Stagecoach Supertram Engineering Works: Friday 30th August-Sunday 1st September

Posted on Friday 30 August 2013 by Gareth Prior

The next stage of track replacement work on Stagecoach Supertram will take place between 2000 on Friday 30th August and the end of service on Sunday 1st September in the Shalesmoor area. This work will mean that no trams will be able to run on the Blue or Yellow routes between the city centre and Malin Bridge/Middlewood with buses operating instead. Trams will continue to operate Halfway-Spring Lane and Meadowhall-Cathedral throughout the weekend and current normal services will resume from the start of service on Monday 2nd September. The works at Park Grange Road are also continuing.

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Manchester Metrolink Engineering Works: Sunday 1st September

Posted on Friday 30 August 2013 by Gareth Prior

More engineering works on Manchester Metrolink on Sunday 1st September will see service alterations throughout the day. Trams will run Bury-Crumpsall, Droylsden-Eccles, East Didsbury-Piccadilly, Rochdale-Central Park and Timperley-Piccadilly with replacement bus services running Altrincham-Timperley, Central Park-Piccadilly and Crumpsall-Piccadilly.

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‘Condition survey’ for Box car 40

Posted on Thursday 29 August 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Members of the Crich workshop team, along with a Museum Curator, recently paid a visit to Blackpool to examine the 1914-built Blackpool & Fleetwood 40, which has been on long-term loan to Blackpool Transport from the national collection since 1996. The team were keen to assess the current condition of the tram generally known as ‘Box’ 40, so that a detailed report can be compiled on the car.

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Leeds 107 moves to Crich

Posted on Wednesday 28 August 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Following a busy weekend, Leeds 107 departed its temporary home at the Middleton Railway on Tuesday 27th August, arriving at its new home later the same day. The superbly restored horse tram has now arrived at Crich Tramway Village where it is expected to become part of the national collection, giving Crich a fully operational double-deck horse tram for the first time ever.

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Posted in Leeds Transport Historical Society, National Tramway Museum | 5 Comments

Heritage trams by night in Blackpool

Posted on Tuesday 27 August 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Blackpool Transport have now confirmed details of their plans for illumination tours during 2013. It is extremely pleasing to report that, although the tram output will understandably be dominated by the three illuminated feature cars, the rest of the heritage fleet have not been forgotten, with two historic trams due to operate at least twice a week! This is wonderful news for those of who feared that many of our favourite trams would be confined to the depot until Easter 2014.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 1 Comment

Accident at Leeds horse tram launch event

Posted on Tuesday 27 August 2013 by Andrew Waddington

The entry into public service of newly restored Leeds horse tramcar 107 at the Middleton Railway over the August Bank Holiday weekend ended in tragedy, after a tragic accident resulted in one of the horse handlers being injured when one of the horses used to haul the tram bolted. This freak incident was a very sad end to what had been a historic and wonderful occasion.

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Posted in Leeds Transport Historical Society | 5 Comments

Blackpool ‘Extramaganza’ ends in fine style

Posted on Tuesday 27 August 2013 by Andrew Waddington

August Bank Holiday Monday, 26th August, was the final day of daytime heritage tram operation in Blackpool for the 2013 season, and the grand finale turned out to be another fantastic day of tram action, blessed by the glorious weather which has been present for many of the heritage tram running days this year. With a total of seven different historic cars carrying passengers during the course of the day, there was certainly no shortage of interest!

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Bank Holiday boating in Blackpool

Posted on Sunday 25 August 2013 by Andrew Waddington

The fourth and final long Bank Holiday weekend ‘heritage’ tram operation in Blackpool got underway on Saturday 24th August, with a varied selection of trams appearing in service over the course of the weekend. However, thanks in no small part to some glorious weather, it was the Boats that stole the show, with car 602 in particular gaining much admiration following a recent repaint.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 2 Comments

Boat 605 sale approved by (some) shareholders?

Posted on Sunday 25 August 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Correspondence between Andrew Waddington of British Trams Online and the Trustees of the Lancastrian Transport Trust has shed some further light on the ongoing sale of Blackpool ‘Boat’ car 605‘s sale. As I’m sure you will know by now, both Andrew and Gareth Prior were issued a share each in car 605 following our sponsorship arrangement which financed the repainting of the tram for operation at Beamish Museum.

