September Review – Blackpool: No. 15 – North Pier

Posted on Sunday 30 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

With the shop tram – Balloon 711 – constantly stabled on the loop line at North Pier this was another location during the September Spectacular that provided differing photographic opportunities as we see in today’s retrospective.

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Businesses have their say on support needed if Edinburgh extension goes ahead

Posted on Sunday 30 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

It may be a few months before we find out for definite whether Edinburgh Trams’ extension along Leith Walk and on to Newhaven will get the go-ahead but the work to put into place support for businesses who may be affected by the construction is continuing with businesses in the locality giving their views on the packages which may be offered. Amongst those ideas backed are cargo bikes, local discount schemes and a business continuity fund.

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September Review – Isle of Man: No. 30 – The MER and SMR meet again

Posted on Sunday 30 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

We are back at Laxey today as we once again look at some images showing both the Manx Electric Railway and Snaefell Mountain Railway together in the station.

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September Review – Crich: No. 15 – Inside the depots

Posted on Saturday 29 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

Over the winter of 2017/18 major work was undertaken on the depots at Crich which saw them improved to conserve the trams better in the future. This resulted in a very different view with internal walls included for the first time. Today we take a peek inside the depots at trams, well mostly anyway.

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Tyne and Wear Metro to feature in new TV documentary

Posted on Saturday 29 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

The Tyne and Wear Metro is set to become a television star in its own right with ITV commissioning a new four part series looking behind the scenes on the system – the first time in the network’s history that access has been granted to the cameras. The show will follow the stories of the staff, the passengers and the communities whose “lives revolve around a unique rail network”.

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September Review – Isle of Man: No. 29 – Another look at the horse trams

Posted on Saturday 29 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

Today we head back to the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway for another look at the horse trams in service. This time around we feature those horse cars which aren’t in service that often – 1, 12 and 18.

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September Review – Blackpool: No. 14 – Balloon 717

Posted on Friday 28 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

It is a tram that usually goes about its business with the minimum of fuss regularly operating on heritage tours, illumination tours and private hires. Probably harshly Balloon 717 is a tram which doesn’t have that “wow” factor with many enthusiasts but is a tram which is over 80 years old and still runs having enjoyed a major overhaul earlier this century.

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In Pictures: Concrete base in place on Pinfold Street

Posted on Friday 28 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

Whilst for many the pre-Christmas period is a time of winding down getting ready for the festivities that is far from the case on West Midlands Metro construction works with significant milestones reached on the both the Birmingham Westside and Wolverhampton City Centre lines. In Wolverhampton the tracks from the points at St George’s to the road bridge, just short of the railway station, are now fully tarmacked whilst at the other end of the line the concrete based is in place on Pinfold Street ahead of the installation of tracks. Andy Walters shows the situation in Birmingham.

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September Review – Isle of Man: No. 28 – Even more good vehicles out

Posted on Friday 28 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

For the third time in this series we feature the goods vehicles of the Manx Electric Railway as they see use during the events week (and slightly beyond!). This time around we feature not only the vans – 4 and 16 – but also one of the wagons.

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September Review – Crich: No. 14 – More views of Works Cars

Posted on Thursday 27 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

Today as we head back to Crich we feature more photos of Works Cars in action with two locomotives in the frame.

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Man to appear in court over first Tram-Train collision

Posted on Thursday 27 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

A 60 year old man has been charged for driving without due care and attention and for contravening a red light following the collision between a lorry and a tram-train on the first day of the service to Rotherham Parkgate on 25th October. The man, from Rotherham, was driving the lorry when the collision happened at the road crossing between Woodbourn Road and Attercliffe causing 399 204 to derail and services to be suspended. The tram-train remains out of service although the undamaged section has recently been joined to the undamaged sections of 399 202 (also damaged in a collision at the same location) to make one good vehicle. He is due to appear at Sheffield Magistrates Court on 14th February.

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September Review – Isle of Man: No. 27 – The second oldest tram in the world

Posted on Thursday 27 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

1 and 2 are listed in the Guinness Book of World Records jointly as the oldest trams running on their original system but surely one must be a bit newer than the other! It may not be the case that this is actually no. 2 but as its number is higher than 1 we’re taking it to be as we continue our look at just what happened during the MER 125 events.

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September Review – Blackpool: No. 13 – Blackpool & Fleetwood Box 40

Posted on Wednesday 26 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

Although still part of the national collection, Box 40 is a tram which has been a more or less permanent member of the tram fleet in Blackpool for many years (save for a short return “visit” to Crich) and also proves to be very popular whenever it does run.

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September Review – Isle of Man: No. 26 – More Tunnel Cars in service

Posted on Wednesday 26 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

Leftover Turkey may be on the menu for you today but to take your thoughts away from that we bring you more photos from September’s Manx Electric Railway 125th anniversary week. This time around we once again feature the Tunnel Cars – which have been plying their trade on the line since 1894.

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September Review – Crich: No. 13 – Open Air through the Derbyshire countryside

Posted on Tuesday 25 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

Hopefully Santa has visited you all by now and you are enjoying your Christmas festivities and now as an added present we bring you our second set of photos of the day. This time we are back at Crich and feature a selection of Open Top trams.

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September Review – Isle of Man: No. 25 – The MER meets the SMR

Posted on Tuesday 25 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

Happy Christmas everyone! It may be Christmas Day but that doesn’t mean the updates stop! In the first of our return to September photographic series of the day we head to Laxey Station for some views of the Manx Electric Railway meeting the Snaefell Mountain Railway. And we’ll be back later today after you’ve had your turkey and the Queen’s Speech!

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September Review – Blackpool: No. 12 – Pleasure Beach loop

Posted on Monday 24 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

One of the major features of the September Spectacular in Blackpool is the number of trams which can be found on Pleasure Beach loop waiting for their turn to run in service again, providing plenty of extra photographic opportunities. And that is where we find ourselves for this article.

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Sounds & Pictures in Time! Glasgow’s last trams

Posted on Monday 24 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

An extra special Christmas treat for you today as we head to Glasgow on 19th November 1962 for the sounds and pictures of Glasgow’s trams. On this date a group of enthusiasts visited Coplawhill Works to assess 1005 for preservation and it was also the time that the last trams were taken into the works for splitting and handing over to the breakers. Six Mark 1 Coronations were on site and before they were condemned once and for all they were permitted to undertake a few final runs. In the below YouTube video Martin Miller has provided the sounds of the day along with some photos of what happened on that special day.

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September Review – Isle of Man: No. 24 – More Solo Motors

Posted on Monday 24 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

Today as we continue our look back at September’s goings on, on the Isle of Man, we once again take a look at some motors in action – just as darkness starts to take hold.

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The Reindeer names of Edinburgh Trams

Posted on Sunday 23 December 2018 by Gareth Prior

In the lead up to Christmas 2018 Edinburgh Trams not only put some Christmas decorations up on their trams but also went to the effort of naming some of the trams after Santa’s reindeer! Trams seem to have received two names – one at each end – and although we don’t have a complete list in the interests of the Christmas spirit below we include details of those noted!

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