The last (at least for now) tram to have run in service at Beamish during 2026 is Sheffield 264. In this article we take a more detailed look at the tram, one of two trams in preservation from Sheffield to carry this number.
Built in 1907 by United Electric Car Company, Preston Sheffield 264 was constructed as a open balcony double decker, before 1926 saw it become fully enclosed. Renumbered to 342 came in the 1930s and whilst it remained operational until 1956, its later years saw it used more irregularly.
342 – as it remained at the time – was preserved by the British Transport Commission and would be one of those trams to be displayed at the Clapham Transport Museum. It left London in 1967 and moved to the Consett Iron Company where it was to be restored to operational condition – but in a completely different condition to that it had ever been when in Sheffield.
Arriving at Beamish in the last month of 1973, 342 was now an open topper (a decision made because the top deck was found to be in a poor condition) and sported a coat of Gateshead Corporation Tramways livery. It would remain like this until withdrawn in 1985, when a full restoration to its 1920s condition commenced.
264 returned to service as an open balcony car in 1987 and would remain an integral part of the fleet until withdrawal came in 2002. It would remain stored in the depot at Beamish for a while before being overhauled and returned to service in 2016.
2026 has seen the tram used extensively as a more or less all-weather high-capacity car.
Sheffield 264 departs from the 1900s Town on 21st March 2026 with a service on the clockwise circuit. (Photograph by Ryan Birchall, 21st March 2026)