West Midlands Metro staff offered rapid tests in latest Covid response

Posted on Monday 8 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

Midland Metro Limited – operator of the West Midlands Metro – have joined forces with the public health team at Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council to help make the tram even safer with the offer of rapid testing to West Midlands Metro staff as frontline workers.

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Works Car 5

Posted on Monday 8 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

Last time in this series we saw a couple of images of Blackpool Works Car 5 – ex-English Electric Railcoach 221 – and we enjoyed it so much we’re going to feature the very same tram again this time out!

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Trams in Video: Trams & Electric Railways of the Isle of Man

Posted on Sunday 7 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

We are back in 2013 for this edition of “Trams in Video” with footage from the varied systems on the Isle of Man. Amongst the systems we see in operation are the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, Manx Electric Railway and Snaefell Mountain Railway with a behind the scenes trip to Derby Castle works too.

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In Pictures: Tram track on Central Drive, Blackpool

Posted on Sunday 7 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

Another one to file under the “tram track found under the road” category of articles with a short section recently being uncovered on Central Drive in Blackpool during some road works.

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Lockdown Walks: Stagecoach Supertram 117

Posted on Sunday 7 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

This latest “Lockdown Walk” again heads to South Yorkshire as we take a look at the street section of Supertram in the Hillsborough area.

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What’s New on British Trams Online? 7th February 2021

Posted on Sunday 7 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

We are once again having to dip into the archives for this week’s set of photos as we head down to the Seaton Tramway again:

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Planning application submitted for expansion of Wednesbury Depot

Posted on Saturday 6 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

Since the now West Midlands Metro network opened in 1999 all the trams have been kept and maintained at the depot in Wednesbury with 21 Urbos3 trams currently part of the fleet. Looking to the future and with additional trams on order from CAF for the rapidly increasing network a planning application has now been submitted to expand the depot to include additional outside stabling facilities and further extensions to the buildings on site.

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Around the World in Trams: Den Haag 5028

Posted on Saturday 6 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

We are again off to the Netherlands for another look at a tram running in Den Haag.

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Timelapse video released of Colyford crossing relay

Posted on Saturday 6 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

At the start of January the Seaton Tramway started a major project to relay the track across Colyford crossing – track which had been in place for 45 years! With the road temporarily closed new track was put down while either side of the crossing further work took place, including the installation of new overhead poles and the re-siting of the points further back from the crossing. To show the progress of the work which took place the tramway have released a timelapse video which can be viewed on You Tube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzxcoJHiN1I.

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Lockdown Walks: Manchester Metrolink 3114

Posted on Saturday 6 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

We are again heading to Manchester Metrolink for another “Lockdown Walk” today.

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Trams for Bristol and Bath?

Posted on Friday 5 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

Could the answer to traffic congestion in the Bristol and Bath areas be trams or light rail? It’s a question which has been asked many a time over the past few years and now with the West of England Combined Authority looking at a mass transit project a local campaign group the Bath and Bristol Area Trams Association (BBATA) have been involved in discussions which should see tram proposals “taken seriously” as part of this project.

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London County Council trailers found in Penzance – up for sale!

Posted on Friday 5 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

Facebook Marketplace can be used to sell all types of products, whether that be books, furniture, clothing – or old tram bodies it seems! A recent listing added to the site features two old London County Council tram trailers which have been made available for £100 – although the condition of the two seems to leave a lot to be desired.

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Picture in Time: Glasgow 1100 & 1115

Posted on Friday 5 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

Before we move on to another location we just have time for one more archive photo from Crich and its 1985 again as a couple of Glasgow trams soak up the sunshine.

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Massive expansion for Edinburgh Trams on the horizon – and could Glasgow join in too?

Posted on Thursday 4 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

The Scottish Government have this week released details of their second Strategic Transport Projects Review and contained within the report are a few interesting plans which, if they come to fruition, could see a massive expansion of the Edinburgh Trams system with a plan for a Metro service in Glasgow too while light rail is also mentioned in connection with Aberdeen.

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Tram-Trains return to two an hour

Posted on Thursday 4 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

When you’re wondering where the next news story is coming from you can usually rely on a timetable change of Stagecoach Supertram! This time it is the Tram-Train service which is again seeing an amendment with two services an hour running again (as from Thursday 4th February) having for the past couple of weeks being down at one an hour. Services also run later again too.

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Stop by Stop Blackpool Tramway: Harrow Place

Posted on Thursday 4 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

The first stop after departure from Starr Gate north is located at Harrow Place and that is where we reach today as “Stop by Stop” continues.

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Trackworks to see service changes for Blackpool Tramway

Posted on Wednesday 3 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

There will be major changes to the service on the Blackpool Tramway for two weeks starting on Sunday 14th February – including a week without any service at all. These works have been planned for a while and are described as essential. Although there has been some work undertaken since the tramway was upgraded (opening in 2012) this will be the most major work since that time.

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Tram Pub Signs: Brownhill Arms, Blackburn

Posted on Wednesday 3 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

The latest entry into the “Tram Pub Signs” series is again in the northwest of England with one of the better examples of a sign at the Brownhill Arms in Blackburn.

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Still Standing! East Ham Depot, London

Posted on Wednesday 3 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

Today we are again heading into the capital for a view of a surviving first generation structure, although whereas many of our London entries have seen the depots still used for buses it’s a different story for East Ham Depot.

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In Pictures: Update from the old Wilko’s site in Blackpool

Posted on Tuesday 2 February 2021 by Gareth Prior

Its been over a month since the last parts of the old Wilko’s store in Blackpool was demolished and with it being raised to the ground there hasn’t been a lot to show of progress towards preparing the site for the construction of the new tram terminus and a hotel. In fact that pictorial update could really be any building site in the country with lots of rubble awaiting removal ahead of the real construction work getting underway. Photos courtesy of Tony Armitage.

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