A second heritage tram which was built to run on the streets of Scotland is operational following the return to service of Aberdeen Suburban Tramways Company 11 at the Alford Valley Community Railway. Whilst its no longer running as a tram it marks a significant return for the vehicle and comes at the end of several years of hard work by the volunteers at the railway.
11 was built for Aberdeen Suburban Tramways Company by UEC in 1914. It was a double decker but would not end up running for long as a tram with the tramway for which it was built being abandoned during the 1920s – 11 would be the last tram to be used on the Deeside section to Beldside.
Like so many other trams from systems across the UK after the closure of the tramway, 11 was sold on to find a new use and in this case it became a summerhouse. It was re-found in the 1980s in Ellon (16 miles north of Aberdeen) and was purchased by the Alford Valley Railway who decided to convert it to become hauled rolling stock on their 2-foot gauge line.
Although the railway closed in 2017, it was then taken over by a community organisation and renamed the Alford Valley Community Railway. It reopened in 2023 but 11 needed an overhaul and so wasn’t available immediately.
The past couple of years have seen the tram being dealt with by the volunteers at the railway and with it having been tested earlier this year it was waiting for a time to return to service.
That duly came on Saturday 13th June 2026 when it was pressed into service for overflow owing to a large number of visitors to the railway. Its return to service is testament to the hard-work of the small team at the railway who have painstakingly restored it to use.
11 has space for one wheelchair and seated accommodation for 20.
- Whilst 11 is the second heritage tram built for Scotland to currently be running in the UK it is actually the third tram which has run north of the border to be operational. The third is, of course, Liverpool 869, which ended its pre-preservation life as Glasgow 1055.
Looking resplendent in its recently applied final coat of red and white paint 11 has a group of happy passengers on board once more.
The back of the tram and now carriage. (Both Photographs by William Brown, 13th June 2026)