New home wanted for mock-up Edinburgh tram

Posted on Monday 16 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

The mock-up tram which was used to offer a taste of the future in Edinburgh is now homeless, and potentially available to interested parties, according to an article published by the Edinburgh Evening News. With the city’s new tram system finally open for business, the mock display tram is now considered surplus to requirements and is presently in store at Lothian Buses’ Seafield depot pending a decision on its long-term future.

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Posted in Edinburgh Trams | 14 Comments

In Pictures: LCC 1 enters the works at Crich

Posted on Sunday 15 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

As briefly reported yesterday on British Trams Online, London Transport 1 entered the workshop at Crich Tramway Village on Saturday 14th June, ready for work to commence on the major restoration of the tram which is being funded by the London County Council Tramways Trust. The end result will see the car restored to its original blue and white livery as London County Council 1, and allow it to carry passengers for the first time since entering preservation, although this will be several years away.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 9 Comments

Five month closure for Midland Metro to Wolverhampton

Posted on Sunday 15 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

It was announced back in March that £5 million had been awarded to replace the tracks on Bilston Road in Wolverhampton on Midland Metro and it has now been revealed that this work will last for five months from July with no trams serving Wolverhampton St George’s at all during this period.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 8 Comments

Another Metrolink T68 leaves for the scrapman

Posted on Sunday 15 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

1006 has become the seventh T68/T68A to depart Manchester for pastures new – in that we mean it has left to go for scrapping in Rotherham. The LRV was loaded onto the back of the low loader late on 12th June before departing early on 13th June – yes that’s right it has gone to meet its maker on Friday 13th June.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 3 Comments

In Pictures: Midland Metro Urbos 3 on display in Wolverhampton

Posted on Sunday 15 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

The second chance for members of the public to a take a close look at one of the new Midland Metro Urbos 3 trams took place on Saturday 14th June when 20 was displayed at Wolverhampton St George’s.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 1 Comment

In Pictures: Midland Metro Urbos 3’s continue their testing

Posted on Sunday 15 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

The testing and driver training on the Midland Metro CAF built Urbos 3 trams is continuing most days with a number of drivers now able to drive the vehicles. On the sunny evening of 12th June both 19 and 20 were out and about on the line with the trams running a round trip each. Two drivers were on board each tram with one taking the tram into Birmingham Snow Hill and the other to Wolverhampton St George’s. An expected entry into service for these trams is “summer” with several rumours suggesting dates for when the first passengers can take a ride but nothing has been officially confirmed.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 1 Comment

Public consultation set to be launched for Trafford Park Metrolink line

Posted on Sunday 15 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

Plans for a Metrolink extension to Trafford Park are set to go forward to a major public consultation, provided that the TfGM Committee give their approval at a meeting on Friday 20th June. The line would leave the current network just over Pomona and would serve five new stops before terminating at the Trafford Centre.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 4 Comments

Heritage trams this week

Posted on Sunday 15 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. Another quiet week is on the horizon with just the usual operating pattern across the country although it is just a week now until the Blackpool trams come out to play again and the East Anglia Transport Museum also host their next special event.

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Nottingham Express Transit 209 & The Milk Race

Posted on Sunday 15 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

You may remember a few weeks ago that Nottingham Express Transit’s 209 carried an advert for The Milk Race, a major cycling race taking place in Nottingham City Centre during May. Whether by accident or design 209 is named Sydney Standard who ran a cycle shop in Chilwell Road, Beeston and was President of the Beeston Road Club so it was rather apt that the adverts were carried on this tram. And to add further to the tram connection tram works have recently been taking place outside his shop ahead of the opening of Phase Two, as shown in the photo below.

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Enhanced Supertram service for Tour de France

Posted on Sunday 15 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

For the first time the Tour de France will start in Yorkshire (yes we know its not exactly in France but never mind!) and on Sunday 6th July it will pass directly through Sheffield before ending at the Motorpoint Arena. Supertram services will not be affected by any road closures and a revised service will operate for anyone wishing to view for the cycle race.

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Posted in South Yorkshire Supertram | 2 Comments

Another bridge named in Nottingham

Posted on Sunday 15 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

Following on from the naming of the Nottingham Express Transit Phase Two bridge over the railway station as the Karlsruhe Friendship Bridge it has been announced that a second iconic bridge is to be named. A steel bowstring bridge which crosses the city’s Ring Road was named the Ningbo Friendship Bridge at a ceremony on 11th June to cement the special relationship between Nottingham and Ningbo in China.

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New security measures to help prevent equipment theft from Metrolink

Posted on Sunday 15 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

Transport for Greater Manchester have teamed up with Greater Manchester Police to introduce new cutting edge measures to prevent and tackle the theft of equipment from the Metrolink network. All too frequently we have to report on another theft of copper wires from the network leading to severe delays but it is hoped these new measures will help to prevent this happening as regularly.

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The Rack is back!

Posted on Saturday 14 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

On Saturday 14th June, Blackpool & Fleetwood ‘Rack’ 2 made a very welcome return to service at the National Tramway Museum, Crich. This popular 1898-built tram was sidelined after the 2012 season, but has now been reinstated to traffic to mark the 50th anniversary of electric trams running at the museum. As car 2 operated the very first passenger journey by an electric tram at Crich in July 1964, its return to use is particularly appropriate.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 2 Comments

London trams in the works at Crich

Posted on Friday 13 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

At Crich Tramway Village, the ongoing major overhaul of London County Council 106 is now at a well advanced stage. The tram – which last operated on a restricted basis in summer 2010 – has been partially rebuilt with replacement corner pillars and new body panels being fitted, whilst the truck of the car has also been extensively refurbished due to a very high standard.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 11 Comments

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