The National Tramway Museum may now be open for the 2026 season with its first operating day of the year being earlier today (Saturday 14th March), but shortly before the doors were flung open to the public there was a shunt of trams around the Great Exhibition Hall as shown in these pictures courtesy of Peter Whiteley.
The main purpose of the shunt was to provide more space around Leeds 602 to improve access to this tram, and this necessitated some trams to be temporarily moved out the way. Some trams which haven’t seen the light of day for some time. The result was that Glasgow 1282 was moved into the depot, Blackpool 49 was moved into the Great Exhibition Hall alongside Blackpool 249 and Sheffield 264 remained in the Great Exhibition Hall but on a different track.
With thanks to Peter Whiteley for information contained in this article.
Sheffield 264 is pulled out of the Great Exhibition Hall and goes for a ride on the traverser.
On-board 264 looking at the 2+1 seating of the lower deck.
Horse operated vehicles bask in the sun briefly in the depot yard. Closest to us is the Manchester Horse Drawn Tower Wagon with Sheffield 15 in front of that, then its the Eades Reversible truck and finally Chesterfield 8.
Leeds Tower Wagon 2 and Leicester 76 were also taken out of the Exhibition Hall, with the tower wagon temporarily put into a rarely used siding by the depots.
More shunting and we see Johannesburg 60 (due to enter the workshops later this year for an overhaul), London United Tramways 159 and Glasgow 22 enjoying some late winter sunshine.
After all the shunting had taken place Blackpool 49 had a new home alongside fellow Blackpool tram 249. It may be hard to believe but only nine years separate these two trams yet their designs represent two different eras.
A look at Southampton 45 and Blackpool 4 inside the Great Exhibition Hall.
Meanwhile, in the Workshop was Blackpool & Fleetwood 40 which is undergoing commissioning ahead of the 2026 season. (All Photographs by Peter Whiteley, 11th March 2026)