13 may be considered an unlucky number but it was definitely a lucky number for the National Tramway Museum on Tuesday 12th May 2026 as London County Council 1 became the 13th different passenger tram to be used in service so far this season.
Bluebird is just the latest tram to have gone through the commissioning process within the workshops and to be handed over to the operations department. With a suitable crew available to take the tram out it was able to carry its first passengers this year on Tuesday 12th May – with it being part of a three car service alongside Leeds 399 and Sheffield 510.
No. 1 last ran in 2025 – as in fact have all those trams to have run in service at this point this year at the National Tramway Museum – and is now ready for use again for the rest of the season.
For the record the 13 trams to have been used now are: London County Council 1, Glasgow 22, Blackpool & Fleetwood 40, Blackpool 40, Sheffield 74, Newcastle 102, London County Council 106, Blackpool 167, Blackpool 236, Leeds 345, Leeds 399, Sheffield 510 and London Transport 1622.
That consists of four trams from Blackpool. three from London, two from Sheffield, two from Leeds, one from Glasgow and one from Newcastle.