Open trams for MER and evening service for Douglas in 2018

Posted on Tuesday 16 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

Isle of Man Railways have released details of the 2018 timetables for the Manx Electric Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway, Douglas Bay Horse Tramway and, although out of our scope, the Isle of Man Steam Railway. The regular pattern of different timetables at different times during the years continues with the major noticeable differences being the diagramming of open motors at times on the MER whilst the horse trams will also see an evening service during the peak season.

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Airport services set to be extended to Victoria

Posted on Tuesday 16 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

Sunday 29th January will see the introduction of a revised timetable on Manchester Metrolink which will see trams from Manchester Airport extended from Deansgate-Castlefield through to Victoria (except for the early bird services). This will not only provide an extra service through the city centre – running via 2CC – but will also give extra operational flexibility at Deansgate-Castlefield leaving the centre platform free at all times.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 2 Comments

Picture in Time: Liverpool 245

Posted on Tuesday 16 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

Going back to 1979 for today’s trip into the archives as we head to Southport for a view of Liverpool 245 whilst it was stored at the old Steamport attraction.

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Posted in Birkenhead Heritage Tramway, Blackpool Tramway, Picture in Time | 1 Comment

Where are they now? Bournemouth, Taunton & Nottingham trams

Posted on Monday 15 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

Last week we saw some video footage from Lune Tube of a lost Bradford tram stored on a farm at Sunderland Farm, but as we all know that is not the only tram that is still out there in the UK countryside. British Trams Online reader Royston Morris has recently contacted us seeking information about three more trams and we are throwing out this where are they now request to the wider readership to see if anyone can help him locate the bodies…

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Posted in General | 4 Comments

Douglas, Sheffield and Statfold Barn win in Tram of the Year 2017

Posted on Sunday 14 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

Douglas Bay Horse Tramway 36 – which returned to service on the very last day of the 2017 season after a major overhaul – has been voted the Tram of the Year (Traditional) for 2017 after six weeks of public voting. Meanwhile the other categories have seen victories for Stagecoach Supertram 399 202 in the Tram of the Year (Modern) category with the Statfold Barn Railway winning both Tramway of the Year and Event of the Year.

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Posted in Burton & Ashby 14, Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, South Yorkshire Supertram, Tram of the Year | 5 Comments

Car on tracks in Croydon

Posted on Sunday 14 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

London Tramlink services running through Sandilands were delayed on Monday 8th January after a car was driven onto the tracks. The elderly driver of the car was said to be lost when he managed to drive onto the tracks at approximately 1625 and then get his car stuck. The London Fire Brigade assisted with removing the car with a service resumed through the area shortly after 1900.

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In Pictures: Delays in Edinburgh after coach collides with post

Posted on Sunday 14 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

There were delays to the tram service in Edinburgh on Friday 12th January after a coach collided with an overhead post close to the York Place terminus. The coach – from Park’s of Hamilton and operating a Perth to Edinburgh service – was turning across the tramway as it approached the St Andrew Square Bus Station when the collision occurred shortly after 1200. Edinburgh Trams services were temporarily suspended between York Place and West End Princes Street whilst the collision was dealt with and the damage was assessed before a full service could resume.

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Picture in Time: Nottingham Express Transit 211

Posted on Saturday 13 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

We go back a little over 11 years in this instalment of Picture in Time with an image taken on Nottingham Express Transit.

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In Pictures: Trampower City Class Tram

Posted on Saturday 13 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

Up until now the only noticeable progress that Trampower seem to have made is the construction of a prototype tram – the City Class tram. First seen in Birkenhead and then in Blackpool (where it suffered a fire in January 2007) this tram has been out of the public eye for a number of years being stored in a number of locations with its current home being a boat yard close to the Ribble Steam Railway in Preston. Kevin James provides us with these photos of its current condition.

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Posted in Preston Trampower | 3 Comments

Tram suspension after hotel fire

Posted on Saturday 13 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

Evening services on the Blackpool Tramway between North Pier and Cabin were suspended during the evening of Wednesday 10th January following a fire in a closed hotel close to the stop at Wilton Parade. The fire was first reported at 2030 in the former Ambassador Hotel with no trams able to run in service along this section of track until the end of service; replacement buses were put in place but they were unable to serve both Wilton Parade and Pleasant Street.

