Oldham 43 prepares for its move day

Posted on Friday 13 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington
On the 17th June the streets of Oldham will see an Oldham corporation tramcar making its way along them for the first time in 80 years, when the remains of Oldham 43 make their way to a new home at Manchester’s Heaton Park Tramway after several decades of outside storage on a farm above its native town. 
Posted in Heaton Park Tramway | 1 Comment

TMS Board respond to controversy over Leeds 602

Posted on Friday 13 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

The Tramway Museum Society have issued a detailed statement to members, explaining in greater detail the reasoning behind the recent controversial decision to turn down the offer of a large legacy to finance a full restoration of Leeds 602. The Chairman of the TMS Board has penned this letter with assistance from the Museum’s recently appointed Manager in response to the many queries he has received concerning the decision to reject the money so that 602 can be conserved in its current form rather than restored and operated.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 30 Comments

In Pictures: Hilton Hotel hire seven Blackpool trams

Posted on Thursday 12 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

One of the most ambitious private charters ever witnessed on the Blackpool tramway occurred on the evening of Tuesday 10th June, when the Hilton Hotel hired an incredible SEVEN trams from the heritage fleet! All of the high capacity cars which were selected for this duty were only out for a short term, but made for a remarkable sight in the fantastic lighting conditions provided by early evening sunshine reflecting off the puddles along the promenade left behind by earlier rainfall.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 22 Comments

Blackpool Brush car 298 to be banished from Crich

Posted on Wednesday 11 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

It has come to light that the Tramway Museum Society intend to transfer one of the many non-operational tramcars at Crich Tramway Village to the museum’s off-site storage facility at Clay Cross. The chosen vehicle is Blackpool Brush Railcoach 298, which arrived at Crich in 2005 in a partially restored state, but has sat untouched ever since and is currently languishing at the rear of the depots in a visually poor conditon.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 53 Comments

In Picture: Midland Metro Urbos3 on test

Posted on Tuesday 10 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

Testing and driver training of the Midland Metro CAF built Urbos 3 trams has stepped up a notch recently with evening runs of the trams a regular occurrence. One such occasion was on the evening of 5th June when Mike Ballinger was out with his camera and caught 19 at Bilston.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 1 Comment

Tram DVDs now available

Posted on Tuesday 10 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

A new DVD on Manchester Metrolink has just been released by Great Eastern Transport Films with footage of the system from early 2014 featured. Mark Ellis visited Manchester on four dates (27th January, 12th February, 31st March and 1st May 2014) and many different locations are featured on this 90 minute DVD.

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Posted in London Trams, Manchester Metrolink, South Yorkshire Supertram | 1 Comment

Fleetwood traders blame tram pass cancellation for profit drop

Posted on Tuesday 10 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

Small businesses in Fleetwood are claiming that the recent decision to cease accepting concessionary travel passes from Wyre residents on the Blackpool tramway has harmed their profits, to the extent that their long-term viability is now under threat. Just over two months after the changes were introduced, meaning that Blackpool residents with the pass can travel free by tram but residents of Fleetwood and Cleveleys must pay full price, and local traders say they are feeling the pinch as a result of less elderly people travelling by tram.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 8 Comments

Picture in Time 18: Blackpool VAMBAC 11 on tour

Posted on Monday 9 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

For the return of our occasional archive picture series, we are turning the clock all the way back to 1963 to catch up with one of the most popular preserved Blackpool trams around today – Marton VAMBAC Railcoach 11. At this time, with the demise of the inland routes and many of Blackpool’s old tram depots, a major thinning down of the fleet was imminent and a result, 11 was one of many trams to operate enthusiast tours before bidding farewell to their native system.

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Posted in Picture in Time | 2 Comments

Two more all over adverts for Nottingham

Posted on Sunday 8 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

The ever changing liveries of Nottingham Express Transit has taken another twist with the last couple of weeks seeing two more all over adverts unveiled. 207 has lost its strange all over blue livery in favour of an advert for Pay Point whilst 209 has quickly lost its ad for the Milk Race for one advertising Trent Barton Mango tickets.

