It’s Chillwell isn’t it?

Posted on Friday 24 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

We’ve all done it, added an extra letter into a word and not realised before publishing it but at least when you write something for a website you can quickly make the amendment hoping nobody has noticed. Unfortunately for Nottingham Express Transit this isn’t an option as one of the new tramstop signs has seen a rather unfortunate mistake with the stop at Chilwell Road receiving a sign with an extra l making it Chillwell Road. But at least the local media haven’t noticed and made a big deal of it, oh hold on maybe they have!

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Posted in Nottingham Express Transit | 7 Comments

Artists sought for Midland Metro extension

Posted on Friday 24 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

Centro are looking for local artists to help decorate the Birmingham City Centre Midland Metro extension with three location cabinets set to receive artwork rather than keep the plain paint jobs as seen elsewhere in the UK. The three cabinets – which will contain signaling and telecommunications equipment – are situated at Bull Street, Corporation Street and Stephenson Street and it is hoped that local artists will enter a competition to decorate these ahead of opening by the end of this year.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 1 Comment

Picture in Time: Blackpool Railcoach 680

Posted on Friday 24 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

As I look out the window this evening at the weather at the pouring rain (it is meant to be summer isn’t it!) I have gone through my archive of photos for an image of a tram in the wet and the first one I have come across is of Blackpool Ex-Towing Railcoach 680, a tram which has been in the news already this year as a result of it moving to its home tramway at Heaton Park before a further move to its old home of Blackpool.

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Black Country Living Museum back on track!

Posted on Thursday 23 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

After 18 long months trams are back on track at the Black Country Living Museum following the completion of the first phase of track replacement works. Trams are now running daily on a half route between the tram depot and the mine with full services expected to resume in September after the final stage of track works are finished.

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In Pictures: Blackpool 762 undergoes driver familiarisation

Posted on Thursday 23 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

On Thursday 23rd July Blackpool Jubilee Car 762 was one of the chosen three trams in service at the Crich Tramway Village although its use wasn’t only a random one as the chance was also taken to use it for driver familarisation which it is hoped will mean that it will see increased use during the school summer holidays.

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Going for a ride…

Posted on Thursday 23 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

It’s Thursday evening and so we all know what that means don’t we? Yes that’s right it’s our regular round-up of when and where you can enjoy a ride on a traditional tram within the British Isles. Highlight of the next week or so looks set to be on the Isle of Man where the annual Manx Heritage Transport Festival takes place between 29th July and 2nd July with the MER featuring heavily during the event. But that isn’t all that is on offer this week as with the School holidays in full swing Blackpool starts daily operation until the start of September (unbroken service commences Saturday 25th July) and the Birkenhead Heritage Tramway and East Anglia Transport Museum are also operating on more days for the next few weeks.

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In Pictures: Blackpool’s B Fleet in service

Posted on Wednesday 22 July 2015 by Andrew Waddington

Monday 20th & Tuesday 21st July saw the modified ‘B Fleet’ Balloon cars in use on the Blackpool tramway. Whilst these cars have made occasional guest appearances on heritage tour duties, this time they were being used as they were intended, for normal stage carriage work to boost capacity on the system, although unfortunately due to poor weather on both days they weren’t really needed.

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First part of NET Phase Two set to open

Posted on Tuesday 21 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

Monday 27th July will see the opening of part of the Nottingham Express Transit Phase Two extensions although if you are looking forward to a ride on this stretch of line it won’t take you long! It has been announced that the new Nottingham Railway Station tramstop will open to trams from the start of service on this day following final preparations over the next few days. All trams for both Hucknall and Phoenix Park will depart from the same northbound platform (the southbound platform will not be accessible for now). The last trams will call at the old platforms at Station Street at the end of service on Sunday 26th July after which it will be all change to the new and easier to access tramstop. It’s only a small part of Phase Two but at least it’s a start!

Posted in Nottingham Express Transit | 6 Comments

Picture in Time: Douglas Horse Tramway 34, 33 & 1

Posted on Tuesday 21 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

We are back in the middle of the Irish Sea for today’s Picture in Time image but this time we move away from electricity and feature the Douglas Horse Tramway on a wet day in 1992 with a view at the Strathallan terminus with the usual collection of trams in attendance.

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Heritage trams prove a hit with Fleetwood festival crowds

Posted on Monday 20 July 2015 by Andrew Waddington

The annual Fleetwood Festival of Transport, held on Sunday 19th July 2015, provided the incentive for the most extensive service operated by traditional trams to Fleetwood – albeit turning short at Fisherman’s Walk – since the Blackpool tramway upgrade. Six heritage trams operated a twenty minute frequency between Pleasure Beach and Fisherman’s Walk throughout the day, and in addition a further three vintage trams spent the day as static exhibits on Pharos Street.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 4 Comments

Picture in Time: Manchester Metrolink 1008

Posted on Sunday 19 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

We are off to Manchester Metrolink once again for today’s Picture in Time image and this time the star of the feature is T68 1008 when we catch up with the vehicle on 6th April 1992 – the first day of public service on the line.

