Picture in Time: Great Orme Tramway 5

Posted on Tuesday 6 October 2015 by Gareth Prior

Its back to Wales for our latest “Picture in Time” as we are on the Great Orme for a view of no. 5 in 1968.

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Snow Hill terminus set to close

Posted on Tuesday 6 October 2015 by Gareth Prior

Saturday 24th October will be the last chance to catch a tram from the original Birmingham Snow Hill terminus on Midland Metro with the line from there to St Paul’s being closed from the start of service the following day to allow for the connection of city centre extension to the current line. It will take around six weeks for this work to take place and when the line reopens trams will be diverted onto the new line and in an unexpected move will run to the new stop at Bull Street and not just onto the viaduct to the new Snow Hill stop.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 4 Comments

Sheffield 264 update: three become one

Posted on Tuesday 6 October 2015 by Andrew Waddington

The major overhaul of Sheffield 264 at Beamish Museum reached a landmark this month, when the three main components which make up the tramcar were finally reunited. The upper deck, lower deck and truck have all been tackled separately but have now been brought back together as this project progresses towards completion.

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Urbos 3 36 starts testing

Posted on Tuesday 6 October 2015 by Gareth Prior

36 – the penultimately delivered Urbos 3 – has now started testing across the Midland Metro network leaving just two further examples of the 21 strong class of trams to start the commissioning process on the mainline. The tram was first seen out on Monday 28th September and has since made regular forays out of the depot at Wednesbury.

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Travel on NET for just £1 all day on Sunday 11th October

Posted on Tuesday 6 October 2015 by Gareth Prior

Anyone who hasn’t been to Nottingham yet for a ride on the two new lines to Clifton and Chilwell will have the perfect excuse on Sunday 11th October when a full days travel will cost £1! Trams will run on the new lines up to every 10 minutes throughout the day with the tickets available from all tram stop machines.

Posted in Nottingham Express Transit | 2 Comments

Liverpool 245 stars at the Wirral Bus and Tram Show

Posted on Monday 5 October 2015 by Gareth Prior

Sunny and warm weather once again graced a major tram event in the UK on Sunday 4th October with the 18th annual Wirral Bus and Tram Show taking place on and around the Birkenhead Heritage Tramway. The event again saw the usual mix of an intensive tram service with lots of buses on display and running special tours around the local area. On the tram side the undoubted highlight was the use of Liverpool 245 – its first appearance at the event since its restoration was finally completed earlier this year.

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This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Thursday 1 October 2015 by Gareth Prior

It’s another week with just the one Photo Gallery added but again its an extensive one with 200 photos included from the Blackpool Tramway 130th Anniversary events:

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Going for a ride…

Posted on Thursday 1 October 2015 by Gareth Prior

It’s almost another weekend which must mean it’s time for another tram event! On Sunday 4th October the eyes of the British Isles tramway world are turned towards Birkenhead for the annual Bus and Tram Show which will see a four tram service using six different trams running on the Birkenhead Heritage Tramway. Elsewhere there continues to be trams running across the British Isles so there should still be plenty to keep you occupied! Read on to find out just when and where you go for a ride on a traditional tram…

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Newcastle 102’s fortunes are raised

Posted on Thursday 1 October 2015 by Andrew Waddington

Another step towards a possible return to service for Newcastle 102 occurred on Wednesday 30th September, when the tram was briefly raised off its trucks. As reported previously 102 has been residing in the Crich workshop where its condition is being assessed with a view to potentially restoring it to an operational condition in the fairly near future.

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Cash boost for the Sheffield trams of Crich

Posted on Tuesday 29 September 2015 by Andrew Waddington

The extensive collection of Sheffield tramcars owned by the Tramway Museum Society look set to benefit from the latest incredible act of generosity by a late tram enthusiast. TMS member Roger Benton who passed away recently, has bequeathed the remarkable sum of £345,000 to be used for the sole purpose of assisting with the restoration of Sheffield trams at Crich.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 2 Comments

Picture in Time: Glasgow 1158

Posted on Tuesday 29 September 2015 by Gareth Prior

We are heading back into the black and white era for today’s Picture in Time image as our time machine lands in Glasgow during 1961 at a time when the extensive Glasgow Corporation Tramways was on the final straight of operation. The tram that got in the way of our photographers camera was Coronation 1158.

