Heritage Trams this week…

Posted on Friday 20 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

It’s time again for us to remind you just where you can travel on heritage trams in the UK and Isle of Man over the next week or so. All the information here is given in good faith but you are advised to check before travelling any significant distance with the organisations involved.

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Queens Road Metrolink stop work continues

Posted on Friday 20 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

The next phase of works to construct a new stop at Queens Road on the Bury line of Manchester Metrolink has now started. This work will complete the construction of both the inbound and outbound platforms and is expected to take approximately eight weeks.

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NET launch revised Student ticket

Posted on Friday 20 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

Nottingham Express Transit have officially launched a new, more flexible, student ticket for those heading to University in the city for the first time or even those returning for more. Previously the ticket was based on term dates but now anyone purchasing the ticket can specify their start date to give them more flexibility. Students can either select a three month or 12 months option. The three month ticket will cost £90 and the full 12 months comes in at £200. They can be purchased online at www.thetram.net or at the NET Travel Centre in the city centre.

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Tramlink delays after car drives onto tracks

Posted on Friday 20 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

London Tramlink services were delayed for approximately an hour after a car was accidentally driven onto the tracks at Addington Village stop on Friday 13th September. The driver of the car – believed to be a woman in her 70s – took a wrong turning at Lodge Lane and then got stuck in the gravel causing trams to be stopped whilst the Fire service
freed the car.

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Bon voyage to Boat 233

Posted on Thursday 19 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Thursday 19th September saw the dreaded day arrive, when Blackpool Boat car 233/605 finally left Beamish Museum to begin its long journey to San Francisco, after being sold by its previous owners, the Lancastrian Transport Trust. All attempts to block the move – which included formal complaints about the sale being made to the national Charities Commission – have sadly been in vain, and the tram is now well on the way towards becoming history as far as the UK is concerned.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 18 Comments

Blackpool trams on track for return to North Station

Posted on Thursday 19 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

A welcome injection of cash will hopefully turn the dream of an extension of the Blackpool tramway to serve the town’s main railway station into a reality. Transport bosses announced that they would be providing over £16 million towards the construction of the new line, as part of a larger £90 million scheme to improve transport links on the Fylde Coast.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 22 Comments

Leicester 76 to star in private photo shoot

Posted on Wednesday 18 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Following the surprise appearance of Leicester 76 outside the Exhibition Hall at Crich Tramway Village during the enthusiast event held on September 14th, it has been decided to make more use of this tram whilst it is easily accessible. Therefore, a special photo charter has been arranged for Saturday 28th September, which will hopefully feature a very rare appearance by 76 on the main line.

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Water issues cause problems at Crich

Posted on Wednesday 18 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Crich Tramway Village was forced to remain closed to the general public on Tuesday 17th September, due to a lack of water on site. This was caused by three burst water pipes in the local area, which left the museum and indeed the entire village of Crich without any water.

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Blackpool Jubilee car to return to Rigby Road?

Posted on Wednesday 18 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

In an unexpected but extremely welcome development, the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust have announced plans to return their preserved Blackpool Jubilee car 761 to the Rigby Road tram depot, following a lengthy period of outside storage. Although it is believed that some negotiation will be required to finalise the deal, the owners of the tram are optimistic that it will be moved undercover shortly, thanks to the kind assistance of Blackpool Transport Services Ltd.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust | 11 Comments

May 2014 start date for Edinburgh Trams

Posted on Tuesday 17 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

It has now been forecast by the Edinburgh Trams project team that the line between the city centre and Airport will be open by May 2014 – approximately two months earlier than in the last revised plan announced. The latest update from Edinburgh Trams has also revealed that trams will be able to be tested between Gogar and Edinburgh Park from early October and then full route testing will commence in December.

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Blackpool Twin set visits Starr Gate

Posted on Tuesday 17 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Twin set 272+T2 has recently become the latest member of Blackpool Transport’s heritage tram fleet to visit the multi-million pound Starr Gate depot, duly becoming the first Twin car to do so. The pair were seen standing over one of the maintenance pits last week, and have since been shunted around the complex.

