This edition of “Meet the Trams” may be a bit of a cheat as we take a look at a tram which is usually non-passenger carrying but was used in service during the recent Tram Weekend at the National Tramway Museum. That tram is Cardiff 131.
Cardiff 131 was built in 1902 by the Electric Railway & Tramway Carriage Works, Preston as a water car. It was initially an open car with a water tank but by 1913 had been enclosed into the condition that it has been restored to.
It was secured for preservation upon the closure of the Cardiff tramway system in 1950 and was restored in its home city back into its 1913 condition. It had to leave the old tram depot in 1951 and was initially stored in a haulage contractor yard in Cardiff before moving in 1952 to Gloucester for more storage.
Moving into the ownership of the Tramway Museum Society during 1955 it would eventually be the historic first tramcar to arrive at the new Crich site which would become the National Tramway Museum we know today. It would remain stored there until 1971 when it was moved to Clay Cross for further storage.
There it remained until the decision was made to restore it to working order ahead of the 50th anniversary of the purchase of the Crich site. It returned to Crich in 2007 where it was fully restored and was launched on 24th May 2009.
Whilst it has remained operational ever since it has also enjoyed a couple of visits away from Derbyshire – one was a pretty standard tram loan to Beamish in 2010 with the second a working loan in Blackpool where it was used to clean the tracks between Starr Gate and Pleasure Beach ahead of testing of the new trams (used exactly as it was built for almost 110 years later!).
Cardiff 131 arrives at Wakebridge during Tram Weekend 2026. (Photograph by Gareth Prior, 13th September 2026)