As you were on the MER for 2019

Posted on Thursday 17 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

The timetable for the Manx Electric Railway – and the Snaefell Mountain Railway and Isle of Man Steam Railway – has been released and it is very much a case of as you were with very limited changes in the timetables. In fact the only really significant change is the use of the “World’s Oldest Trams” whose operation has now been pulled forward in the day and may not necessarily mean you get 1 or 2.

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Edinburgh Party Tram for one day only!

Posted on Thursday 17 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

In what is probably a modern day first for the UK Edinburgh Trams, in conjunction with Forth 1, are to run a Party Tram on Friday 18th January. Operating one return journey across the whole Edinburgh Trams line between York Place and Edinburgh Airport presenters from the popular Boogie in the Morning breakfast show will be on board the tram hosting a special one off party! They will also be handing out a variety of goodies including two chances to win a six month, unlimited tram travel card.

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Picture in Time: Paisley 68 & Newcastle 102

Posted on Thursday 17 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

Open top trams are always popular – no matter whether you are by the seaside or alongside a quarry in the Derbyshire countryside! In this edition of Picture in Time we feature two of Crich’s examples of open toppers; neither of which are currently operational but for one that should change in the next few years.

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Balloon 715 to visit workshops as progress made on Railcoach 279

Posted on Wednesday 16 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

It has been confirmed that Blackpool Balloon 715 is to visit the workshops at Rigby Road to refresh its appearance for 2019 whilst a fellow Fylde Transport Trust – Railcoach 279 – continues to progress at Brinwell Road ahead of its much anticipated return to service.

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In Pictures: New advert for Edinburgh 262

Posted on Wednesday 16 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

No sooner had we reported on a new advert in Manchester then Edinburgh follows suit with 262 losing its vinyls for C R Smith allowing a new advert for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts and the Paul Tamburrini restaurant (on either side) to be applied. The new style was first spotted in Edinburgh on 16th January 2019.

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First new advert of 2019 in Manchester

Posted on Tuesday 15 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

It didn’t take long did it? The first new vinyl wrap advert on Manchester Metrolink of 2019 has appeared with 3072 receiving its very first advertising livery with the sponsor being Totaljobs. Once again extensive contravision does feature on the advert which is different on each end of the tram with one section featuring a mainly white base whilst the other is a jungle scene. As usual fleet livery remains on each cab. In other advert news from Manchester 3040 has lost its advert for TalkTalk.

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Heaton Park Tramway launch new website with first details of 2019

Posted on Tuesday 15 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

The Heaton Park Tramway in Manchester, which it shouldn’t be forgotten is the one true preserved tramway in the country, have marked the start of a new year with a brand new website which also contains the first details of special events for the year.

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Picture in Time: Fleetwood Ferry

Posted on Tuesday 15 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

The number of photos taken on Fleetwood Esplanade of trams either at the old Fleetwood Ferry loading stops or just passing by on their way back to Blackpool is probably in the millions by now and today that is the location we are at for the latest delve into the archives.

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A makeover for London Transport 1622

Posted on Monday 14 January 2019 by Andrew Waddington

As reported previously on this website, London Transport 1622 has recently moved into the workshop at Crich Tramway Village for preparations to be made for an overhaul which will allow the tram to return to regular service. This will include a complete repaint – 1622‘s first since it first joined the operating fleet at Crich in 1997 – and it is pleasing to note that this will include some livery alterations, the aim being to portray the tram’s pre-war appearance.

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Automatic tram braking system to be introduced on Tramlink in 2019

Posted on Monday 14 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

Transport for London have confirmed that all trams on the London Tramlink will be fully fitted with an automatic braking system by the end of this year – a first for UK tramways which also means that all RAIB recommendations into the Sandilands derailment are now either in progress or already been completed. Engineering Support Group Limited (ESG) were awarded the contract to install the new safety system on 14th December 2018 and they will now work to make sure it is all in place by the end of this year.

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Men jailed over Metrolink ticket machine thefts

Posted on Monday 14 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

Three men have been jailed for a total of over 10 years for their part in thefts from ticket machines on Manchester Metrolink at the end of 2017. 25 machines were broken into on six separate occasions with more than £13,000 in bank notes stolen and a total repair bill of nearly £140,000.

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Around the World in Trams: Tenerife Tram 12

Posted on Sunday 13 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

Heading back around the world for another year of images from tramways outside of the British Isles our first stop is in Tenerife where over the next few weeks we will be taking a look at a few of the trams which operate on the two line system.

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Depot Open Day to return to Blackpool as more special events revealed

Posted on Sunday 13 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

For the first time since 2010 a full depot open day – as opposed to depot tours – will be taking place at Blackpool’s Rigby Road Depot with a heritage tram shuttle from North Pier and the chance to see some of the stored tram fleet. The Open Day is due to take place on Sunday 25th August and a number of other new events for 2019 have also now been announced.

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This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Sunday 13 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

The first new photo collection added this year is included in this week’s main site update:

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A trio of wins for Manx Electric Railway in Tram of the Year!

Posted on Sunday 13 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

To be fair it was always likely to be a case of how big the win would be in the British Trams Online Tram of the Year 2018 and so it turned out with the Manx Electric Railway winning three of four categories (indeed the only categories it qualified for!) whilst the other award saw a retention of sorts with a second Stagecoach Supertram Tram-Train securing the most votes.

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Aberdeen 15 returns home for restoration

Posted on Saturday 12 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

The new year is not even two weeks old and we can report on an exciting development for heritage trams with the movement of Aberdeen Corporation Transport 15 from Dundee to Alford for a start to be made on its restoration. This won’t just be a cosmetic restoration though as it is planned to make it an operational tram with it being offered for loan to tramways across the UK although its permanent home will be on static display at the Grampian Transport Museum in Alford.

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Picture in Time: Tyne & Wear Metro 4026

Posted on Saturday 12 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

Not previously featured in this series is the Tyne and Wear Metro until today that is! For the next few weeks we will be looking at some archive images from the Metro which has been serving the area since 1980.

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Branch Line Society to tour the Blackpool Tramway

Posted on Saturday 12 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

The Branch Line Society are well known for their unique tours mainly on the national rail network but they do also sometimes dip into trams including a couple of tours recently at Crich which have covered practically every inch of track available. For their latest tour they will be heading to Blackpool for a tour across the tramway which will once again cover several rare pieces of track plus some unique moves utilising Engineering Car 754!

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Ambitious plans for major expansion of tram and tram-train in Greater Manchester

Posted on Saturday 12 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

This week has seen the release of Greater Manchester’s ambitious plans for the “city-region’s” future and tucked amongst the various documents is major plans to improve transport in the area. This will include further Metrolink extensions and also the start of tram-train services as the area tries to get 50% of all journeys on public transport, walking and cycling by 2040. The plan is very much long-term and it is probable that many of the projects mentioned in the document end up not going forward but it does show ambition and could really solidify Greater Manchester’s position as the tram and light rail capital of the UK!

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Failsafe brakes must be installed on Snaefell ahead of 2019 season

Posted on Friday 11 January 2019 by Gareth Prior

It has now transpired that the Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate have ordered the Department of Infrastructure to fit failsafe brakes onto the trams of the Snaefell Mountain Railway before the 2019 season can start. The news has only just been reported on publicly and follows on from the incident in 2017 when a tram ran through the road crossing at Bungalow due to an issue with its brakes.

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