Douglas 45 moves to the MER

Posted on Monday 18 September 2017 by Andrew Waddington

Douglas 45 has become the latest of the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway fleet to be selected for a major overhaul. Last week the tram left its normal home and was moved by road to the Manx Electric Railway’s Derby Castle premises for work to begin on its rebuild.

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In Pictures: Bournemouth 85 & Friends!

Posted on Monday 18 September 2017 by Andrew Waddington

As we have already reported on British Trams Online, Bournemouth 85 was the undisputed star of the show at Crich Tramway Village’s ‘Tram Day’ on Saturday 16th September. Bearing this in mind, and because we are rather taken with it, here are some more pictures taken on this day showing 85 in the company of other vehicles in the Crich fleet.

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In Pictures: 267 & 274 receive C R Smith ads in Edinburgh

Posted on Monday 18 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

The addition of more advertising vinyls for C R Smith shows no signs of slowing down with two more trams receiving their new look in the past few days – 267 and 274.

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Event Report: Crich ‘Tram Day’, 16th September 2017

Posted on Monday 18 September 2017 by Andrew Waddington

The annual enthusiasts event at Crich Tramway Village – now known simply as ‘Tram Day’ – is commonly regarded as one of the highlights of the year for fans of traditional trams in the UK, and 2017’s event was certainly no exception. Held on Saturday 16th September, this year saw the usual mix of unusual trams displayed in the depot yard, line-ups of trams and an intensive service on the main line. This year’s star attraction was without doubt Bournemouth 85, the latest addition to the museum’s collection.

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In Pictures: Citylink trams debut in Sheffield

Posted on Monday 18 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

As we reported last week there was an unexpected debut for the Citylink tram-trains on Thursday 15th September following the naming of 399 202 at Nunnery Square Depot. The tram ran an additional service on the Yellow route once the naming ceremony had taken place; unadvertised to the general public save for a brief mention on local news in the morning but with the press and local dignitaries present. With thanks to the Railway Herald we can now bring you photos of the first day.

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In Pictures: Brush 630 heads off to Blackpool

Posted on Monday 18 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

No sooner had it played a major role in Tram Day at Crich then Blackpool Brush Railcoach 630 was transferred to the Workshop for preparations to be made for its visit to its old home tramway. Indeed on Monday 18th September the tram was on the road to Blackpool, returning to the resort for the first time in nearly six years.

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Picture in Time: Docklands Light Railway 04

Posted on Saturday 16 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

Our modern edition of Picture in Time this week comes from the Docklands Light Railway as we go back to 1994 for a view of P86 04.

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Citylink trams debut in Sheffield

Posted on Friday 15 September 2017 by Andrew Waddington

After announcing only a few days ago that members of the public would finally be able to ride on a tram-train in the UK on Sunday 17th September, Stagecoach Supertram then caught us rather by surprise by debuting one of its newest additions in service on Thursday 14th! 399 402 did the honours, performing a number of historic runs on this first day.

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Posted in South Yorkshire Supertram, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

In Pictures: Heritage trams on New South Promenade

Posted on Thursday 14 September 2017 by Andrew Waddington

Not previously featured on British Trams Online was the operation of Blackpool’s heritage tram service to Starr Gate on both Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th August. This resulted from the partial closure of the promenade on both afternoons for a music event, forcing the heritage trams to terminate at Tower – and so the service was extended to the tramway’s southern extremity to offer some consolation!

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22nd September is ‘Brush car Friday’

Posted on Thursday 14 September 2017 by Andrew Waddington

It was already known that the now annual Blackpool tramway anniversary spectacular event – being held this year on 23rd & 24th September – would be dominated by the Brush Railcoach class, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of these historic trams in 2017. However, an additional event, solely featuring the Brush cars, has now been announced for Friday 22nd September when four cars of the type are expected to be in service.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Brush 296

Posted on Thursday 14 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

A tram which looks very different now is the feature of today’s Picture in Time image – it is Blackpool Brush 296.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Picture in Time | 5 Comments

In Pictures: Edinburgh 262 in C R Smith advert

Posted on Wednesday 13 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

The C R Smith advertising vinyls are continuing to spread in Edinburgh with 262 another tram to have recently succumbed. This advert has a sporting theme as it is from Dunblane to St Andrews – tennis star Andy Murray is from Dunblane and features on the vinyl along with the R&A clubhouse at St Andrews.

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In Pictures: Bilston Road track replacement

Posted on Wednesday 13 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

Three months into the planned six month closure of Midland Metro between Priestfield and Wolverhampton St George’s and progress is continuing with the majority of the southbound track now laid. It is hoped that trams will return in time for Christmas but as well as the northbound track still to be replaced there is work to be done on installing points for the Wolverhampton City Centre extension. Andy Walters provides us with the latest images.

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Lost Trams: Blackpool 144

Posted on Wednesday 13 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

Whereas the other trams at the Seashore Trolley Museum which have featured recently in this Lost Trams series are stored with no prospect of a return to service this is not the case for the Blackpool representative in the collection – Standard 144.

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In Preview: Tram Day at Crich Tramway Village

Posted on Tuesday 12 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

Tram Day, the annual main enthusiast’s event at the Crich Tramway Village, takes place on Saturday 16th September. We already knew that recently arrived Bournemouth 85 was expected to play a starring role in the day but it has now been announced that the 80th anniversary of the Blackpool Brush Railcoach and the 60th anniversary of Liverpool Corporation Tramways closing will also be themes for the day.

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Picture in Time: Modern Electric Tramways 6

Posted on Tuesday 12 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

In this edition of Picture in Time we once again venture to Eastbourne for a look at the Modern Electric Tramways operation on the Sussex coast before they moved to the more familiar location today of Seaton. The tram featured is no. 6.

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Centenary car 641 – a work of art?

Posted on Monday 11 September 2017 by Andrew Waddington

The latest project involving a tram from the collection of the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust was unveiled on Saturday 9th September, as part of the ‘Art of Recovery in Blackpool’ event. As reported previously, Centenary car 641 has been given a makeover by volunteers from ‘Horizon’, who work to help people with a range of issues such as drug and alcohol addiction, receiving a repaint in the organisation’s vibrant purple colour scheme.

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In Pictures: Another new advert in Sheffield

Posted on Monday 11 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

You wait years for a new advert livery and then two come along within a week! Following on from 111 receiving adverts for IKEA at the start of last week, 116 has now been wrapped in an advert for Doncaster Sheffield Airport replacing a design for East Midlands Trains.

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More details unveiled for Manx Electric Railway 125 in September 2018

Posted on Monday 11 September 2017 by Gareth Prior

There is often some criticism of how late details of special events are announced but that is not something which can be levelled against plans for the 125th Anniversary of the Manx Electric Railway as the full itinerary of events have been released – 12 months before they take place! A full eight days of events will take place between Saturday 1st and Saturday 8th September 2018.

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Posted in Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, Event Previews, Manx Electric Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway | 2 Comments

The Trawler sails again!

Posted on Monday 11 September 2017 by Andrew Waddington

Following a lengthy absence from passenger duties, the illuminated Trawler 737 has recently made a very welcome return to service in Blackpool. It may be remembered that the tram was re-launched last October following a refurbishment which included the fitting of stunning LEDs which change colour to stunning effect! However, after a few weeks the car vanished again due to some teething problems with its new lights and had barely been seen since then.

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