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Friends in high places for the Rocket

Posted on Monday 16 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

During the past week, further attention has been lavished on the illuminated Rocket tram 732, still marooned on the roundabout at Gynn Square as part of the annual illuminations display. Following some remedial work on the giant astronaut suspended above the tram on Monday 9th September, all of the remaining advert vinyls have been added to the windows of the car. However, this has not been the only addition to this display for 2013 as four more astronauts have now been added to the roundabout!

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Posted in Fylde Transport Trust | 1 Comment

In pictures: Blackpool 643’s new career at Broadwater

Posted on Monday 16 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Regular readers of this website will probably remember that Blackpool Centenary car 643 has now been adapted for use as a static cafe at its new home within the grounds of Broadwater Caravan Park. During a recent visit to Blackpool, Andrew Waddington couldn’t resist going to see this old friend which is looking vastly different from how it looked when it last ran in service on 6th November 2011.

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In Pictures: Blackpool 233 gets ready for the off

Posted on Monday 16 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

Blackpool Boat car 233 is still at Beamish, the Living Museum of the North waiting for a low loader to arrive to take it away from the UK as part of the deal which has seen the Lancastrian Transport Trust sell it to San Francisco. 233 last ran at Beamish on the final day of the Agricultural Power from the Past event on Sunday 1st September and was then prepared for departure. At the time of writing no definite date has been announced as to when the tram will start its long journey to its new home. With thanks to Paul Ellis for sharing this photo with us.

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Posted in Beamish Tramway, Fylde Transport Trust | 4 Comments

Manchester Metrolink Engineering Works: Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd September

Posted on Monday 16 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

More engineering works will take place on Manchester Metrolink over the weekend of Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd September with a revised service operating. On Saturday 21st September trams will run Droylsden-Eccles via Piccadilly and MediaCityUK, East Didsbury-Piccadilly, Rochdale-Central Park and Altrincham-Piccadilly with buses  covering the sections between Bury and Piccadilly and Central Park and Piccadilly. Sunday 22nd September will see a near normal service operate although it will not be possible for trams to run between Timperley and Altrincham until 0915.

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Oporto 273 set to return to service

Posted on Sunday 15 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

During the annual Enthusiasts Day held at Crich Tramway Village on Saturday 14th September, Oporto 273 was transferred from the main depot complex to the workshop. Although this move was somewhat upstaged by the appearance of several far more elusive tramcars in the open air, it was in fact one of the most significant movements of the day as it marked the start of efforts being made to return this car to service.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 8 Comments

Leicester 76 steals the show at Crich Enthusiasts’ Day

Posted on Sunday 15 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

As always the annual Enthusiasts’ Day at the Crich Tramway Village on Saturday 14th September featured the usual mix of an intensive tram service coupled with various tram displays on the depot fan. The pre-publicity for the event seemed to suggest that a horse car line-up with the first official appearance in public at Crich for Leeds 107 would be the “mane” attraction but in the end a double deck tram from a nearby East Midlands city stole the show.

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Major changes for Crich events programme in 2014

Posted on Saturday 14 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Following several years of stability, the programme of special events held at Crich Tramway Village is set to undergo a major refresh for 2014, with a number of new ideas to be tried out and other more established events moved around. This move is presumably a response to the falling visitor numbers at this attraction, which are showing no sign of recovery.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 18 Comments

Another blow for the Beamish running fleet

Posted on Friday 13 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

The fleet of operating trams at Beamish Museum has been dealt its second blow in recent weeks, following on from the recent withdrawal of Blackpool ‘Boat’ 233 ahead of its journey to America, with the news that Grimsby & Immingham 26 has now been withdrawn with a motor problem. However, salvation is at hand as the offending motor has already been removed from the car for repair.

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Posted in Beamish Tramway | 3 Comments

This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Thursday 12 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

Our earlier than usual main site update this week features two new Photo Galleries plus extra photos added to another Gallery:

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