Heritage tram this week…

Posted on Thursday 12 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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Another points failure causes Metrolink delays

Posted on Thursday 12 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

Manchester Metrolink services through Cornbrook suffered delays on Thursday 12th September after another points failure in the area. Unfortunately as Cornbrook is a major junction on the Metrolink network this caused delays to services to Eccles/MediaCityUK, East Didsbury, Altrincham and in the other direction to Bury, Rochdale and Piccadilly. The failure happened shortly after 0900 at the tail end of the morning rush hour which has led to many people going on to Twitter to complain about the “appalling” service being offered by the trams. Transport for Greater Manchester have apologised for the inconvenience caused by the delay with the problem fixed after around an hour with residual delays following this as the service was reformed.

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Full schedule revealed for Crich Enthusiast’s Day

Posted on Wednesday 11 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

With just a few days to go until the annual Enthusiast’s Day is held at Crich Tramway Village on Saturday 14th September, it is pleasing to announce that a more detailed schedule of the day’s activities has now been published on the museum’s website. Although unlikely to scale the dizzying heights of last year’s Glasgow-themed event which featured such highlights as the return to service of Glasgow 1282 and a memorable line-up of Glasgow trams, there should still be plenty going on to keep regular visitors entertained throughout the day.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 4 Comments

Nottingham Express Transit Citadis 216 arrives

Posted on Wednesday 11 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

Late on the evening of Tuesday 10th September Wilkinson Street depot in Nottingham received a delivery as the very first Alstom Citadis tram arrived. The tram – as expected numbered 216 – is the first Citadis to be delivered to the UK and is now expected to undergo commissioning ahead of initial testing.

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Stagecoach Supertram Engineering Works: 16th September-3rd October

Posted on Wednesday 11 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

From Monday 16th September for just over two weeks the worksite on Park Grange Road where major rail replacement work has been taking place will be extended to Gleadless Townend. This will allow work to take place on the Spring Lane crossover and on Ridgeway Road. As a result trams from Halfway will terminate at Gleadless Townend with a new replacement bus service (B3) introduced between Gleadless Townend and the city centre. This phase of the work is expected to continue until Thursday 3rd October.

Posted in South Yorkshire Supertram | 1 Comment

New sponsor for illuminated Rocket tram

Posted on Tuesday 10 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

One of the most popular attractions of last year’s Blackpool illuminations was the iconic illuminated Rocket 732, which was cosmetically restored and put on static display in the centre of the Gynn Square roundabout in August 2012. The tram has remained there ever since, and has recently received new advertisements for the 2013 season.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Fylde Transport Trust | 2 Comments

Another one bites the dust at Crich

Posted on Tuesday 10 September 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Sadly, Metropolitan Electric Tramways 331 has become the latest vehicle to be withdrawn from service at Crich Tramway Village, home of the National Tramway Museum. Following on from the withdrawal of Blackpool & Fleetwood ‘Rack’ 2, Southampton 45 and Johannesburg 60 earlier this year, 331 has now become the fourth tram to be sidelined during 2013 following a mishap.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 11 Comments

In Pictures: Birkenhead Heritage Tramway

Posted on Tuesday 10 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

On the way to the Isle of Man a visit was made to the Birkenhead Heritage Tramway which was in the middle of its summer mid-week service at the time. On Friday 9th August the service was being provided by Wallasey 78 which was operating a 30 minute frequency. Photos of 78 plus a few shots around Taylor Street depot are shown below.

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In Pictures: T68/T68As make rare nighttime appearance at East Didsbury

Posted on Tuesday 10 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

In the early hours of Monday 9th September there were two unusual visitors to the South Manchester line when T68 1023 and T68A 2001 made the trip to East Didsbury to test an axle detector. Photos of these two nocturnal visitors are provided by Steve Kemp.

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Metrolink to consider mobility scooter permit scheme

Posted on Tuesday 10 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

Officials at Manchester Metrolink are to look at the possible introduction of a permit scheme for some mobility scooter users to allow them to be used on the network. Previously all mobility scooters were officially banned from Metrolink due to concerns over their manoeuvrability and the space they take on a tram but following a national report which states that 22 out of 300 different types of scooter available could be safely accommodated on buses.

