In Pictures: Manchester Victoria construction update

Posted on Tuesday 19 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

Work on the multi million redevelopment of Manchester Victoria railway station is continuing with the new station roof making progress. Metrolink services continue to run through Victoria without stopping: Rochdale-East Didsbury and Bury-Altrincham and will continue to do so until towards the end of 2014 by which time two new island platforms will have been constructed allowing for the expansion in Metrolink services. Photos provided by Steve Kemp.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 7 Comments

Event Preview: Blackpool heritage tram operation, 23rd – 25th August

Posted on Monday 18 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

The final stint of daytime operation for the Blackpool tramway’s heritage fleet occurs over the three-day August Bank Holiday weekend, with an action packed schedule planned as usual to entertain enthusiasts and other passengers alike. With many of the English Electric fleet celebrating their 80th anniversary year in 2014, the emphasis is once again being placed on the streamliners with two red trams set to steal the limelight!

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In Pictures: Further progress on Blackpool 290

Posted on Saturday 16 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

The transformation of the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust’s Blackpool Brush Railcoach 290 has continued to make impressive progress in the last few days with a good impression of the final green and cream livery now in evidence. This has been in spite of progress being hampered by the recent poor weather conditions experienced at the tram’s current exposed resting place on the Blackpool promenade.

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Posted in Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust | 3 Comments

This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Saturday 16 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

We have two new Photo Galleries for you this week on British Trams Online as we are actually up-to-date with main site updates for the first time since early May! We have also added a new article to this page (in fact its just below this message!)

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Isle of Man – an Island of transport delights

Posted on Saturday 16 August 2014 by admin

David Mee reports from the Isle of Man summarising the main activities on the Manx Electric Railway and Snaefell during private hires by the ‘Isle of Man 50 Group’ and the following Manx Heritage Transport event in 2014. 11 days of transport delights awaited…

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Midland Metro Urbos3s to enter service in September

Posted on Saturday 16 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

It has been confirmed that the first four of the new fleet of Urbos3 trams for Midland Metro will carry their first passengers on Friday 5th September and not the August Bank Holiday weekend as had been previously rumoured.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 1 Comment

T68 1010 heads for scrapping

Posted on Saturday 16 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

1010 has become the latest T68 to leave Trafford Depot for scrapping, leaving during the evening of 14th August – the eleventh T68/T68A to head to Booths in Rotherham for an appointment with the cutters torch.

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First trams set to run on NET Phase Two

Posted on Saturday 16 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

The first tram movements on a two mile section of Nottingham Express Transit’s Phase Two extensions are set to take place within the next week. Although no date has been announced it is expected that at some point next week (week commencing 18th August) the first trams will traverse the bridge over Nottingham railway station and then onto Compton Acres in West Bridgford.

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Another chance to view Southampton’s Trams

Posted on Saturday 16 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

The three trams of the Southampton Tram Project will again be on public display as the Southampton Maritime Festival returns on Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd August. As with the previous Festival in 2013 the workshop the project share with the Dunkirk Little Ships Association will be open to visitors throughout the Festival which takes place between 1030 and 1800 on both days.

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Heritage Trams this week

Posted on Saturday 16 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

Want to know when and where you ride on heritage trams over the next few weeks? Well if you do you have come to the right place as this is your one stop guide to heritage trams in the UK and Isle of Man! It’s a bit of a lull before the storm this weekend with no big events taking place although that will change over the Bank Holiday Weekend with the final daytime heritage operation of the year in Blackpool taking place alongside the Classic Transport Gathering at the Crich Tramway Village.

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In Pictures: Midland Metro Birmingham City Centre extension

Posted on Saturday 16 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

Progress is continuing in Birmingham City Centre on the Midland Metro extension which will link Snow Hill and New Street railway stations. Track continues to be laid at various locations along the streets of the city with recent progress being made outside New Street station and also along Corporation Street. Ian Buck paid a visit to Birmingham on 30th July and provides us with the following photos.

