Blackpool 711 is back in service

Posted on Thursday 26 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

Some good news to report from Crich Tramway Village is that visiting Blackpool Balloon car 711 returned to service on Thursday 26th June, after a period of approximately one month out of action. This was due to a dewirement incident at Town End which resulted in some damage to both the tram’s pantograph and the overhead wires, both of which have since been repaired.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 4 Comments

MET 331 repaired

Posted on Wednesday 25 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

After being temporarily sidelined following a derailment incident in July 2013, pleasing news to report is that Metropolitan 331 is almost ready to resume its operating career at the Crich Tramway Village. Having spent a short period of time in the museum workshop, some damage to the car’s underframe was quickly repaired and the tram now requires only a few finishing touches before it can return to service.

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Incident at Crich involving Oporto 273

Posted on Wednesday 25 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

At 1:40pm on Wednesday 25th June, an incident occurred at Crich Tramway Village involving the recently overhauled Oporto 273. It is understood that the tram overshot the terminus and hit the banking at Town End when it was arriving at the loading stop. No passengers were on board at the time, and the rest of the tram service resumed shortly after. The driver of the tram was reportedly treated for minor injuries. The incident is currently under investigation by the Museum’s Traffic and Engineering Teams, and no further information is available at present.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 4 Comments

In Pictures: Rocket rescue mission completed successfully!

Posted on Wednesday 25 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

On Tuesday 24th June, the last of the Lancastrian Transport Trust’s collection of historic Blackpool trams to be reclaimed by Blackpool Transport arrived safely back at Rigby Road – and arguably, the best one of the lot has been saved until last! The illuminated Rocket 732 has been marooned on the large roundabout at Gynn Square for almost two years, but is now back on home metals, and has regained undercover accommodation at last.

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Event Review: Best of Sheffield – Crich May 2014

Posted on Tuesday 24 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

Saturday 17th May 2014 was not only the first day of a new event at the Crich Tramway Village – Best of Sheffield – but was also saw the return of Sheffield 510 into service following a Tramcar Sponsorship Organisation sponsored overhaul. The day was met with warm sunshine and a healthy number of visitors including the Editor of this very website who traipsed his way up the steep hill from Whatstandwell Railway Station to enjoy the day’s events.

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Posted in Feature Articles, National Tramway Museum | 1 Comment

In Pictures: First trams on Manchester Airport line

Posted on Tuesday 24 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

As expected trams have now started testing on the Metrolink Airport extension with the first movements taking place in the very early hours of Monday 23rd June. M5000s 3061 and 3052 were used for these first runs and arrived onto the Mauldeth Road section at around 0030 and then made gentle progress before arriving at Sale Water Park an hour later. Further testing will take place over the next few days. With thanks to Steve Kemp we bring you a few images from these first test runs.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 3 Comments

Midland Metro welcomes another new tram

Posted on Tuesday 24 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

The ninth of the CAF built Urbos 3 trams for Midland Metro has now arrived at the Wednesbury Depot. As with the previous deliveries 25 arrived in two sections and was swiftly unloaded on the morning of Tuesday 24th June before being connected up and moved into the workshops for a start to be made on commissioning and then testing and driver training. Several members of the fleet continue to be used for evening tests and driver training runs and it is expected that the first of the class will enter passenger service later this summer.

Posted in West Midlands Metro | 4 Comments

In Pictures: A day at the Crich Tramway Village

Posted on Tuesday 24 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

Five trams carried passengers at the Crich Tramway Village on Sunday 15th June with Berlin 223 006-4, Blackpool & Fleetwood 2, Glasgow 1068, Leeds 180 and Southampton 45 all in use. Steve Kemp visited the Museum on this day and the following photos show four of these trams in action.

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In Pictures: London trams in the Crich workshop

Posted on Tuesday 24 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

As reported extensively over the past few weeks the workshops at the Crich Tramway Village have become very London dominated with London Transport 1 now entering for a start to be made on its extensive restoration whilst Metropolitan Electric Tramways 331 has also been moved for an assessment into the work required to return this to service following its derailment almost 12 months ago. London County Council 106 also remains in situ as its overhaul starts to draw to a close. With thanks to David Beardsell we now have a couple of additional images of the London trams in the workshop.

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LTT trams are coming home!

