Edinburgh Trams continues to perform better than targets

Posted on Saturday 15 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams has exceeded its performance targets in the first year of operation as the latest set of figures are released. The first set of annual accounts have been published and show that the services generated revenue of £6.4 million in the first seven months of operation – 3% higher than predicted in the business plan. Despite this apparent good news it is disappointing to have to report that the local media have jumped on any negativity they can find in the accounts.

Continue reading →

Posted in Edinburgh Trams | 3 Comments

NET VIPreview tram trips a success

Posted on Saturday 15 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

The two special tram trips which took place on the two new Nottingham Express Transit lines have been hailed as a success as the extensive testing period continues in the build up to the opening of Phase Two. The journeys took place on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th August with community stalwarts, civic leaders and competition winners all on board to get a special preview of the new lines.

Continue reading →

Posted in Nottingham Express Transit | 18 Comments

Rain stops play on Metrolink

Posted on Saturday 15 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

Parts of Greater Manchester were hit by nearly half of August’s average rainfall on Friday 14th August leading to the suspension of service on the Metrolink lines to the Airport and East Didsbury for several hours. The torrential downpours led to severe flooding on the lines which meant it was not possible for the trams to pass the area safely.

Continue reading →

Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 1 Comment

Picture in Time: Blackpool Balloon 714

Posted on Friday 14 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

Our latest Picture in Time subject is a tram which has never featured on these pages before; well at least not in this form – Blackpool Balloon 714, now know as Jubilee 762.

Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Picture in Time | 2 Comments

Farewell to the Midland Metro T69s

Posted on Friday 14 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

Next time you take a trip on Midland Metro your journey is now guaranteed to be on a sleek and modern CAF Urbos 3 tram following the withdrawal of the last of the T69s. The highest numbered of the 16 strong class of the T69s – which not unsurprisingly is numbered 16 – was used in service for the last time on Friday 14th August running several public journeys between Birmingham Snow Hill and Wolverhampton St George’s before it embarked on a final private trip to depot bringing an end to 16 years of service for the class. But its final trip was very nearly delayed because of a fault on a tram – not the tram which was being retired of course but one of the new Urbos 3s!

Continue reading →

Posted in West Midlands Metro | 4 Comments

The tram that can’t be moved

Posted on Friday 14 August 2015 by Andrew Waddington

The task of transferring Blackpool Brush Railcoach 290 from its current location to storage at Rigby Road sounds a simple one on paper, but unfortunately it has turned out to be anything but. It will be recalled that this tram has been on static display on its own specially laid siding near the Pleasure Beach for the last few years but is now due to be removed so that Centenary car 641 can take its place for the 2015 illuminations; however, the first stage of this did not go according to plan!

Continue reading →

Posted in Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust | 4 Comments

Book Review: ‘The Tower to Bispham – the Blackpool Tramway since 1960’

Posted on Thursday 13 August 2015 by Andrew Waddington

Last year, well-known Blackpool tramway historian Brian Turner released the first of a trilogy of books taking a detailed look at the changing face of this much-loved system in the period since 1960, focussing on the section from Starr Gate to Tower. This book was quite rightly regarded as an instant classic, and so the release of the second instalment has been much anticipated – and the wait was certainly worth it!

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Comments Off on Book Review: ‘The Tower to Bispham – the Blackpool Tramway since 1960’

In Pictures: WW2 Home Front – Crich

Posted on Thursday 13 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

Last weekend also saw the culmination of the WW2 Home Front at the Crich Tramway Village with an intensive tram service in operation alongside the usual re-enactors and also a visiting replica Spitfire. These photos were mainly taken on the final day of the event – Sunday 9th August – and show the five trams in service and we also feature the replica Spitfire which proved to be a popular exhibit for many of the visitors to the event. Photographs courtesy of Hazel Quarmby.

Continue reading →

Posted in National Tramway Museum | Comments Off on In Pictures: WW2 Home Front – Crich

In Pictures: Blackpool Rocks Manchester – Heaton Park

Posted on Thursday 13 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

As we reported earlier this week another successful event took place at the Heaton Park Tramway over the weekend of Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August. Blackpool Rocks Manchester was a joint event between several heritage transport organisations in Greater Manchester with the tramway putting on a show with their collection of Blackpool trams. Steve Kemp visited the park on the first day of the event and these images give a brief taste of what was on offer tram wise…

Continue reading →

Posted in Heaton Park Tramway | Comments Off on In Pictures: Blackpool Rocks Manchester – Heaton Park

In Pictures: Supertram rail replacement works continue

Posted on Thursday 13 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

Stagecoach Supertram’s rail replacement works are starting to come towards a close with 90% of the work now completed. All rail replacement work is due to be finished before the end of August and during the first week of the month attention turned to White Lane with Birley Lane the latest stop to become a temporary terminus. These photos from Stuart Cooke show both the work underway to replace the track and also some unusual moves from the trams.

