Over the weekend of Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th July the Wythall Transport Museum commemorated the 70th anniversary since Birmingham Corporation Tramways ran their last services. The weekend saw a display of model trams at the museum whilst the chance was also taken to run a couple of buses along the old tram route to Rednal via Selly Oak and Northfield. Ken Jones captured the images in this article.
At one stage Birmingham Corporation Tramways operated the fourth largest tram network in the UK (only London, Glasgow and Manchester were bigger). With it being built to a 3’6” gauge it was thus the largest narrow gauge system to be built in the country. In total there were 45 routes covering 80.5 route miles and 843 different trams ran on the network. The Corporation took control of the tramway on 4th January 1904 and would operate trams until closure on 4th July 1953. The final tram routes were to Short Heath, Pype Hayes and Erdington.
One of the model trams operating on the layout at Wythall Transport Museum, this being an open topper.
A selection of enclosed trams wait for use on the model tram layout, including an open balcony car.
Decorated as Birmingham’s Last Tramcar its got its blinds set to Erdington.
One of the buses used on the special trip out to Rednal was this Birmingham Corporation Metro-Cammell bodied Guy Arab IV. Its seen standing on some preserved tramtrack at the former terminus on the Birmingham/Worcestershire border. (All Photographs by Ken Jones, 9th July 2023)