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Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 3 Comments

In Pictures: Stagecoach Supertram Engineering Works

Posted on Tuesday 10 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

The track replacement work being undertaken over the weekend of 7th/8th September on Stagecoach Supertram was concentrated on the section of track from just below Leopold Street to halfway opposite the inbound City Hall tramstop. With thanks to Stuart Cooke we provide you some images of the work done.

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Manchester Metrolink Engineering Works: Sunday 15th September

Posted on Tuesday 10 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

Engineering works in Manchester city centre and also in the Altrincham area on Sunday 15th September will see more major changes to Metrolink services. Trams will only be able to operate Rochdale-Central Park, Droylsden-Eccles, Timperley-Piccadilly and East Didsbury-Piccadilly throughout the day with replacement buses in action from Bury to Piccadilly, Altrincham to Timperley and Central Park to Piccadilly.

Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 2 Comments

Metrolink drop-in sessions for Airport extension

Posted on Tuesday 10 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

Drop-in sessions are to be held later this month to let people find out more about the new Manchester Metrolink line currently under construction to Manchester Airport via Wythenshawe. These sessions allow local residents to ask any questions about the project with members of the Metrolink team being on hand throughout.

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Preparations continue for Crich’s Enthusiasts’ Day

Posted on Monday 9 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

The big tram event for enthusiasts at the Crich Tramway Village takes place on Saturday 14th September with the main highlight this year being a line-up of horse cars to mark the 50th anniversary of the operation of horse trams at Crich. In addition the plan is for all operational passenger cars to be used at some point during the day and for some of the works cars to also be operated.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 5 Comments

Stagecoach Supertram Engineering Works: 13th-15th & 20th-22nd September

Posted on Monday 9 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

Track replacement work will be taking place in the Shalesmoor area over the next two weekends in September which will see changes to Stagecoach Supertram services from 2000 on Friday evenings 13th and 20th September and then all day on Saturday 14th, Sunday 15th, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd September. During the work trams from Meadowhall and Sheffield Station will only run as far as Cathedral with replacement buses in use from there to Middlewood and the Blue route replacement bus will be extended to operate from Spring Lane to Hillsborough (Saturday daytime) and Malin Bridge (Saturday evening and Sunday). The track replacement works on Park Grange Road will also be continuing over both these weekends.

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Centro look to further Metro extensions

Posted on Friday 6 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

The Birmingham city centre extension of Midland Metro may still be at least 18 months away from opening but that doesn’t mean that Centro are prepared to rest on their laurels  as they are now inviting the public to comment on a further extension in Birmingham which would see the line run through Paradise Circus to Centenary Square.

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Posted in West Midlands Metro | 4 Comments

Blackpool Transport to simplify fares

Posted on Friday 6 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

Following on swiftly after the launch of a new website and a new tram timetable Blackpool  Transport have now announced they are simplifying their fares structure from Sunday 8th September. This will see some fares rise but also there will be some fares coming down in price across the Blackpool Transport network with the buses mainly affected although some changes will also be seen on the trams.

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Heritage Trams this week…

Posted on Friday 6 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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In Pictures: Agricultural Power from the Past at Beamish

Posted on Friday 6 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

This years Agricultural Power from the Past event at Beamish saw transport take more of a back seat than in recent years but that didn’t mean that the trams weren’t out in force. Of course this included the final runs in the UK of Blackpool Boat 233 which has been sold by the Lancastrian Transport Trust for a quick buck. With thanks to Steve Kemp and John Woodman we can bring you a few photos from the event showing the trams at work during the event.

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In Pictures: The Tramshed, Waterfront Swansea

Posted on Friday 6 September 2013 by Gareth Prior

We take a trip to South Wales for this small feature as we look at three vehicles (or part of anyway!) displayed at The Tramshed on the Waterfront in Swansea, part of the Swansea Museum and open on bank holidays and for special events. Displayed at this Museum are Swansea 14, the last remaining tram of the system, a reconstruction of the horse drawn Mumbles tram of 1804 (the first passenger railway service in the world) and the front of one of the giant Mumbles trams which is sadly the last surviving part of one of these trams.

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