Author Archives: Andrew Waddington

Birkenhead 20 arrives at Beamish

Posted on Friday 30 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Beamish, the Living Museum of the North, welcomed its latest visiting tramcar on Friday 30th March when Birkenhead 20 arrived in the North East. The tram, which normally runs at Birkenhead, has been loaned to the Museum by its owners … Continue reading →

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Railcoach restoration restarts

Posted on Wednesday 28 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

This week is shaping up to be an exciting one for British tramway preservation, and the Lancastrian Transport Trust are playing a key part in this. The Trust have announced that work has now restarted on the reconstruction of English Electric Railcoach … Continue reading →

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Spring news from Heaton Park

Posted on Wednesday 28 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Spring 2012 has turned out to be quite eventful for Manchester’s Heaton Park Tramway, with a special event day held on Sunday 25th March to celebrate the tramway’s 32nd anniversary. The next day however was even more significant, as a … Continue reading →

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Trams finally return to Fleetwood

Posted on Tuesday 27 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

It’s been a long wait – a very, very long wait in fact – but trams are finally up and running through the streets of Fleetwood for the first time since 2009. The Blackpool tramway upgrade has caused particularly noticeable … Continue reading →

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London 159 also comes alive!

Posted on Tuesday 27 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The last week of March 2012 is turning out to be good one for Britain’s preserved trams. Mere hours after Blackpool Boat car 233 performed its first test run at Beamish Museum, it was the turn of London United 159 … Continue reading →

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Boat 605 comes alive!

Posted on Monday 26 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

A major milestone in the transformation of Blackpool ‘Boat’ 605 – to be known in future by its original fleet number 233 – occured on Monday 26th March, when the tram made its first test run around the Beamish museum … Continue reading →

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Open top trams spring into action

Posted on Sunday 25 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

British summer time is officially here, and it has been greeted with some glorious spring weather. Happily some of our heritage tramways have been quick to exploit the last few sunny weekends with one open-top tramcar seeing extensive use already … Continue reading →

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Buses invade Rigby Road depot

Posted on Sunday 25 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Following on from lots of speculation at the end of last year, Blackpool Transport’s old tram depot at Rigby Road was invaded by a rubber-tyred army on Friday 23rd March, when a number of City Sightseeing buses moved in to the tram … Continue reading →

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Cardiff 131 goes home

Posted on Saturday 24 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Cardiff water car 131‘s extended seaside holiday has finally come to an end. The tram left Blackpool early in the afternoon on Friday 23rd March, bound for its usual home at Crich Tramway Village. Regular readers will remember that the … Continue reading →

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Evening photo session confirmed at Beamish

Posted on Saturday 24 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Beamish, the Living Museum of the North, have confirmed a special ‘out-of-hours’ photo session as part of the 2012 Great North Steam Fair event. This will take place on Saturday 14th April, from 5:45pm until approximately 9:00pm. Similar events proved … Continue reading →

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Flexities in Blackpool hit double figures

Posted on Friday 23 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The delivery of Blackpool’s new fleet of modern supertrams is stepping up a notch, with two more new arrivals landing at Starr Gate since our last update on the deliveries. Car 010 arrived on Friday 16th March, and was followed by … Continue reading →

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‘Comedy Carpet’ is no laughing matter for Blackpool trams!

Posted on Friday 23 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The latest in a long chain of embarrassing events involving the Blackpool tramway’s upgrade involves recent works being carried out opposite the Blackpool Tower. This site is now occupied by the ‘Comedy Carpet’, a series of decorated paving slabs featuring … Continue reading →

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Trams return to Ash Street Fleetwood

Posted on Friday 23 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

A major step towards the reinstatement of a full tram service between Blackpool and Fleetwood occurred on Tuesday 20th March, when the new Flexity2 trams commenced running to Ash Street Fleetwood (also known as Fisherman’s Walk) on a regular basis … Continue reading →

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Lancastrian Transport Trust trams face eviction

Posted on Friday 23 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Three of the Blackpool trams owned by the Lancastrian Transport Trust are set to be evicted by the end of this month, following the announcement by the Trust that it will be clearing out its rented premises at Brinwell Road, … Continue reading →

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Positive developments in East Anglia

Posted on Friday 23 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

2011 proved to be a very memorable year for the East Anglia Transport Museum for several reasons. Obvious highlights included the arrival of Sheffield ‘Roberts’ car 513 on long-term loan from Beamish Museum, the visit of Blackpool VAMBAC Railcoach 11 … Continue reading →

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Fylde Tramway Society announce a Convention with a difference!

Posted on Friday 23 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The annual Fylde Tramway Society Convention weekend, held over the long May Day Bank Holiday weekend, is usually one of the highlights of the year for Blackpool tram enthusiasts. Traditionally the weekend features a number of special tram tours using … Continue reading →

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Event Preview: Beamish Great North Steam Fair 2012

Posted on Saturday 17 March 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Event: Great North Steam Fair Where: Beamish – the Living Museum of the North When: Thursday 12th to Sunday 15th April from 1000 to 1700 each day (last admission 1500)

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2012 – what’s in store?

Posted on Monday 2 January 2012 by Andrew Waddington

2011 has certainly been an action-packed year for Britain’s tramways for various reasons – some of them good, some of them best forgotten! With more tram loans, Blackpool trams entering preservation, new arrivals at Heaton Park & East Anglia, and … Continue reading →

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A Weekend in Blackpool: 16th-19th September 2011

Posted on Sunday 25 September 2011 by Andrew Waddington

Most readers of this website are probably aware that 2011 has been an extremely difficult season for the Blackpool tramway and its operator, Blackpool Transport. The ongoing upgrade works have made the tramway less user-friendly than ever, and although this … Continue reading →

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Beamish Museum’s Power from the Past Event

Posted on Thursday 8 September 2011 by Andrew Waddington

The North of England Open Air Museum at Beamish, County Durham, has become increasingly famous in the last few years for its outstanding transport events. The two main transport events – ‘Power from the Past’ and the ‘Great North Steam … Continue reading →

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