Corgi return with Blackpool trams

Posted on Monday 11 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

Between 1997 and 2009, Corgi released a number a diecast model Blackpool Balloon and Brush trams but since the release of Balloon 726 in its HM Coastguard livery in 2009 there have been no further models made available from Corgi (although Atlas Editions seemingly used the mould for a small selection of trams in recent years). But all that is to change in 2021 as two new models – one Balloon and one Brush – is on the list for release – although you won’t recognise the adverts included!

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Models | 3 Comments

Latest Tyne and Wear Metro performance stats released

Posted on Monday 11 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

The latest revised “How are we doing?” poster from the Tyne and Wear Metro has been released with this one covering the four weeks from 8th November to 5th December 2020.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Balloons 726 & 715 & Boat 602

Posted on Monday 11 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

We’re off down to Rigby Road Depot for our latest archive image from Blackpool.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Picture in Time | 1 Comment

Trams in Video: Metro Tenerife

Posted on Sunday 10 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

We are off overseas again for this latest edition of “Trams in Video” as we feature the Metro Tenerife. Included in this video is footage of the Metro Line 1 which heads from the capital of Tenerife, Santa Cruz, to La Laguna as well as Line 2 branches to La Cuesta and Tincer. With their colourful liveries – different colour each section of the trams! – the trams help to keep visitors and residents alike moving around Tenerife.

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Posted in Around the World in Trams, Trams in Video | 1 Comment

Lucie the steam tram engine up for Heritage Railway Association award

Posted on Sunday 10 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

We may have come to an end of the British Trams Online Tram of the Year contest but that doesn’t mean that is it for trams and awards you can vote! Lucie, an 1890 built steam tram engine which has been restored to working order at the North Yorkshire Moor Railway, has been nominated for the Steam Railway sponsored award and you can vote now for your favourite online.

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Lockdown Walks: Edinburgh Trams 257

Posted on Sunday 10 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

In this edition of “Lockdown Walks” we are again taking a trip to Edinburgh to view one of the trams currently carrying adverts on the network.

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What’s New on British Trams Online?

Posted on Sunday 10 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

As well as announcing this year’s winners of the British Trams Online Tram of the Year we also bring you another couple of Photo Galleries as part of this week’s main site update:

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Stockport 5, Seaton Tramway and Metrolink 3073 win at the Tram of the Year!

Posted on Sunday 10 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

It’s a tram which has so often been the bridesmaid in the British Trams Online Tram of the Year contest but at the fourth time of asking it has finally won the main “Tram (Traditional) of the Year” category – that tram is Heaton Park’s Stockport 5! Other winners in this contest have been the Seaton Tramway which is named both “Tramway of the Year” and “Event of the Year” (for the 50th Anniversary event) while the “Tram (Modern) of the Year” once again goes to Manchester Metrolink with 3073 becoming the fourth of the M5000s to win that category.

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In Pictures: More snow on the Tyne & wear Metro

Posted on Saturday 9 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

Its that time of the year where snow has a knack of falling which gives us all – on our daily exercise as we continue through lockdown no. 3 – the chance to get some slightly different photo opportunities. A few days ago we saw a light dusting of snow on the Tyne and Wear Metro but on 8th January 2021, although still relatively light, there was a bit more snow allowing another shot of Metrocars in the snow! Trevor Hall captured this image.

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Around the World in Trams: Den Haag 3143 & 5013

Posted on Saturday 9 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

The next stop in our world tour is Den Haag in The Netherlands, or The Hague to give it its English name, a location famous for being the home of the International Court of Justice as well as being the seat of the Dutch Parliament.

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West Midlands Metro services delayed after taxi gets stuck on the tracks

Posted on Saturday 9 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

Services on the West Midlands Metro into Birmingham City Centre were suspended for over three hours on Saturday 2nd January after a taxi became stuck on the tracks just beyond the stop at St Chad’s. The taxi was found on a section of reserved track as the line continues between St Chad’s and St Paul’s with the taxi having had to drive along a section of grassed track alongside the office Snow Hill office development.

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Lockdown Walks: Manchester Metrolink 3078

Posted on Saturday 9 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

Once again we head to Manchester for another “Lockdown Walk”.

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Blackpool Towing Car 671 finds its new home

Posted on Friday 8 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

The first of the trams asked to leave Rigby Road Depot has found a new home with the Fylde Transport Trust announcing that Twin Towing Car 671 will be moving to the North West Museum of Road Transport in St Helens. It will go on display – which also houses a couple of buses from the FTT collection – and will receive a repaint into the cream livery the towing cars were originally painted in.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Fylde Transport Trust | 5 Comments

In Pictures: Driver training on the Tyne and Wear Metro

Posted on Friday 8 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

At the end of November 2020, the Tyne and Wear Metro introduced a revised timetable with fewer trains running to allow for a backlog of driver training to take place. The driver school is now well underway and they have moved from the classroom to the mainline with the trainees being seen taking some of the trains out as part of their continued learning. One such occasion was 18th December 2020 when 4068 was being used for this purpose. Trevor Hall captured the images in this article.

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Picture in Time: Crich Depot Yard

Posted on Friday 8 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

For the next few editions of our traditional tram “Picture in Time” series we will be featuring what is now known as the Crich Tramway Village with a batch of images taken through the years at the museum.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum, Picture in Time | 2 Comments

In Pictures: Latest from the Birmingham Westside extension

Posted on Thursday 7 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

The West Midlands Metro Birmingham Westside extension (phase two) looks likely to be the next UK tram line to open to the public (due to be somewhen in 2021 although no specific date or even time of year has probably sensibly been announced yet) and in this article we take a look at some early 2021 images to show the progress being made on the construction of the line. Andy Walters provides us with these photos.

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In Pictures: Snow on the Tyne and Wear Metro

Posted on Thursday 7 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

More snow pictures for you! This time around we head to the north east and the Tyne and Wear Metro with just a light dusting having fallen on South Gosforth Depot. As we’ve reported over the past few months this depot is about to embark on a major redevelopment in preparation for the delivery of the new Stadler built trains. Trevor Hall took a trip out to capture this shot.

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Stop by Stop Nottingham Express Transit: Clifton South line – Holy Trinity

Posted on Thursday 7 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

Today we continue our way towards Clifton South on the Nottingham Express Transit network and we reach Holy Trinity.

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In Pictures: Latest from Trams to Newhaven extension

Posted on Wednesday 6 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

The Trams to Newhaven project in Edinburgh – due to see trams running from the end of the current line at York Place to Newhaven via Leith Walk and Ocean Terminal from 2023 – may have had a Christmas shutdown but before then a good deal of progress was made with the November and December period seeing the first track laid. In this latest pictorial update John Hampton brings us a couple of images taken in late December showing some of that track now in place.

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In Pictures: And it snows in Manchester too!

Posted on Wednesday 6 January 2021 by Gareth Prior

Not to be outdone by Edinburgh and Sheffield we can also bring you a photo of snow in Manchester! The snow we feature in Manchester comes from a couple of days later, on the very last day of 2020 and is again a fairly light dusting which didn’t cause any major issues to the service. Keith Chadbourne is our photographer for this one.

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