More dates set for Tramlink strikes

Posted on Thursday 11 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

A further three 24 hour strikes have been called by ASLEF over the continuing dispute over pay on London Tramlink. The latest dates announced are due to be on 1st, 9th and 23rd May and follow on from a previous strike on 28th March.

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Man in critical condition after being hit by tram in Manchester

Posted on Thursday 11 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

A 77 year old man – named locally as Ray Boddington a well known busker and member of the Piccadilly Rats – is in a serious condition in hospital after being hit by a tram in Manchester City Centre. He was hit by a tram heading towards Victoria at the junction of High Street and Church Street shortly after departure from Market Street at approximately 1850 on Wednesday 10th April. He suffered serious head injuries and is described as being in a serious condition. Greater Manchester Police are appealing for witnesses to the collision.

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Picture in Time: Manx Electric Railway 55

Posted on Thursday 11 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

For the next few weeks our Traditional Tram Picture in Time series will be on the Isle of Man with photos taken during 1979 including some which have been withdrawn from service from a long-time.

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Tram-Train service suspended after fault grounds Citylink fleet

Posted on Wednesday 10 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

The Tram-Train pilot service between Cathedral and Rotherham Parkgate for several hours on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th April after the discovery of a fault on one of the Citylink vehicles which meant it was necessary to undertake checks by the manufacturer on the remaining tram-trains. Services were initially suspended during the evening of Tuesday 9th April and remained suspended initially on Wednesday 10th April before a two tram service resumed in the late morning. It is planned a full service will resume from the start of Thursday 11th April.

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New vicar goes for a tram ride

Posted on Wednesday 10 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

The Parish of Crich and South Wingfield – which covers the area around the Crich Tramway Village – has a new vicar and to celebrate the fact he went for a tram ride and had his reception at the museum with Leeds 345 doing the honours.

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In Pictures: Beamish getting ready for Great North Steam Fair

Posted on Tuesday 9 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

The school Easter Holidays are upon us and it is very nearly time for the biggest transport event of the year at Beamish – the Great North Steam Fair. With the museum busier than recently on a weekday, Tuesday 9th April 2019 saw a four tram service in operation; Sunderland 16 and Blackpool 31 were running on the clockwise circuit with Newcastle 114 and Oporto 196 operating anti-clockwise.

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Edinburgh Trams announce 2019/20 nominated charity

Posted on Tuesday 9 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams will be supporting the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity throughout the next year as their nominated charity for 2019/20. The tramway has previously supported other charities including MS Therapy Centre Lothian who were recently presented with £12,500 following a number of events.

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Picture in Time: Rigby Road Depot, Blackpool

Posted on Tuesday 9 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

Another image from the front of Rigby Road Depot today as we continue our look at archive images from the Blackpool Tramway.

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Progress continues on returning trailers to service on the MER

Posted on Monday 8 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

One of the highlights of 2019 on the Manx Electric Railway looks set to be the return to service of three trailers – including 54 which last ran in passenger service back in 1971, by our calculation that’s 48 years ago! Also due to return are 37 and 49 which last ran in 2009 and 2008 respectively.

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In Pictures: Sheffield trams rest at Crich

Posted on Monday 8 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

In this short pictorial update we take a quick look around Crich’s tram sheds where two Sheffield trams were stabled side-by-side – one is part of the operational fleet whilst the other has long been withdrawn. We also see Croydon Tramlink 058 out on the mainline. Stuart Cooke provides the photos from a visit on 31st March 2019.

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Around the World in Trams: Giradinetti Railway 106

Posted on Sunday 7 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

From this week we move to the Italian capital city of Rome featuring images of the Giradinetti Railway – which although not a traditional tramway as such is an on street narrow gauge light railway meriting its inclusion on these pages.

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In Pictures: Steam tram engine under restoration at Nene Valley Railway

Posted on Sunday 7 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

Amongst all of the trams which have been restored to operational condition across the UK one of the missing pieces of the jigsaw is a steam tram locomotive. Whilst John Bull was restored and did operate for a time in the 1980s it is now a static exhibit only at Crich it has remained a wished for project by many enthusiasts to see an operational steam tram again with MBRO 84 a possibility in the future (with plenty of funding required!). But there is a chance that there may be a steam tram engine running in the future although more akin with “Toby the Tram Engine” from the Thomas stories with restoration underway at the Nene Valley Railway in Peterborough.

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Local MP visits Seaton to congratulate on awards success

Posted on Sunday 7 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

The Seaton Tramway are celebrating another awards win with an accolade from Visit England in recognition of the excellent customer service given at the tramway. To mark the occasion local MP, Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton) paid a visit to congratulate the tramway on not only their recent award wins but also the new Seaton terminus.

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This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Sunday 7 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

We head off to Manchester for two Photo Galleries from Metrolink this week:

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Edinburgh Trams raise money for local charity

Posted on Saturday 6 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

Employees at Edinburgh Trams, and topped up by donations from the public at recent sporting and music events in the city, have raised £6,500 for the MS Therapy Centre Lothian during a series of fundraising events.

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Picture in Time: Stagecoach Supertram 102

Posted on Saturday 6 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

We move forward in the history of the South Yorkshire Supertram this week as we enter the era of operation by major transport company Stagecoach.

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In Pictures: A look inside the shed at NELSAM

Posted on Saturday 6 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

As we’ve reported previously whilst there is a more high profile collection in the north east of England the area is also home to the North East Electrical Traction Trust who are based at the North East Land Sea and Air Museum. With a mainly Blackpool based collection of trams all the vehicles are stored inside the tram shed – which they share with a number of buses – although limited progress seems to have been made towards the restoration of the trams in recent times. Trevor Hall made a visit to NELSAM on 30th March with the following photos taken.

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In Preview: Great North Steam Fair at Beamish

Posted on Saturday 6 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

After a couple of years when tram involvement has been confined to the resident fleet, the 2019 Great North Steam Fair at Beamish looks set to change that with not one but two on loans due to be in service – Blackpool & Fleetwood 40 and Manchester 765.

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In Pictures: Haymarket Yards gets a platform – kind of!

Posted on Friday 5 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

It is not only Blackpool where a new platform has been installed, and just like Blackpool the new structure in Edinburgh won’t be seeing passengers any time soon – although for different reasons! The new low platform is at Haymarket Yards alongside the short three track layout at this location.

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In Pictures: Track work at Beamish

Posted on Friday 5 April 2019 by Gareth Prior

Tuesday 2nd April saw some pre-planned track maintenance work at Beamish which meant that trams were unable to travel between the depot and the town. This led to trams reversing at each end with the unusual sight of tram crews having to reverse the trolley throughout the day. A two-tram service was once again in operation with Sunderland 16 and Blackpool 31 the chosen pair. Trevor Hall with the photos.

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