Following extensive attention in the workshop at Crich Tramway Village, Blackpool Jubilee car 762 is finally set to enter public service at the museum next month. The tram will be launched into the operating fleet at Crich as part of the much-anticipated ‘Electric 50’ event, taking place on 13th & 14th September.
762 has not turned a wheel in passenger service since its final day of use in Blackpool on 5th November 2011, and with its sister car 761 also being withdrawn after service the following day, there has been no opportunity to ride on either of the Jubilee cars for nearly three years. Therefore, the entry into service of car 762 at Crich is something that many people have been looking forward to for some time. Surprisingly, rather than give the tram its own special launch day, this historic occasion will take place as part of the ambitious two-day event being held to celebrate fifty years of electric tram operation at the museum. The car will be officially launched in a short ceremony outside the depots on Saturday 13th September at 1100, before being released into service. The tram is scheduled to be operating throughout both days of the ‘Electric 50’ event as the starting point for what will hopefully be a long and fruitful operating career in preservation.
Although the incorporation of 762‘s museum debut within an event which already looked certain to draw a large crowd could be seen as a missed opportunity, the addition of this tram to the event should generally be viewed as a positive development. Certainly, 762 will be a worthy addition to the cavalcade of trams being staged on both days, particularly the Sunday procession which will illustrate the development of electric tramcar design. With a very impressive total of nine Blackpool trams set to run in service across the weekend, this is another reason why ‘Electric 50’ is sure to be an event that no tram enthusiast will want to miss and will hopefully be a fitting way to celebrate an important milestone in tramway preservation history.
Full details of the planned schedule for this event can now be found on the Crich Tramway Village website – www.tramway.co.uk – and we’ll be posting a detailed event preview shortly here on British Trams Online.
I hope that its tyres don’t cause to be too much of a problem like with 630