Trams in Video: Heaton Park Tramway – 2nd July 2016

Posted on Sunday 12 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

This latest video comes from Manchester’s Heaton Park Tramway and features footage from 2nd July 2016. That weekend saw the tramway running specially decorated trams to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, including Blackpool 619 complete with flags.

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Ryde Pier Tram continues restoration

Posted on Sunday 12 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

Once upon a time a number of pleasure Piers around the coast of the British Isles had a tramway or railway running along them both as an added attraction for visitors but also enabling people to be transported from one end to other – often with their luggage having arrived by boat. One such pier was that in Ryde on the Isle of Wight and a project is currently ongoing to restore one of the 1927 built petrol-engined rail-cars used on the pier, with the hope it will be completed in time to return to the Isle of Wight during 2020.

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In Pictures: Robert Whetstone Models in operation

Posted on Sunday 12 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

It was planned that once again in 2020 once a month  at Crich that if you ventured into the Great Exhibition Hall you may have seen some trams actually running. They may not be full scale trams – those in the Exhibition Hall are, of course, non operational, but they are high quality models showing the skills involved in creating products such as this. There are a couple of different model collections which can be seen and in this short pictorial we take a look at the Robert Whetstone Models being demonstrated during the weekend of Crich 60 (21st/22nd September 2019).

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What’s New on British Trams Online?

Posted on Sunday 12 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

This week we bring you two Photo Galleries as an extra Easter treat.

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In Pictures: All batteries now included on West Midlands Metro

Posted on Saturday 11 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

In just under two years the entire fleet of Urbo3 trams on the West Midlands Metro have had their batteries fitted and entered service following the first use in fare revenue earning service by 26 on Friday 10th April. 26 becomes the 21st and last of the current fleet of trams to receive batteries, a task which was started by 18 – the only tram to receive the work back in Spain – which had been accepted for service on 18th April 2018, meaning it just under two years for the whole fleet to be completed.

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Around the World in Trams: Melbourne 981

Posted on Saturday 11 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

Melbourne is again the location for this week’s overseas tram image and this time we move away from the more modern trams and feature a W class vehicle.

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London and its horse trams

Posted on Saturday 11 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

Have you ever wondered just where London’s horse trams went? Well, if you have, wonder no longer! Thanks to extensive research by one of their members the Branch Line Society have published an atlas of all horse tram routes in the capital as they were around 1896 and it can be found on the Branch Line Society website.

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Fylde Coast Councils unite to get tram loop extension feasibility study funding

Posted on Friday 10 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

Despite the fact that we are currently in incredibly uncertain times the latest report of the Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Economic Prosperity Board (BFWEPB) has given assurances that they remain committed towards bidding for government funding toward a feasibility study on the plans to construct a Fylde Coast Tram loop. Funding through the Future High Street Fund (FHSF) is likely to be delayed in light of the Coronavirus pandemic but all three councils who are part of the BFWEPB are still progressing with their bids.

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Works resume of Birmingham Westside extension

Posted on Friday 10 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

Work on extending the West Midlands Metro from Library to Hagley Road in Edgbaston has resumed following a two week suspension. The decision had initially been taken on 23rd March that in light of government advice on social distancing that all work would be suspended until further notice but after further advice it had now been decided that work can resume.

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More Coronavirus updates

Posted on Thursday 9 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

Sunday services on the West Midlands Metro are to run to a revised schedule from Sunday 12th April as they seek to operate a service which still enables key workers to travel whilst also taking into consideration the reduction in passenger numbers on the network. Elsewhere, Crich have now confirmed they remain closed until at least 21st June and in Manchester NHS workers can travel on Metrolink for free.

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Picture in Time: Leeds 602

Posted on Thursday 9 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

Back to Crich for this edition of “Picture in Time” and having been in the 1960s for the last couple of weeks we now move forward to the 1970s. And the tram we feature is one which we have seen many times in this series in the past – Leeds 602.

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Railcoach 279 restoration progress report

Posted on Wednesday 8 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

The major restoration project being undertaken by the Fylde Transport Trust to return Railcoach 279 to its original style is continuing to make some progress, although inevitably this has slowed down recently in the current situation. Despite adhering to all social distancing protocols there are some jobs being completed by staff who are at the Catch 22 Bus depot during the day to ensure that a bus service can still be maintained for essential workers.

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So nearly, not quite! Triple rebuilt Balloons

Posted on Wednesday 8 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

We’ve all been there. We’ve lined-up what you think will be a near perfect photo and then something conspires against us which means that perfect shot ends up being, well, not perfect! It may be a stray pedestrian getting in the way, a tram moving at the last minute or even a seagull flying across at an inopportune moment but it happens to all of us. Usually when this happens we just press delete and forgot it ever happened but in this new irregular series we take a look at some of those photos which were “So nearly, not quite!”…

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Edinburgh to introduce a further revised timetable

Posted on Tuesday 7 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

As the UK continues to be affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, Edinburgh Trams have announced that as from Sunday 12th April they will be introducing a new revised timetable which will see fewer trams running during the evenings.

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Still Standing! Tram rosettes in Oldham

Posted on Tuesday 7 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

In this latest edition featuring first generation tram system remnants still around the UK we are looking up once more to find a few more overhead wire rosettes still on the side of buildings. This time around we are in Oldham.

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Severn Lamb awarded contract to supply new trains for Southend Pier

Posted on Monday 6 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

A story we didn’t run at the time but back in January it was confirmed that Severn Lamb have won the contract to design, contract and install new trains for the Southend Pier Railway. It was expected that they would be ready to start operating in 2021 and would be “eco-friendly” trains to replace the life-expired vehicles which have been in service since 1986.

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They’ve Run in 2020…

Posted on Monday 6 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

Whilst all heritage tramways in the British Isles are currently suspended as a result of the social distancing restrictions in place due to the Coronavirus pandemic, before this shutdown was introduced there was operation on selected tramways in 2020 and the following list aims to provide details of all those which have carried passengers. With any luck we may be able to start updating this list again before the end of the year but in the meantime here is an “as it was” list. Any errors or omissions please let us know.

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Trams in Video: Trams in the Netherlands – June 2016

Posted on Sunday 5 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

We head across to mainland Europe this week as we feature film taken in the Netherlands during June 2016. In the below film we see trams, both modern and heritage, in operation in Den Haag, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

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In Pictures: Tram on a pub sign in Leven

Posted on Sunday 5 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

Pub signs around the UK often use steam locomotives as their main image but the use of trams is all together rarer (one notable exception being the Bispham Hotel up Red Bank Road which shows a Blackpool Balloon). Another pub which features a tram can be found in Leven, Fife, on the north shore of the Firth of Forth 34 miles from Edinburgh via the bridges. The Windsor is in High Street in the town and includes an image from an old postcard showing a tram in the town. Roy Calderwood recently paid a visit and provides us with more information.

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What’s New on British Trams Online?

Posted on Sunday 5 April 2020 by Gareth Prior

This week we are off to the United States of America again for our latest photo gallery:

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