Crich receive £204,000 from latest round of Culture Recovery Fund

The Crich Tramway Village – home of the National Tramway Museum – has confirmed that have been awarded £204,000 from the latest round of funding in the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. The money will allow staff to be brought back from furlough while also allowing for the expenditure on more items to help make the museum Covid secure when it reopens from Monday 12th April.

Continue reading

Posted in National Tramway Museum | Comments Off on Crich receive £204,000 from latest round of Culture Recovery Fund

More engineering works on Manchester Metrolink

There will be two sets of engineering works on the Manchester Metrolink network over the weekend of Saturday 10th and Sunday 11 April leading to the Altrincham line being suspended and Rochdale to East Didsbury services diverted away from the Second City Crossing.

Continue reading

Posted in Manchester Metrolink | Comments Off on More engineering works on Manchester Metrolink

Still Standing! LCC Section Box

In this edition of “Still Standing!” we find a London County Council Tramways section box – nowhere near where any trams ran!

Continue reading

Posted in Still Standing! | 1 Comment

Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours to resume from Saturday 29th May

The latest heritage tramway to confirm their reopening plans for the 2021 season is Blackpool’s Heritage Tram Tours with the first public heritage trams scheduled to run on Saturday 29th May and then on selected dates for the rest of the year. The familiar pattern seen in 2020 of pre-booked tours will be in operation again with dates announced for Promenade Tours, Coastal Tours and Illumination Tours.

Continue reading

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | Comments Off on Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours to resume from Saturday 29th May

Track issue on Metrolink sees no trams to Eccles… again!

No sooner had the road resurfacing work in Eccles been completed and Metrolink services were due to resume on the line than a track issue was discovered leading to the suspension of services to…Eccles! It had been planned that after this road resurfacing works tram services would be able to resume from the start of service on Tuesday 6th April but this wasn’t possible after the track issue was found.

Continue reading

Posted in Manchester Metrolink | Comments Off on Track issue on Metrolink sees no trams to Eccles… again!

Picture in Time: Tyne and Wear Metro BL1

“Picture in Time” is again heading to the Tyne and Wear Metro network today as we take a look at one of the fairly elusive battery locomotives.

Continue reading

Posted in Picture in Time, Tyne and Wear Metro | Comments Off on Picture in Time: Tyne and Wear Metro BL1

In Pictures: Supertram Park Square junction relay

There have been no Stagecoach Supertram services on the complete Stagecoach Supertram network after 2000 on Saturday 3rd April to allow for the vital Park Square junction to have its track replaced. All services on the Supertram network have to traverse this delta junction with lines going into the city centre (and onto Middlewood and Malin Bridge), onto Halfway and Herdings Park as well as to Meadowhall and Rotherham Parkgate. With it being well used it had become necessary for the track to be replaced and the Easter weekend proved to be the perfect opportunity for this work to take place. Stuart Cooke provides this photo of the start of the works.

Continue reading

Posted in South Yorkshire Supertram | Comments Off on In Pictures: Supertram Park Square junction relay

Volk’s Electric Railway to resume operation on 29th May

The latest heritage line to announce their reopening for 2021 is Brighton’s historic Volk’s Electric Railway with Saturday 29th May set as a return for services. With this date in mind preparation works have now started on the 1.25 mile line.

Continue reading

Posted in Volk's Electric Railway | Comments Off on Volk’s Electric Railway to resume operation on 29th May

Whatever Happened To? Crich Tramathon 2005 – Berlin 3006

Its time for the return of our then and now series “Whatever Happened To?” as we take a random event or class of trams and see any changes which have happened over the years. Our latest subject is the trams and works vehicles which ran at the Crich Tramway Village Tramathon in 2005 – but why have we chose this as a subject? It is a fairly random choice but this event saw a significant number of trams in service (in total 29 different vehicles either operated in service or ran on the mainline) and a fair number have since seen their operating status change. On a purely practical level we had a number of photos earmarked for the “15 Years Apart” series which weren’t needed in the end after 2020 went in a different direction to how we expected. So, sit back over the next 28 instalments as we see those trams which ran during the event both then and also as they are more recently. We start off with Berlin 3006.

Continue reading

Posted in National Tramway Museum, Whatever Happened To? | Comments Off on Whatever Happened To? Crich Tramathon 2005 – Berlin 3006

Lockdown Walks: Stagecoach Supertram 121

We head off for another “Lockdown Walks” in Sheffield featuring a tram running on the Blue route.

