturday 6 January 2007 at 9pm.

Stage 3: And the Winner is...
After the voting closes on 13 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!!!!