Another threat to the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust

Posted on Friday 5 September 2014 by Andrew Waddington

Just a few days after we reported that the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust will have to re-home the trams it has stored at Kirkham Prison before the end of the year, comes news of a further negative development which could have serious implications for this organisation and its collection of historic Blackpool trams. This time, it is the vehicles stored at the Fleetwood fish dock which have been placed at risk.

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Heritage Tram this week

Posted on Thursday 4 September 2014 by Gareth Prior

It might be a new regular day for our weekly look at when and where you can have a ride on a heritage tram in the UK and Isle of Man but we still bring you all the information you should need to plan your trip. This weekend will see the End of Season Gala at the East Anglia Transport Museum (6th/7th September) and the Trans Lancs Rally at Heaton Park (7th September) whilst you can still enjoy daily tram rides at Beamish, Blackpool (well nightly anyway!), Crich, Douglas Horse Tramway, Great Orme, Manx Electric Railway, Seaton, Snaefell Mountain Railway and Summerlee so there is still plenty to keep you occupied. And then next weekend will see the highly anticipated Electric 50 event at Crich (13th/14th September).

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Lost Trams 12: Dundee 2

Posted on Thursday 4 September 2014 by Andrew Waddington

The fact that more than one steam tram trailer from the Scottish city of Dundee survives today when so few of this type of tramcar still exist is quite a remarkable fact, made all the more amazing by the fact that no electric trams from this operator managed to survive into preservation. Most readers will be familiar with Dundee 21 which is of course a static exhibit at the National Tramway Museum, but for this feature the spotlight is on Dundee 2.

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One arrives, one withdrawn at Midland Metro

Posted on Wednesday 3 September 2014 by Gareth Prior

There have been a couple of significant changes to the Midland Metro tram fleet this week with the latest Urbos3 arriving from Spain swiftly followed by the withdrawal of another T69 from service. All of this in the same week as the operating fleet is set to have its biggest shake up since opening with the planned entry into service of the first Urbos3s on Friday 5th September.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 2 Comments

Crich Event Preview: ‘Electric 50’ – 13th & 14th September

Posted on Tuesday 2 September 2014 by Andrew Waddington

On Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th September, Crich Tramway Village will host one of its most ambitious events ever, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of electric tram operation at Crich. This will see an incredible twenty-five electric trams running in passenger service over the course of the weekend, with fifteen due to be in service at once for most of both days and all of them starring in a mammoth procession, again on both days. Add in some special guest trams and a few unique photo opportunities, and you have the potential for a very special event indeed!

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Heaton Park Tramway projects progress

Posted on Tuesday 2 September 2014 by Andrew Waddington

Since the opening of the new Lakeside Depot and the return to service of Manchester 765 in July, volunteers at the Heaton Park Tramway have been keeping themselves busy with work on some other trams in the fleet. This short report provides an update on recent progress involving both Blackpool 1 and Hull 96.

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Supertram services part suspended after discovery of hole

Posted on Monday 1 September 2014 by Gareth Prior

Stagecoach Supertram services between Sheffield Station and the city centre have been suspended following the discovery of a hole in the ground alongside the Park Square delta junction on Saturday 30th August. This is affecting services on both the Blue and Purple route meaning trams are only able to operate Halfway to Sheffield Station and Herdings Park to Sheffield Station, the Yellow route is unaffected and trams are continuing to run from Meadowhall to Cathedral (ongoing engineering works are preventing services from running beyond the city centre at the moment).

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This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Sunday 31 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

Another Photo Gallery for you as part of our main site update this week: Continue reading →

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Let there be light!

Posted on Sunday 31 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

On Saturday 30th August, tours of the Blackpool illuminations by traditional tramcar resumed for the 2014 season with three different trams in operation for this role. Although the illuminations were actually switched on the previous night, part of the promenade tramway was blocked off due to the switch-on ceremony taking place at the Tower Festival Headland and it was therefore not until the second evening that tours were able to commence.

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Escape from Alcatraz… or not?

Posted on Sunday 31 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

The Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust have confirmed that notice has been given to remove the trams from its collection which are currently stored at Kirkham Prison by the end of the year. Far from most announcements of an imminent release however, this may not be such good news for the trams involved as the decision places a question mark over their future survival.