Continue reading

Posted in Lockdown Walks, South Yorkshire Supertram | Comments Off on Lockdown Walks: Stagecoach Supertram 121

Trams in Video: Blackpool Tram Day, Heaton Park Tramway

Today “Trams in Video” is off to the Heaton Park Tramway where we see footage of the Blackpool Tram Day which was held on 21st November 2020. With Open Top Balloon 706 “Princess Alice” visiting for the event from Blackpool and Marton 31 at the start of its loan from Beamish (having been in Blackpool earlier in the year) they were joined by resident Blackpool 619 and Railgrinder 752 in one of the best events held at the Heaton Park Tramway.

Continue reading

Posted in Heaton Park Tramway, Trams in Video | Comments Off on Trams in Video: Blackpool Tram Day, Heaton Park Tramway

Penzance London County Council tramway trailers saved for now

Back in February we reported about the unusual Facebook Markeplace listing of two old London County Council tramway trailers for sale in Penzance, Cornwall. At the time the two trailers were available for £100 and since then they have been moved although still have an uncertain future.

Continue reading

Posted in General | Comments Off on Penzance London County Council tramway trailers saved for now

Lockdown Walks: Edinburgh Trams 258 & 274

In this latest “Lockdown Walk” we are in Edinburgh City Centre as we see a couple of trams passing on their respective journeys.

Continue reading

Posted in Edinburgh Trams, Lockdown Walks | Comments Off on Lockdown Walks: Edinburgh Trams 258 & 274

NET carrying 11% of usual passenger levels

Throughout the past 12 months since the pandemic started we have regularly reported that passenger numbers are down although very little has been written on these pages about how far they have truly fallen. However, at the most recent meeting of the Nottingham City Council Greater Nottingham Light Rapid Transit Advisory Committee it was confirmed that the network has been carrying only 11% of usual passenger numbers in the early weeks of 2021. This shows how far fare revenue will be down for the network and helps to explain why the Governmental financial support has been required.

Continue reading

Posted in Nottingham Express Transit | Comments Off on NET carrying 11% of usual passenger levels

Seaton Tramway receive another £217,500 from Culture Recovery Fund

Easter is usually the traditional start of the main season for many heritage organisations but in 2021 it is once again different with restrictions still in place meaning even those places which will be openly shortly will have reduced capacity bringing with it lower income. In recognition the second round of cash from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund has now been announced with the Seaton Tramway one of the over 2,700 organisations to have benefited.

Continue reading

Posted in Seaton Tramway | Comments Off on Seaton Tramway receive another £217,500 from Culture Recovery Fund

What’s New on British Trams Online? 3rd April 2021

Its back into the archives once again for this week’s selection of photos as we feature Croydon Tramlink in 2006:

Continue reading

Posted in London Trams, Picture in Time, Site News | Comments Off on What’s New on British Trams Online? 3rd April 2021

Around the World in Trams: Freiburg 257

We are heading back to Germany and Freiburg for this latest edition of “Around the World In Trams”.

Continue reading

Posted in Around the World in Trams | Comments Off on Around the World in Trams: Freiburg 257

Lockdown Walks: Stagecoach Supertram 104

“Lockdown Walks” is heading off to Sheffield again in this edition as we take a look at another tram running on the Supertram network.

Continue reading

Posted in Lockdown Walks, South Yorkshire Supertram | Comments Off on Lockdown Walks: Stagecoach Supertram 104

Beamish set 4th September for return of trams

It has now been over 12 months since the last tram ran in passenger service at Beamish and with the nature of the museum’s operation it is going to be a while before you can enjoy a ride on board a tram again as they have provisionally set 4th September as the recommencement of services. The museum itself reopens on 12th April but this will be outside areas only and the various transport offering will then start to resume following that.

Continue reading

Posted in Beamish Tramway | Comments Off on Beamish set 4th September for return of trams

Easter scavenger hunt launched in Edinburgh

In Edinburgh and can’t think of anything to do with your children during the Easter holidays? If you are the Trams to Newhaven project have come up with an ideal activity – an Easter Scavenger Hunt! Running from Friday 2nd April until  Saturday 10th April the hunt will see nine Easter community engagement boards installed throughout the route of the extension with questions at each one and anyone who answers all questions correctly will be entered into a prize draw to win an Easter surprise!

Continue reading

Posted in Edinburgh Trams | Comments Off on Easter scavenger hunt launched in Edinburgh