Posted on Monday 23 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

Forget the song about how football is coming home – far more exciting news concerns the return home of another tram from the Lancastrian Transport Trust’s collection, with another expected to join it shortly. The tram which has already moved back to Blackpool’s Rigby Road depot is Balloon 704 which returned home on Monday 23rd June with assistance from Scotts’ Heavy Haulage.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Fylde Transport Trust | 7 Comments

Box car 40 nears completion

Posted on Monday 23 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

Overhaul work on Blackpool & Fleetwood ‘Box’ car 40 is now nearing completion, ahead of the tram’s expected starring role in upcoming events at both Blackpool and Crich. The tram has just recently been reunited with its trucks, which have been extensively refurbished in the Crich workshops, having been in a very poor condition on arrival. The car has now been transferred to the Paint Shop for the finishing touches to be made ahead of its return to use, expected next month.

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Blackpool trams bask in sunshine for ‘Totally Transport’

Posted on Monday 23 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

The tenth annual ‘Totally Transport’ event, featuring a wide variety of classic and modern vehicles as well as a model tram exhibition, trade stalls and various other attractions, took place on Sunday 22nd June 2014 on Blackpool’s New South Promenade. After suffering from more than its fair share of poor weather over the years (who could forget the infamous gales of 2008!?), this year’s event was blessed with glorious sunshine, which doubtless helped to make it a wonderful day for both the town and its trams.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 2 Comments

Manchester Airport line to open early – very early!

Posted on Sunday 22 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

A line which was due to open to the public in summer 2016 is set to welcome its first passengers before this year is out it has been confirmed by Transport for Greater Manchester. The Manchester Metrolink extension to the Airport will see test running and commissioning starting from Monday 23rd June with an expected opening by the end of 2014, although no exact date has yet been announced.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 16 Comments

Passengers on the up again across England

Posted on Sunday 22 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

The Department for Transport have released their annual light rail statistics and once again they have shown that more passengers than ever before in the “modern era” have been carried. 227 million passenger journeys were recorded on the 8 systems included in the statistics (Blackpool Tramway, Docklands Light Railway, London Tramlink, Manchester Metrolink, Midland Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Stagecoach Supertram and Tyne & Wear Metro) which is a 2% rise of the previous years figures.

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In Pictures: Midland Metro 14 says goodbye to Birmingham

Posted on Sunday 22 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

As reported earlier this week 14 became the first of the T69s to depart Midland Metro when it left on the back of a low loader bound for Long Marston where it will eventually be used for testing for UK Tram. The Italian built LRV arrived at Long Marston in time for a major Network Rail event: Rail Live 2014 where there was a feature on tram-trains.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 1 Comment

Douglas Horse Tramway stables to be sold off?

Posted on Sunday 22 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

Councillors in Douglas have agreed to sell off the horse tram stables at Summerhill and progress with plans to develop the Strathallan depot to include room for not only the trams but also the horses. It is proposed that the work would be undertaken at the same time as the Promenade redevelopment works which would see the horse trams not running at all for one operating season.

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Blackpool Transport “simplify” fares

Posted on Sunday 22 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

Last September we ran a story about Blackpool Transport “simplifying” their fares and now just nine months down the line the fares are once again being simplified. Obviously simplified actually means increasing! To make things easier, for passengers and drivers/conductors equally, fares now all divisible by 50p.

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Heritage trams transfer to Starr Gate (again!)

Posted on Saturday 21 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

The sight of Blackpool’s heritage trams on New South Promenade has become an increasingly common one in recent weeks and months, due to the requirement for these trams to be based at Starr Gate depot during the road works at Manchester Square which have rendered the Rigby Road site largely inaccessible to trams. Late last month, most of the fleet were moved back to Rigby Road as it was confidently predicted that this work would be completed before they were needed for service again – a prediction which has, unfortunately, been proved wrong.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 4 Comments

Heaton Park Tramway event preview: 765 – 100 Not Out!

Posted on Friday 20 June 2014 by Andrew Waddington

On Sunday 6th July, the Heaton Park Tramway will be hosting a very special event to celebrate Manchester 765‘s centenary year. Regular readers of this site will no doubt be aware that 765 has been under overhaul during the early part of the year, and so this event will be a double celebration as it will also see the tram running in passenger service for the first time this year.

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Posted in Event Previews, Heaton Park Tramway | 1 Comment

Heritage Trams this week

Posted on Friday 20 June 2014 by Gareth Prior

It’s that time of the week again when we provide a round-up of when and where you can ride on heritage trams in the UK and Isle of Man. After a few quiet weeks the next 7 days should see a bit more action on the traditional tram front with the latest operation of the heritage service in Blackpool (Sunday 22nd June including trips through to Starr Gate for Totally Transport) and you can “Hop on a bus” at the East Anglia Transport Museum (also on Sunday 22nd June) with their latest special event.

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