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Two more M5000s enter service

Posted on Sunday 8 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

The last couple of days has seen the operational M5000 fleet on Manchester increase first to 81 and then to 82 with the entry into service of 3062 and 3083. The introduction of 3062 into service comes some 18 months after it was delivered to Manchester and follows significant rebuilding following the vehicles use as a spares donor to keep other members of the fleet operational.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 4 Comments

Edinburgh Trams prove popular in their first days of operation

Posted on Sunday 8 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

Transport for Edinburgh officials confirmed that over the first four days of operation on the new Edinburgh Trams line 85,000 passengers were carried – boosted by over 10,000 One Direction fans heading to Murrayfield on Tuesday 3rd June.

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In Pictures: The forgotten Blackpool trams

Posted on Sunday 8 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

When the old Blackpool tram fleet was sold off Merseytravel purchased several examples to help them achieve their plans of extending the Birkenhead Heritage Tramway. As the years have passed these plans seem to have gone on a major backburner but the trams remain in their ownership. One of them, Brush Car 626, is at Pacific Road depot in Birkenhead where it remains stored out of use but the other trams are stored out in the open waiting for something to happen.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 9 Comments

Public Inquiry announced for Edinburgh Trams project

Posted on Sunday 8 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

It has been confirmed that there will be a public inquiry into the Edinburgh Trams project. As has been reported on these pages extensively the project went through very rough patches during its construction which led to a much reduced line being constructed and even this saw the original budget smashed. The news that there would be an inquiry was made by the First Minister, Alex Salmond, at the Scottish Parliament just days after the system opened.

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Posted in Edinburgh Trams | 2 Comments

NET Phase Two safety campaign launched

Posted on Sunday 8 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

Taylor Woodrow Alstom, the contractor in charge of construction of Nottingham Express Transit Phase Two, have launched a new safety campaign as the overhead lines start to be installed on the new lines due to open at the end of the year. Work is now underway to install the overhead with The Meadows the first place to see this work undertaken.

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Blackpool event preview: Totally Transport, 22nd June

Posted on Saturday 7 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

On Sunday 22nd June, the popular Totally Transport event returns to Blackpool’s New South Promenade for the tenth successive year. Featuring a wide variety of vintage transport plus other attractions to entertain the whole family, this year’s event will see heritage trams operating through the heart of the event for the first time in a number of years, providing the first chance to ride on a heritage tram to Starr Gate since 2009!

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Event Previews | 2 Comments

Heritage Trams this week…

Posted on Friday 6 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

It’s that time of the week again when we provide a round-up of when and where you can ride on heritage trams in the UK and Isle of Man. It is certainly the calm after the storm at the moment with no major tram events taking place until towards the end of June when Blackpool’s heritage trams are back out and the East Anglia Transport Museum also host another event with “Hop on a Bus”.

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Private Pantograph car

Posted on Friday 6 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

On the evening of Thursday 5th June, Blackpool Pantograph car 167 was employed on a private hire working which saw it operate over the entire length of the Blackpool tramway with passengers on board – the first time this had occurred since 1998. Unusually, the tour started from Starr Gate with passengers allowed to board the tram at the southern terminus before it headed for Fleetwood in glorious early evening sunshine.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 5 Comments

Projects progress at Heaton Park

Posted on Thursday 5 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

It has been a while since we supplied an update on the overhaul work on both Hull 96 and Manchester 765 at the Heaton Park Tramway, so to rectify this, we now offer the latest details on the ongoing work being carried out by volunteers to return these two stalwarts to a serviceable condition.

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Concert chaos to hit Blackpool again

Posted on Wednesday 4 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

Blackpool Council have revealed plans for the annual illuminations switch-on event, which will once again be held at the Tower Festival Headland venue. Unlike last year, the main switch-on event will be totally free; however, to compensate, two further shows are scheduled to take place over the same weekend. This is almost certain to cause mayhem on the promenade, and particularly for the tramway which always suffers when such events are held at this controversial venue.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 13 Comments

Last T68s leave Queens Road

Posted on Wednesday 4 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

Queens Road Depot now has no T68 LRVs in situ – for the first time since the 29th August 1991. The remaining four T68s were moved across the city to Trafford Depot for storage over the first few days of June bringing to an end the classes association with the original Manchester Metrolink depot.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 2 Comments