This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Sunday 3 November 2019 by Gareth Prior

It is another two Photo Gallery week for you this week:

Continue reading →

Posted in London Transport Museum, Site News, West Midlands Metro | Comments Off on This week on British Trams Online

A look at the trams at the London Transport Museum store, Acton

Posted on Sunday 3 November 2019 by Gareth Prior

The London Transport Museum Depot at Acton opens three times a year to the general public – with full facilities available on site on these special days – as well as being open for smaller private group visits by special arrangement. It is widely known that this ‘overspill’ collection, covering all modes of transport in the capital, complements the main London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, where space is very much at a premium. There, the public can see a restored green horse tram (London Tramways Company No.284) and also a four-wheel open balcony West Ham Corporation tram, No.102. This car was not typical of the London electric tram fleet in general, as viewed from the perspective of the fleet during the run-down of tramways, from the mid /late-1930s to the end of the system in July 1952. In this report Dr Robert Blackburn takes a look at those trams held at the Acton store.

Continue reading →

Posted in London Transport Museum | 1 Comment

In Pictures: 251 back into fleet livery

Posted on Saturday 2 November 2019 by Gareth Prior

The latest tram to return to fleet livery in Edinburgh – but as always seems to be the case in Edinburgh the question will be for how long? – is the lowest numbered, no. 251. The tram previously carried an advert for Edinburgh Live but is now back in plain fleet livery which reveals the larger madder stripe above the windows once more which is usually covered by the adverts. With Christmas approaching will this tram soon be advertising events leading up to that and Hogmanay?

Continue reading →

Posted in Edinburgh Trams | Comments Off on In Pictures: 251 back into fleet livery

Picture in Time: Tyne and Wear Metro 4037

Posted on Saturday 2 November 2019 by Gareth Prior

Today we continue our look at the sights seen during the 30th anniversary Depot Open Day on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Picture in Time: Tyne and Wear Metro 4037

Power failure leads to delays on NET

Posted on Saturday 2 November 2019 by Gareth Prior

There was major disruption to Nottingham Express Transit services on Thursday 31st October after a power failure just after the morning peak saw part of the network suspended for just over six hours.

Continue reading →

Posted in Nottingham Express Transit | Comments Off on Power failure leads to delays on NET

In Pictures: Starlight Event at Crich

Posted on Saturday 2 November 2019 by Gareth Prior

Over the past few years the Starlight Event at Crich has developed into one of the most popular family events at the museum with trams running in the dark and different themes on each day to take advantage of the darker evenings. The museum has been transformed with lighting and the trams have even got in on the act with Blackpool 166 and Blackpool 236 regular performers with their strings of lights joined by Leeds 399 with lighting on the exterior – trams with lights running at night, it will never catch on! In this pictorial we take a look at the trams running on Thursday 31st October which included those three mentioned cars.

Continue reading →

Posted in National Tramway Museum | Comments Off on In Pictures: Starlight Event at Crich

In Pictures: Overnight testing continues on Birmingham Westside extension

Posted on Friday 1 November 2019 by Gareth Prior

In a little over a month, if everything goes according to plan, the next part of the West Midlands Metro network will be open to passengers with trams travelling from Grand Central onto the Birmingham Westside extension to Centenary Square. In preparation for the opening of the line overnight testing is continuing to make sure everything is exactly as it should be before daytime testing/driver training and then shadow running takes place in the lead up to the opening in December. On the early hours of the last date of October Ian Nightingale found 21 testing on the line.

Continue reading →

Posted in West Midlands Metro | Comments Off on In Pictures: Overnight testing continues on Birmingham Westside extension

Advert changes in Manchester

Posted on Friday 1 November 2019 by Gareth Prior

Its been a few weeks but there has suddenly been an influx of livery changes in Manchester Metrolink with two new advert liveries unveiled whilst a further three trams have lost their advertising vinyls. New advertisers are Pretty Little Thing.com and Lightopia whilst Babyliss and two Vodafone adverts have now been removed.

Continue reading →

Posted in Manchester Metrolink | Comments Off on Advert changes in Manchester

Extra trams for Nottingham fireworks

Posted on Friday 1 November 2019 by Gareth Prior

Nottingham Express Transit will be running a special timetable on Tuesday 5th November to help people attend the city’s free bonfire and firework display at the Forest Recreation Ground, located right next to the tramstop at The Forest. Trams will run every eight and a half minutes from 1500 until 2000 and then every 10 minutes until 2300. A 15 minute frequency will then run until the end of service. There will be firework displays at both 1915 and 2100 and to make it even easier for people to get there the NET £5 Group Ticket will be available after 1600 which allows one or two adults and up to three children to travel across the network.

Posted in Nottingham Express Transit | Comments Off on Extra trams for Nottingham fireworks

No charges to be brought over Tramlink derailment

Posted on Thursday 31 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

It has been confirmed that neither the driver of the London Tramlink tram which derailed at Sandilands on 9th November 2016 leading to the tragic passing of seven passengers nor Trams Operations Limited or Transport for London will be charged following the conclusion of the lengthy investigation into the derailment.