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In Pictures: Manchester Metrolink M5000 3101 heads to Manchester

Posted on Sunday 19 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

Last week we reported that the latest M5000 for Manchester Metrolink, 3101, had arrived at Queens Road Depot and this week we show a photo of it, courtesy of Christoph Heuer, as it made its way to the UK. All deliveries of the M5000s have to make a ferry trip across the North Sea to Hull and this photo shows the tram as it awaits loading onto the Pride of Hull at Rotterdam on 3rd July.

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In Pictures: Supertram works move to City Road

Posted on Sunday 19 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

Progress is continuing with the Stagecoach Supertram rail replacement works with the latest site seeing attention being on City Road. Work is taking place on both tracks and is slowly moving towards Manor Top. Trams on the Blue route are now running in two sections between Malin Bridge and Sheffield Station (following the completion of works between the Station and the Delta junction) and from Halfway to Gleadless Townend with the Purple route suspended in its entirety whilst the Yellow route just continues to operate as normal. Photos of progress on City Road are provided by Stuart Cooke.

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Tramlink to see more service suspension

Posted on Sunday 19 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

Passengers wishing to travel on London Tramlink are set to suffer more disruption with a further service suspension announced for nine days from Wednesday 22nd July. Currently trams are not running between Dundonald Road and Wimbledon to allow for work to take place at Wimbledon Station to allow for an increase in capacity with the extension of the Tramlink platform and now between 22nd July and 31st July there will be no trams between New Addington and Sandilands to allow for rail replacement works in the Addington area.

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Battle Bus visits Crich

Posted on Friday 17 July 2015 by Andrew Waddington

On Wednesday 15th July, an unusual visitor arrived at Crich in the form of London omnibus B2723 – better known as the ‘Battle Bus’ from London’s Transport Museum. The bus in its distinctive khaki livery was one of the star attractions at the museum’s First World War event which has replaced the previous Edwardian Weekend this year, and whilst it may not be a tram, its presence seemed worthy of mention here.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 4 Comments

Picture in Time: Fleetwood Tram Sunday 1992

Posted on Friday 17 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

With the Fleetwood Transport Festival – aka Tram Sunday – due to take place this coming Sunday today’s Picture in Time is heading to the northern extremity of the Blackpool Tramway for a few views of the event in 1992 – which also happened to be on 19th July.

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Going for a ride…

Posted on Thursday 16 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

And once again we take a look at just where you can enjoy a ride on a heritage tram in the British Isles as we are “Going for a ride…”. Last week we inadvertently said there were no special events taking place although that was actually rubbish as the Crich Tramway Village’s The Great War: The Home Front has been taking place since Monday 13th july and will continue until Sunday 19th July with highlights including Chesterfield 7 as the recruitment tram and, despite not being a tram still worthy of a mention, the London Battle Bus is visiting. Away from Crich and there is another weekend of more intensive operation in Blackpool with a Green timetable on Saturday 18th July and a special Gold timetable on Sunday 19th July which includes heritage trams running to Fisherman’s Walk throughout the day. And then it isn’t too long until the Manx Heritage Transport Festival so plenty to keep you occupied as summer really gets going.

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Stockport 5 returns to Lakeside Depot

Posted on Thursday 16 July 2015 by Andrew Waddington

On Tuesday 14th July, Stockport 5 was transferred from the original Middleton Road depot on the Heaton Park Tramway, to the new depot near to the boating lake. The car has been undergoing some remedial bodywork attention following the discovery of rot but this work has stalled so that efforts can be focussed on completing Hull 96 meaning that 5 is unlikely to run this year.

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Beamish goes Downton for the day

Posted on Wednesday 15 July 2015 by Andrew Waddington

On Monday 13th July, a high-profile filming assignment for the final series of the TV drama series Downton Abbey took place at Beamish Museum. The period setting of the museum’s town area was the perfect venue for some scenes for the costume drama to be filmed, and Newcastle 114 played a starring role in the proceedings, albeit in disguise.

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Picture in Time: Newcastle 102

Posted on Tuesday 14 July 2015 by Gareth Prior

We feature Newcastle 102 again for today’s “Picture in Time” image. Last time we saw the tram as part of this series it was at Crich and was poised to head back to the northeast and that is where we take up the story.

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