In Pictures: Tram track found in Southend-on-Sea

Posted on Saturday 10 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

With the amount of tram track which keeps getting found under various road surfaces around the UK you could be mistaken for thinking there is enough metal there to relay the entire UK tram network! The latest place where some track has been found is Southend-On-Sea – a system which last saw a tram run in 1942.

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In Pictures: 255 receives advert for Forever Edinburgh

Posted on Friday 9 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

For a system which had really embraced adverts over the past couple of years – including at one stage all 27 trams having some form of external advertising – 2020 has been a far more barren year for new ads (for fairly obvious reasons) but October has seen only the second new advert revealed with 255 carrying ads for Forever Edinburgh.

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Chase the Tram run to take place in Nottingham

Posted on Friday 9 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

Saturday 10th October will see a “Chase the Tram” run take place in Nottingham with participants running all the way from Clifton South through to Nottingham Trent University – while abiding by social distancing rules. The runners will be raising funds for local charity Tracy’s Street Kitchen.

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Picture in Time: Glasgow 1245 & Oporto Horse Car

Posted on Friday 9 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

Back to the East Anglia Transport Museum for this latest edition of “Picture in Time”, well not strictly but its linked to the story we are telling of the early tram days at the museum.

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In Pictures: Wilko’s continues to come down

Posted on Thursday 8 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

The eagerly anticipated demolition of the old Wilko’s store on Talbot Road in Blackpool has been continuing as September becomes October with the demolition teams still concentrating on the front of the building around where the entrance used to be. In this latest pictorial update Tony Armitage provides the below photos from 1st October 2020.

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Man hit by tram in Nottingham

Posted on Thursday 8 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

A man – reported locally to be in his 40s – was taken to hospital in Nottingham during the evening of Wednesday 7th October after being hit by a tram in the city centre. The incident happened at 2045 on Victoria Street with the man receiving treatment on scene before being taken to hospital with non life threatening injuries. While he received treatment no trams were able to run between Royal Centre and Nottingham Station with the official advice from NET being for passengers to walk between the stops. A full service resumed again from 2230.

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Lockdown Walks: Stagecoach Supertram 111

Posted on Thursday 8 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

This latest edition of “Lockdown Walks” is returning to South Yorkshire as we feature one of the trams in an advertising livery on Supertram.

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Sheffield Corporation Tramways 60 Years On – 50 Years Commemorated on Supertram

Posted on Thursday 8 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

Can it really be 10 years ago that Stagecoach Supertram repainted one of their trams in an approximation of Sheffield Corporation Tramways livery? It may not seem it but it is! It was in 2010 that Siemens-Duewag built tram no. 120 lost its standard Stagecoach livery for a cream and blue (a slightly lighter shade of blue than the trams had carried) colour scheme. Originally expected to be in place for a short period of time it has retained this special livery ever since – even when it was involved in a collision with 118 at Shalesmoor and was reformed, the section from 118 got the cream livery rather than 120 reverting to fleet colours! It has become without doubt the most popular of trams in Sheffield today! In this article we take a look at the launch of the tram in its new livery and some of its first runs in Sheffield.

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Sheffield Corporation Tramways 60 Years On – the Preserved Trams

Posted on Thursday 8 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

On 8th October 1960 the last trams on the first generation Sheffield Corporation Tramways ran bringing to an end 87 years of tramway operation in the city. With the first horse trams having run on 7th October 1873 this was actually 87 years and one day of operation! As we now know it was only be 34 years before trams would return but at the time it seemed that the connection between trams and Sheffield was over. In the first of two special articles today on the exact anniversary of closure we take a pictorial look at some of the original Sheffield trams which remain in existence today.

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Stadler officially take on maintenance of Metro fleet

Posted on Wednesday 7 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

Stadler is now officially in charge of the maintenance of the Tyne and Wear Metro fleet and Gosforth Depot. The 35 year maintenance contract – which initially encompasses the current fleet of trains before moving on to the new trains being built by the company – officially commenced from 0000 on Sunday 4th October and saw 120 Nexus staff transferred to Stadler via a TUPE agreement.

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More Metrolink engineering works on the way

Posted on Wednesday 7 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

There will be engineering works on Manchester Metrolink on two Sundays in October which will see a change in services on both days. The first set of works (11th October) will affect trams through the City Centre with those on the second day (25th October) on the Eccles line.

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Picture in Time: Nottingham Express Transit 213

Posted on Wednesday 7 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

It is time to head back to Nottingham for one last time in this batch of modern tram “Picture in Time” images as we take a look at one of the early advertising liveries carried on the trams.

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In Pictures: Hillsborough Corner trackworks

Posted on Tuesday 6 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

On Sunday 27th September further trackworks took place on the Stagecoach Supertram network in addition to the major rail replacement work at Crystal Peaks. This time the work was concentrated at Hillsborough Corner at the junction between the Blue and Yellow routes on the trackbed surrounding the rails, Stuart Cooke took a look at the work underway and also the finished worksite.

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Metro Brierley Hill extension reported to be 6 months behind schedule

Posted on Tuesday 6 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

A recent report has revealed that work on the Brierley Hill extension of the West Midlands Metro is six months behind schedule – but transport bosses are confident this time will be able to be made up as the project continues towards its planned 2023 opening.

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Still Standing! Sunderland District Electric Tramways Philadelphia Depot

Posted on Tuesday 6 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

Today “Still Standing!” is on the way to the northeast as we take a look at a surviving tram depot of the Sunderland District Electric Tramways.

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In Pictures: Work at Ocean Terminal continues

Posted on Monday 5 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

It may be three years away (if everything goes according to plan) but good progress continues to be made at various locations on the route of the Trams to Newhaven project in Edinburgh with the “one spade” process seeing all work in one area taking place in one closure. In this latest pictorial look at what is going on we head to Ocean Terminal an initial base has been put down in preparation for the track base and then track. John Hampton with the images.

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In Pictures: Supertram 118 receives black fleet numbers

Posted on Monday 5 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

Ever since Stagecoach Supertram 111 and 118 received all over adverts for Pretty Little Thing.com there has been a noticeable difference between the two (save for the fact one was numbered 111 and one 118 of course!) in that 111 had black fleet numbers and 118 white fleet numbers. But all that has now changed with 118 receiving end black fleet numbers (although the side numbers remain white).

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Twin Car 675+685

Posted on Monday 5 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

In this edition of “Picture in Time” it gives us another chance to see one of the Metro Coastlines liveried Twin Cars in action on the Blackpool Tramway.

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Trams in Video: Midland Metro – 2011 to 2016

Posted on Sunday 4 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

In this latest edition of “Trams in Video” we are heading back to the West Midlands for some video shot of the Midland Metro line between 2011 and 2016 (and of which can be seen on Bob Hodges Transport DVD “Midland Metro”). We see both the original, and now long-withdrawn, T69s along with the newer Urbos3 trams (pre-batteries!).

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Crich to celebrate 60th anniversary of the last Sheffield Corporation Tram

Posted on Sunday 4 October 2020 by Gareth Prior

On 8th October 1960 the last trams ran in Sheffield – or at least it was thought they did, until Supertram came along! – and now some 60 years later Crich Tramway Village will be marking the occasion with the display of Roberts Car 510 outside the depot for photos.

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