Continue reading →

Posted in London Trams | Comments Off on No charges to be brought over Tramlink derailment

Horse trams to return for last weekend of season

Posted on Thursday 31 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

In an unexpected development, Isle of Man Transport have announced that the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway will run once more this year after all with service operating on both Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd November. With the island’s other heritage lines also running for the last time over this weekend it has been decided that the horse trams should join in the “end of term” celebrations too!

Continue reading →

Posted in Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, Manx Electric Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway | Comments Off on Horse trams to return for last weekend of season

Picture in Time: Paisley 68

Posted on Thursday 31 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

This week’s Thursday archive image again comes from the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988 as we take a look at the third of the trams running during the event – Paisley 68.

Continue reading →

Posted in National Tramway Museum, Picture in Time | 1 Comment

In Pictures: Poppies carried on Supertram

Posted on Wednesday 30 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Monday 11th November is of course Remembrance Day and as a mark of respect trams on Stagecoach Supertram have started to carry poppies on the driver side windows. Many UK tramways use this as a way of showing their respect for those who gave their lives in the line of duty and this year Supertram seem to be quickest off the mark in displaying their poppies. This year, for the first time, those Citylink vehicles in use on the Tram-Train service to Rotherham Parkgate have also received vinyl poppies on cab ends with all other trams continuing to carry the more traditional plastic versions on either the cab side or front.

Continue reading →

Posted in South Yorkshire Supertram | Comments Off on In Pictures: Poppies carried on Supertram

In Pictures: 21 gains the full blue livery leaving just one tram to go

Posted on Wednesday 30 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

The days of any resemblance of the old Network West Midlands livery are rapidly drawing to a close with 20 of the 21 strong Urbos3 trams now carrying the full blue vinyls – 21 is the latest to join the ranks leaving just special liveried 19 left with white/silver sections. 21’s new livery retains the red based adverts for Just Eat.

Continue reading →

Posted in West Midlands Metro | Comments Off on In Pictures: 21 gains the full blue livery leaving just one tram to go

More days to forget for the Tyne and Wear Metro

Posted on Wednesday 30 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

It looks as if the Tyne and Wear Metro isn’t a fan of the clocks going back as ever since they changed there seems to have been issue after issue affecting the service from the overhead coming down, trains not being available to run peak services, a bridge strike, poor rail conditions and heavy passenger loadings. And all that happened in just two days at the start of this week.

Continue reading →

Posted in Tyne and Wear Metro | Comments Off on More days to forget for the Tyne and Wear Metro

In Pictures: A day of disruption for Supertram

Posted on Tuesday 29 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Saturday 26th October was a day where the service across the Stagecoach Supertram network was disrupted – firstly, by the pre-advertised service suspension from Cathedral to Middlewood and Malin Bridge before and after the Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds United football match at Hillsborough but also by flooding between Rotherham Parkgate and Rotherham Central which saw the Tram-Train service having to be diverted to Meadowhall.

Continue reading →

Posted in South Yorkshire Supertram | Comments Off on In Pictures: A day of disruption for Supertram

In Pictures: Just another Saturday at Crich

Posted on Tuesday 29 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

The operating season may be continuing to start to draw to a close at Crich (not before the expected busy week of the Starlight Event though) but there is still time for the trams to continue running and the visitors to take a trip to Derbyshire to enjoy them as they do! In this pictorial we take a look at the trams in service on Saturday 19th October which saw a standard three tram service running with Leeds 180, Sheffield 510 and Blackpool 630 plus Liverpool 869 out on a driver experience. Trevor Hall was one of those who paid a visit.

Continue reading →

Posted in National Tramway Museum | Comments Off on In Pictures: Just another Saturday at Crich

Picture in Time: Blackpool Balloon 712

Posted on Tuesday 29 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

It’s Tuesday which can only mean one thing – we are off to Blackpool for another look at a photo from the archives. We start off a selection of photos taken in 2007 with a look at Blackpool Balloon 712.

Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Picture in Time | Comments Off on Picture in Time: Blackpool Balloon 712

In Pictures: Work completed at Crumpsall

Posted on Monday 28 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

The first stage of work ahead of the start of services on the Metrolink Trafford Park line is now completed with the revamped stop at Crumpsall now fully open – this includes the addition of a new platform face and track for trams terminating from Trafford Park as well as other stop improvements including a new entrance from Crumpsall Lane.

Continue reading →

Posted in Manchester Metrolink | Comments Off on In Pictures: Work completed at Crumpsall

Centenary 642 returns to service

Posted on Monday 28 October 2019 by Gareth Prior

Centenary 642, one of the three trams planned to return to service during the September Spectacular in Blackpool, has now been used for the first time since the start of the year being allocated to the afternoon Promenade heritage service on Wednesday 23rd October. It was also used on Friday 25th October showing that the tram is truly back in service once more!

Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | Comments Off on Centenary 642 returns to service