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Major disruption for Nottingham Express Transit

Posted on Friday 12 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

A major fire at Nottingham Railway Station helped to contribute to a bad day for services on Nottingham Express Transit, and this time around there could be no blame attached to NET. Both the Chilwell and Beeston lines didn’t see any trams at all until 1400 on Friday 12th January with the stop at Nottingham Railway Station remaining closed all day along with the station itself. But this was not the only incident which caused disruption as the day had started with a Police cordon on Waverley Street even before trams could get through the city centre.

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Lune Tube visit Blackpool

Posted on Friday 12 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

Last week we featured a video showing a Bradford tram body at Sunderland Point and as a follow up Lune Tube – who normally feature videos from North Lancashire – have been to Blackpool to find out more about the heritage trams there and whether the Bradford tram body is a one off. Interviewing Bryan Lindop the video finds out more about the trams in Blackpool and can be viewed at http://lunetube.co.uk/2018/01/09/heritage-trams-in-north-lancashire.

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In Pictures: Winter work on Blackpool Vanguard 619

Posted on Friday 12 January 2018 by Andrew Waddington

Since its arrival at Heaton Park in June 2010, Blackpool Replica Vanguard 619 has been an extremely useful and popular member of the Manchester tramway’s fleet. However, a period of outside storage (although with its open sides boarded up for protection) followed by a return to frequent use has sadly left it looking rather shabby – but now this is being corrected with various jobs being carried out over winter to restore it to a much smarter appearance.

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Standard 147 in the works

Posted on Friday 12 January 2018 by Andrew Waddington

Since its return to Blackpool almost a year ago after a highly successful and popular loan period at Beamish Museum, not much has been seen or heard of Standard car 147. On its return it was decided to carry out some extensive cosmetic work on the tram, including its first total repaint for twelve years to restore it to an immaculate appearance – as befits one of the flagships of the heritage tram fleet!

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Planning application made for Douglas Promenade

Posted on Thursday 11 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

Another of those long-running sagas is that of the redevelopment of Douglas Promenade, which remains of interest to tram enthusiasts as it affects the future of the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway. As reported in depth previously on these pages the latest plans will see a double track tramway retained between Derby Castle and just north of the Broadway junction before it changes to single track through to the Sea Terminal. After months of discussion the official plans have now been submitted by the Department of Infrastructure with a view to starting work in September.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Centenary 646

Posted on Thursday 11 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

In this edition of Picture in Time we are back in Blackpool – or Fleetwood if you want to be completely precise – with an image of one of the much maligned, but vital, Centenary Cars.

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Trams to be restored for Fleetwood dockyard tramway scheme?

Posted on Wednesday 10 January 2018 by Andrew Waddington

The Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust has recently announced ambitious plans to carry out major restoration work on some of its collection of ex-Blackpool trams, for operation on a brand new line at Fleetwood. This is part of a radical new scheme known as ‘Fleetwood Quays’, intended to rejuvanate the docks with a working tramway earmarked for construction to transport visitors around the site.

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Posted in Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust | 7 Comments

A busy year for Beamish

Posted on Wednesday 10 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

The tramway at Beamish enjoyed a very busy 2017 with 27,550 miles covered – a figure made all the more impressive by the fact that only five trams were operational at some point in the year, including Blackpool 147 which returned home in early March. The figures have been revealed on Beamish Transport Online which also reveal that since they started to keep records in 2002 trams have covered 331,775 miles!

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Call to retain Summer Hill Stables in tramway ownership

Posted on Wednesday 10 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

It is another saga which seems as if it will never end, the future of the historic Summer Hill Stables which have been the home of the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway trammers for over 140 years. Ever since Douglas Borough Council relinquished control of the Horse Tramway the future of the stables have been up in the air and it appeared at the end of 2017 that it was all over with news that Isle of Man Transport would be unable to use them in 2018 and that a new structure would be needed at the Derby Castle terminus. But now the Friends of the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway are urging a rethink with a call to retain the stables in tramway ownership with a recognition of their historic nature.

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Contractor appointed to construct Preston’s Guild Line

Posted on Tuesday 9 January 2018 by Gareth Prior

Are trams going to run in Preston again? The on-off saga of the Guild Line has taken another turn for the better with the news that Preston Trampower Ltd have appointed Eric Wright Civil Engineering to construct the line. A sod cutting ceremony took place on Tuesday 9th January at the same time as the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two parties ahead of full construction of the demonstration line.

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Posted in Preston Trampower | 4 Comments