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In Pictures: Stadler 2561 arrives in Croydon

Posted on Tuesday 29 September 2015 by Gareth Prior

As we previously reported on British Trams Online Stadler Variobahn 2561 arrived at London Tramlink’s Therapia Lane Depot on Sunday 6th September and we can now show you some images of the tram arriving at its new home courtesy of Ian Buck.

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Nottingham Express Transit Citadis 229 named Viv Anderson MBE

Posted on Tuesday 29 September 2015 by Gareth Prior

229 is the latest Citadis tram to be named in Nottingham with former footballer Viv Anderson MBE the latest recipient following nominations from the public. The naming ceremony took place on Thursday 24th September at Clifton South tramstop and is the eleventh of the new trams to be named (of which four have sporting connections). Viv Anderson made his debut for Nottingham Forest in 1974 before moving to Arsenal in 1984 and then later played for Manchester United. He was also the first black player to be picked for England.

Posted in Nottingham Express Transit | 1 Comment

Last chance to ride the Recruitment Tramcar at Crich

Posted on Tuesday 29 September 2015 by Gareth Prior

There are just two more opportunities to ride on Chesterfield 7 in its Recruitment Tramcar guise at Crich with the tram due to run for the last time with the decorations on Thursday 1st and Saturday 3rd October. 7 has been running as the Recruitment Tram for the majority of the 2015 season to help show how trams were used to help with the Great War recruiting process.

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Trial to be held for overnight parking at Metrolink Park and Ride sites

Posted on Tuesday 29 September 2015 by Gareth Prior

Proposals to allow limited overnight parking at some of Manchester Metrolink’s Park and Ride sites are set to be discussed by Councillors later this week. The idea is that overnight parking would be allowed at 13 sites on a three month trial basis on Friday and Saturday nights only before an evaluation to decide if it was a success.

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In Pictures: East Croydon affected by Connecting Croydon project

Posted on Tuesday 29 September 2015 by Gareth Prior

Platform 3 at East Croydon has been closed temporarily to allow for more works to take place under the banner of the local council’s Connecting Croydon project. As a result all westbound trams travelling through East Croydon are now using the centre platform – platform 2 – with eastbound services unaffected and still using platform 1. Photographs are courtesy of Ian Buck.

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Blackpool celebrates 130 years in style

Posted on Tuesday 29 September 2015 by Gareth Prior

The weekend of 26th and 27th September saw the eyes of tram enthusiasts looking towards Blackpool with the most ambitious period of heritage operations planned since the upgrade of the tramway to help celebrate the 130th anniversary of the tramway. Over the course of the weekend 21 different heritage trams carried passengers (including two members of the “B” fleet) whilst both Rigby Road and Starr Gate Depots opened their doors to a lucky few giving a rare chance to see behind the scenes. The weekend also saw the return to service of Twin Car 675+685 (see separate story here) and Balloon 723 with out of service trams lined up both on Blundell Street and on the fan at Rigby Road.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Event Reviews | 26 Comments

In Pictures: 675+685 return to service for ‘Blackpool 130’ event

Posted on Monday 28 September 2015 by Andrew Waddington

One of the many highlights of the fantastic weekend of events held to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Blackpool tramway over the weekend of 26th & 27th September, was undoubtedly the return to service of Twin set 675+685. The duo last ran in passenger service back in November 2011 and since then their red and yellow Metro Coastlines livery has been replaced by a more traditional colour scheme better suiting their new role in the operational heritage fleet.

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Picture in Time: Manchester Metrolink 1013

Posted on Sunday 27 September 2015 by Gareth Prior

Today’s Picture in Time comes from Manchester Metrolink once again as we feature some images of 1013 during April 1992.

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Final preparations in place for ‘Blackpool 130’

Posted on Friday 25 September 2015 by Andrew Waddington

Many enthusiasts are currently descending on Blackpool, ready for the weekend’s spectacular events to celebrate 130 years of the famous promenade tramway. A full provisional list of which trams are due to run on both days has now been published online, and one of the surprise stars of the show has also been confirmed – Balloon 723, which will be making its first appearance in passenger service since 2013!

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 2 Comments