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Birkenhead tramway re-opens at last

Posted on Friday 15 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

Following a difficult few months, there is some good news from the Birkenhead tramway which will re-open on Saturday 16th August. This follows a period of enforced closure following an electrical fault affecting the tramway’s circuit breaker located at the main Taylor Street depot.

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Posted in Birkenhead Heritage Tramway | 2 Comments

New platform set to open at Deansgate-Castlefield

Posted on Thursday 14 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

The inbound side of the new island platform at Deansgate-Castlefield is to open to passengers from Tuesday 26th August with the current inbound platform being closed and demolished as the redevelopment of the stop continues. The new layout currently being constructed at Deansgate-Castlefield will see the existing outbound (to Altrincham/Eccles/East Didsbury) platform retained with a new island platform constructed directly opposite rather than the current layout which sees staggered platforms in place.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 3 Comments

In Pictures: Stagecoach Supertram rail replacement works update

Posted on Thursday 14 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

Rail replacement works on Stagecoach Supertram continues to make rapid progress with both Glossop Road and West Street seeing new rails installed over the past few days. On Glossop Road the rail was being replaced on the outbound track at the start of this week (this has now been completed) with attention now being turned to the remaining section on West Street just below City Hall tramstop outbound. Once this track has been replaced the whole of West Street and Glossop Road will have been completed.

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Wi-Fi now available across Edinburgh Trams fleet

Posted on Thursday 14 August 2014 by Gareth Prior

After a trial involving three of the trams in Edinburgh it has been announced that all 27 of the vehicles are now fitted with Wi-Fi. All passengers on board the trams will now be able to use the Wi-Fi for free, subject to terms and conditions.

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Blackpool trams see red for August event

Posted on Thursday 14 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

Provisional details of the heritage tram output in Blackpool planned for the August Bank Holiday weekend have now been announced, confirming that two red liveried streamliners are set to steal the limelight for the final stint of daytime heritage tram tours this year. Boat 227, now fully repaired following electrical repairs earlier this year, is set to return to active duties along with Balloon 701 which is currently being repainted in its popular red and white ‘Routemaster’ livery.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 15 Comments

The Blackpool Heritage Trust – what does it mean?

Posted on Wednesday 13 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

The formation of the Blackpool Heritage Trust to help secure the long-term future of a heritage tram fleet in Blackpool, has been greeted with much celebration from the vast majority of enthusiasts. However, the creation of the new Trust has also raised several questions, both here on British Trams Online and elsewhere. Rather than keep answering the same things over and over again, Andrew Waddington attempts to address the key points in this special extended article.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Feature Articles | 13 Comments

In Pictures: Manchester 173 prepares for war

Posted on Tuesday 12 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

We are pleased to provide some more images of Manchester 173 from the Heaton Park Tramway in its temporary guise as a recruitment tram, to help commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. These pictures show the tram being prepared to depart from its usual home in less than pleasant weather conditions, on Friday 1st August – the day before it was displayed at Morley.

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Brush car 290 makes progress

Posted on Tuesday 12 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

The transformation of preserved Blackpool Brush Railcoach 290 is continuing to make impressive progress, with the first traces of green and cream paint now evident. This will soon eradicate the hideous graffiti art applied to the tram last summer, and return it to a much more dignified appearance befitting its historic value.

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Posted in Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust | 2 Comments

The railgrinder refreshed

Posted on Tuesday 12 August 2014 by Andrew Waddington

Heaton Park Tramway’s venerable works car, Blackpool 1 (or 752 as it was known for much of its existence) is currently being treated to some remedial attention in an attempt to both smarten up the tram and help to preserve the ageing bodywork. The car has already been rubbed down and repainted in a green undercoat before receiving a fresh coat of gloss paint.

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Posted in Heaton Park Tramway | 1 Comment