Continue reading →

Posted in South Yorkshire Supertram | 1 Comment

In Pictures: Middleton Road Paint Shop!

Posted on Thursday 13 August 2015 by Andrew Waddington

The original tram depot at the Heaton Park Tramway is currently resembling a Paint Shop, with two trams currently occupying the building which are being transformed in appearance. The long-running project, Hull 96, has recently been joined by Blackpool 280 which of course is being repainted as 680 before going back to Blackpool for a minimum two year stay.

Continue reading →

Posted in Heaton Park Tramway | Comments Off on In Pictures: Middleton Road Paint Shop!

Going for a ride…

Posted on Thursday 13 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

Once again here is your one stop guide to just when and where you can go and enjoy a ride on a traditional tram in the British Isles over the next week or so. You may not realise it when you step out of your front door but we are now in the middle of the summer holidays and traditionally this means a quieter spell of special events for the majority of the tramways featured in this article. This week you can take a tram ride with a superhero on the Birkenhead Heritage Tramway (Saturday 15th August) and a little further into the month Sheffield 15 will be back out running at Crich (Tuesday 18th and Thursday 20th August). And, of course, traditional trams can still be seen running in 13 different locations with a friendly welcome for anyone who fancies going for a ride…

Continue reading →

Posted in Going for a ride | Comments Off on Going for a ride…

Trams & Chips

Posted on Thursday 13 August 2015 by Andrew Waddington

Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours are offering a unique new experience on Wednesday 30th September, by teaming up with the world-famous fish & chip shop Harry Ramsdens for an illuminations tour with a difference! This brand is of course no stranger to Blackpool with their most popular restaurant in the UK sited on the promenade, directly opposite the southbound heritage tram stop.

Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 2 Comments

Metrolink to resume services through St Peter’s Square

Posted on Wednesday 12 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

Manchester Metrolink will resume services through St Peter’s Square from Friday 28th August following the completion of the first stage of the major transformation works. The past two months have seen all services through this key area of the network cancelled following the start of the works in connection with the Second City Crossing but with the first part of these now completed it will be possible for trams to once again pass through although they will still not be stopping for a further year.

Continue reading →

Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 5 Comments

‘HMS Blackpool’ on driver training

Posted on Tuesday 11 August 2015 by Andrew Waddington

The sight of heritage and ‘B Fleet’ trams on driver training duties in Blackpool has become an increasingly common one of late, presumably as efforts intensify to increase the number of staff trained on these trams in time for the illuminations season. One working of particular note was the use of the illuminated Warship 736 ‘HMS Blackpool’ on Monday 10th August.

Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 2 Comments

Midland Metro T69s: End of an era **Updated**

Posted on Tuesday 11 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

There will be a tinge of sadness in the West Midlands on Friday 14th August when the last ever public passenger runs of the T69 trams takes place. After months of rumour and false starts it has now been decided that enough Urbos 3s are available for service and the time has come for the original – and lets be honest troublesome – T69s to be fully withdrawn from service.

Continue reading →

Posted in West Midlands Metro | 3 Comments

Trams & Planes

Posted on Tuesday 11 August 2015 by Andrew Waddington

The recent week-long 1940s event at Crich Tramway Village featured a special appearance by an unusual visitor: a Spitfire aircraft, which was prominently displayed at Town End for the whole week. Co-incidentally while this event was in full swing, another Spitfire could also be seen alongside the tram tracks on Blackpool promenade, with the plane on static display close to the Tower over the weekend of 8th & 9th August for the annual summer air show.

Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway, National Tramway Museum | 3 Comments

Picture in Time: Blackpool Conduit car 4

Posted on Tuesday 11 August 2015 by Andrew Waddington

For today’s ‘Picture in Time’ image we head once again to Manchester, however rather than the familiar Heaton Park Tramway or the Metrolink system, our destination this time is the Manchester Museum of Science & Industry. For a number of years this was home to the oldest electric tram in Great Britain, Blackpool 4, and this tram is the star of this feature.

Continue reading →

Posted in Picture in Time | 1 Comment

Blackpool rocks Heaton Park!

Posted on Monday 10 August 2015 by Andrew Waddington

On the weekend of 8th & 9th August, a number of heritage organisations in Manchester hosted a joint event celebrating the city’s love affair with the seaside resort of Blackpool. Naturally, such an event provided the perfect opportunity for the Heaton Park Tramway to showcase its impressive collection of historic Blackpool trams, of which three ran on both days with two others on display outside the Lakeside Depot.

Continue reading →

Posted in Heaton Park Tramway | 1 Comment

This week on British Trams Online…

Posted on Sunday 9 August 2015 by Gareth Prior

This week we bring you a couple more Photo Galleries as we start another trilogy, this time from the Isle of Man:

Continue reading →

Posted in Site News | Comments Off on This week on British Trams Online…