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Bus and tram collide in Edinburgh City Centre

Posted on Saturday 30 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

There were severe delays to both Edinburgh Trams services and traffic in the city centre during the morning rush hour on Friday 29th August after a collision involving a bus and a tram (no. 253). The collision took place shortly after 0745 when a bus operating the First X38 service crossed over into the tram lane in West Maitland Street and despite efforts by the drivers of both the tram and the bus a low speed collision occurred. Reports in the local media have suggested that a cyclist may have caused the bus to swerve into the path of the tram but these have not been verified and investigations are underway.

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In Pictures: Shunting at Crich as 167 returns home

Posted on Saturday 30 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

On Friday 29th August in preparation for the return of Blackpool 167 shunting took place around the depot at the Crich Tramway Village with several Blackpool trams being moved to ensure that 167 could be easily housed undercover. Hazel Quarmby was again on site to record the moves of the trams and we also include a shot of 167 back at Crich, in the workshop.

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In Pictures: Metrolink M5000 3086 enters service

Posted on Saturday 30 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

3086 has become the latest M5000 to enter service on Manchester Metrolink with it noted operating on the Eccles to Ashton-under-Lyne service on Friday 29th August. As with all other recent vehicles to enter service it is only able to run on TMS enabled routes so expect to see it running on both that service and also the MediaCityUK service for now. Photos by Steve Kemp.

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Plans put forward for new line in Croydon Town Centre

Posted on Saturday 30 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

Transport for London have officially revealed plans for a second line in Croydon Town Centre which would not only add extra capacity to Tramlink but would also provide an alternative route which would enable trams to turn in the town centre without the need to traverse the entire Croydon loop.

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Heritage Trams this week

Posted on Saturday 30 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

September dawns and that means we enter another busy period for the UK’s heritage trams and this is a quick glance at what to expect over the next few weeks. Of course the Blackpool Illuminations are now shining nightly until Sunday 9th November and with that the heritage trams are in action every night whilst the East Anglia Transport Museum enjoy their End of Season Gale over the weekend of 6th and 7th September. And we aren’t too far off Electric 50 at Crich either…

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In Pictures: Supertram rail replacement work update

Posted on Saturday 30 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

Work is continuing on the rail replacement at the University of Sheffield on Stagecoach Supertram. Work is now not only taking place within the subway but also in the actual University of Sheffield stop itself. Photos by Stuart Cooke.

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Blackpool prepares for the illuminations

Posted on Friday 29 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

Friday 29th August will see the Blackpool illuminations switched on for another season by comedian Peter Kay. As has become the norm in recent years, the actual switch-on night itself will not be a good one for the tramway with the awful split service in operation due to the event being held on the promenade headland opposite the Tower. Thankfully though, despite the decision to hold a full weekend of events a normal service will be allowed to resume the following day for the first illuminations weekend of 2014.

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167 bids goodbye to Blackpool

Posted on Friday 29 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

The hugely successful visit of Blackpool ‘Pantograph’ car 167 to the Blackpool tramway for summer 2014 finally came to an end on Friday 29th August, when the tram was loaded up onto a lorry on Blundell Street for the long journey by road back to Crich Tramway Village. This brings to an end 167′s longest spell away from home since 1990, as the tram spent the early part of the year at Beamish Museum before heading back to Blackpool in April.

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Midland Metro engineering works confirmed to start in September

Posted on Thursday 28 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

It has now been confirmed the major essential engineering works on Midland Metro will commence from Saturday 6th September (although the press release states this is the 8th so it could just as easily be Monday 8th!) and will now only last for up to 12 weeks. During the works no trams will be able to serve either The Royal or Wolverhampton St George’s with services from Birmingham Snow Hill only able to run as far as Priestfield. Of note is that the Urbos3 trams are due to enter passenger service from Friday 5th September so there will be one day of operation where these trams will be serving the current layout at St George’s before its platforms are lengthened.

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In Pictures: Edinburgh Trams – out of the city centre

Posted on Thursday 28 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

Last week we bought you a full Photo Gallery featuring Edinburgh Trams (if you haven’t seen them yet and want to you can find them at http://www.britishtramsonline.co.uk/gallery478.html). The locations included were limited to in and around the city centre but we can now bring you a photographic feature with more shots of the trams but this time moving out of the city centre and onto the remainder of the line. With thanks to John Hampton for providing these photos.

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