Author Archives: Andrew Waddington

Liverpool 245 is mobile again

Posted on Thursday 24 January 2013 by Andrew Waddington

The restoration of Liverpool 245 by members of the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society made another important step towards completion this week, with the tram becoming mobile for the first time in many months on Thursday 24th January. Following the delivery … Continue reading →

Posted in Birkenhead Heritage Tramway | 4 Comments

Manchester 765, the comeback king

Posted on Monday 21 January 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Despite being technically withdrawn from service at the end of October last year, Manchester 765 has made a few surprise appearances on the Heaton Park Tramway since then for various reasons. Its first outing of 2013 occured on Sunday 20th … Continue reading →

Posted in Heaton Park Tramway | 1 Comment

Rare winter outings for a Balloon and a Standard

Posted on Saturday 19 January 2013 by Andrew Waddington

The first remotely significant snowfall in Blackpool this winter occured on Friday 18th January, and the fact that this co-incided with an unusual private charter resulted in two of the traditional fleet getting a rare winter outing. To see a … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 2 Comments

Snow business for Beamish trams!

Posted on Thursday 17 January 2013 by Andrew Waddington

The North East has been affected by heavy snow falls in the past week, and Beamish Museum has seen plenty of the white stuff recently. Indeed, the museum posted messages on its Twitter account to reassure potential visitors that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Beamish Tramway | 3 Comments

Liverpool 245 reunited with its underframe

Posted on Wednesday 16 January 2013 by Andrew Waddington

The ongoing restoration of Liverpool ‘Baby Grand’ 245 by members of the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society has continued to make impressive progress, with a particularly significant development being the delivery of its completed underframe and truck to Birkenhead early on … Continue reading →

Posted in Birkenhead Heritage Tramway | 1 Comment

Blackpool Transport prepare for snow

Posted on Wednesday 16 January 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Much of the country is currently coated in white following the most severe snowfalls so far this winter, but Blackpool has escaped with just a light dusting thus far. However, Blackpool Transport are well prepared in case of snow, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 1 Comment

Tram to return to Chesterfield – for one day only?

Posted on Monday 14 January 2013 by Andrew Waddington

The Tramway Museum Society have revealed that a request has been received from Chesterfield Borough Council, to borrow Chesterfield 8 for display in the town. If agreed, this would see the horse-drawn tram become one of the main attractions at … Continue reading →

Posted in National Tramway Museum | Comments Off on Tram to return to Chesterfield – for one day only?

Crich start preparing for 2013 season

Posted on Saturday 5 January 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Work on preparing the operational tram fleet at Crich Tramway Village for another season of use commenced straight after the Christmas and New Year festivities were over. Leeds 399 has become the first tram to be moved into the workshop, … Continue reading →

Posted in National Tramway Museum | 5 Comments

Lancastrian Transport Trust – a look back at 2012

Posted on Friday 4 January 2013 by Andrew Waddington

2012 has been a very challenging year for the Lancastrian Transport Trust, and its prized collection of historic Blackpool trams. At the start of the year, nine of the LTT’s trams were housed at Rigby Road depot, but due to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fylde Transport Trust | 2 Comments

Blackpool’s heritage fleet – a look back at 2012

Posted on Wednesday 2 January 2013 by Andrew Waddington

2012 was the first year for Blackpool Transport’s designated heritage tram fleet, restricted to use on tours and private hires only. Although there have been trams in the Blackpool fleet that have been considered ‘special’, such as those borrowed from … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 22 Comments

Oh, what a lovely tour!

Posted on Sunday 30 December 2012 by Andrew Waddington

On Sunday 6th November 2011, Blackpool Twin set 672+682 operated what was billed as its last ever enthusiast tour on its native system. Happily, this did not turn out to be the case, with a more positive attitude by Blackpool … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 1 Comment

Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust – a look back at 2012

Posted on Saturday 29 December 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust was a new name in the tramway preservation movement for 2012. Previously operating as the Friends of Fleetwood Trams, this group recently formed with the main aim of preserving a selection of traditional Blackpool trams … Continue reading →

Posted in Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust | Comments Off on Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust – a look back at 2012

Heaton Park Tramway – a look back at 2012

Posted on Friday 28 December 2012 by Andrew Waddington

2012 has been another highly succesful year for the Heaton Park Tramway, despite being less eventful than the last few years. However, with a new addition to the running fleet, and the long-awaited commencement of ground works for the new depot … Continue reading →

Posted in Heaton Park Tramway | Comments Off on Heaton Park Tramway – a look back at 2012

Flexity2 update

Posted on Friday 28 December 2012 by Andrew Waddington

As the first year of succesful operation for Blackpool’s latest class of tram draws to a close, now seems an appropriate time to offer a small update on some of the most recent developments involving these trams. Fourteen of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | Comments Off on Flexity2 update

Beamish Tramway – a look back at 2012

Posted on Tuesday 25 December 2012 by Andrew Waddington

2012 has been an excellent year for the tram fleet of Beamish, the Living Museum of the North. This fantastic museum’s reputation for holding innovative transport events was further strengthened during the past year, which has seen two resident tramcars … Continue reading →

Posted in Beamish Tramway | Comments Off on Beamish Tramway – a look back at 2012

Santa may return to Crich in 2013

Posted on Saturday 22 December 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Support amongst Tramway Museum Society members is growing for the resumption of Santa Specials at Crich Tramway Village next year. These have been a nice source of income during the lean winter months in previous years, and with other heritage … Continue reading →

Posted in National Tramway Museum | Comments Off on Santa may return to Crich in 2013

Winter work at East Anglia

Posted on Saturday 22 December 2012 by Andrew Waddington

For the second successive year, the East Anglia Transport Museum have found success with the concept of ‘Santa Trams’, which has provided two of its fleet – Blackpool 11 and London Transport 1858 – with employment during the normally quiet … Continue reading →

Posted in East Anglia Transport Museum | Comments Off on Winter work at East Anglia

Winter work at Crich

Posted on Saturday 22 December 2012 by Andrew Waddington

There may not be any trams running at Crich Tramway Village this winter, but that doesn’t mean that nothing of interest is going on there. In fact, the workshop has been a hive of activity in the last weeks, with … Continue reading →

Posted in National Tramway Museum | Comments Off on Winter work at Crich

Open crossbench tram on MER winter service!

Posted on Friday 21 December 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The special three-day winter service on the Manx Electric Railway, prompted due to a local bus strike, got off to a fantastic start on Thursday 20th December. As expected, MER 1 made an exceptionally rare winter appearance in normal passenger … Continue reading →

Posted in Manx Electric Railway | 2 Comments

Santa brings success to the Isle of Man

Posted on Thursday 20 December 2012 by Andrew Waddington

There has been no shortage of excitement for tram enthusiasts on the Isle of Man recently, with Santa Specials on two of the island’s three tramways proving to be a big highlight of the normally uneventful winter months. Both the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, Manx Electric Railway | 1 Comment