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Posted in Fylde Transport Trust | 26 Comments

Blackpool’s forgotten Coronation cars gets a makeover

Posted on Sunday 25 August 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Fresh from the controversial news regarding the sale of Blackpool ‘Boat’ car 605, the Lancastrian Transport Trust have announced the commencement of restoration work on another of its preserved Blackpool trams – Coronation 663. This tram has had a rather sad time since entering preservation and has languished at the LTT’s Brinwell Road depot for the past decade, but some work to return the car to a much smarter appearance is now underway.

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Posted in Fylde Transport Trust | 13 Comments

The sorry saga of Blackpool Boat Car 605

Posted on Friday 23 August 2013 by Gareth Prior

It was supposed to be the crowning glory of our 10th anniversary celebrations, the chance to help a tram return to the rails and to be enjoyed by the British public again for what, we thought and expected, would be many years to come. But it now appears that the £1500 we donated towards the repaint and resurrection of Blackpool Boat Car 605 was all in vain as the Lancastrian Transport Trust have decided to cash in on their precious asset and sell it to America.

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Posted in Fylde Transport Trust, Opinion | 40 Comments

Ride the lights… well, part of them!

Posted on Friday 23 August 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Some last minute changes have had to be made to the Fylde Tramway Society’s tram tour in Blackpool on Tuesday 27th August. Blackpool Council have now confirmed that a short section of the promenade tramway close to the Tower will be closed off for the duration of the ‘Ride the Lights’ event that evening, so that cyclists can cross the tramway and access the nearby Comedy Carpet in safety. Unfortunately, this means that the dreaded split tram service will be in operation on the tramway that night, as well as on 29th and 30th August as previously announced.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 1 Comment

Aberdeen tram body moves into preservation

Posted on Thursday 22 August 2013 by Gareth Prior

You may remember back in December we reported on an Aberdeen tram body which had been discovered in use as a house – the only remaining tram in Aberdeen. At the time it was hoped that a band of enthusiasts would be able to rescue the body and start restoring the tram to something like its former glory. In the intervening months the group have had to overcome many hurdles but on Thursday 22nd August they overcame the last of these as the tram was removed from its resting place for a new life in preservation.

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Posted in General | 14 Comments

Branch Line Society to visit Heaton Park Tramway

Posted on Thursday 22 August 2013 by Gareth Prior

On Saturday 7th September the Branch Line Society will be visiting the Heaton Park Tramway for an “all available powered lines” charter which it is hoped will include some recently laid new track. Stockport 5, Blackpool 623 and Manchester 765 (subject to progress on required work) will be made available for the evening which will commence at 1800 and should be over by 2030.

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Plans revealed for museum at Laxey Station

Posted on Thursday 22 August 2013 by Gareth Prior

It looks as if the mercury arc rectifier from the old Laxey substation will be saved after all but it will be moved from its current location to the old Goods Shed at Laxey Station where it is planned to open a Museum of Electricity with this as the star exhibit. As reported a few weeks ago a group of enthusiasts on the Isle of Man had launched a campaign to save the rare mercury arc rectifier which is being decommissioned from use as they feared that it would be either scrapped or mothballed out of the public eye over this winter, and this has now been successful with this news.

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Heritage Trams this week…

Posted on Thursday 22 August 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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Posted in Support our Heritage Tramways | 1 Comment

Transport for Edinburgh to be created to integrate tram and bus services

Posted on Thursday 22 August 2013 by Gareth Prior

The City of Edinburgh Council are planning to create a new organisation to integrate tram  and bus services in the capital. Initially Transport for Edinburgh will be used to integrate these services but in the long run it is planned that it will be responsible to implement the Council’s wider transport vision. At the same time as the formation of this new organisation it has been confirmed that the operators of the bus and tram services will be Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams.

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NET Phase Two works to start on Wilford Lane

Posted on Thursday 22 August 2013 by Gareth Prior

Works to construct the phase two extensions of Nottingham Express Transit will extend the Wilford Lane from 1st September with utility diversion and track installation due to commence from this date for approximately four months.

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Metrolink delays after points failure

Posted on Thursday 22 August 2013 by Gareth Prior

A points failure at Queen’s Road depot caused delays for services on Manchester Metrolink during the afternoon o Thursday 15th August. This failure saw services running on the Bury and Rochdale lines being severely disrupted and as a knock on effect trams to Altrincham, Droylsden and East Didsbury. Once engineers had fixed the problems trams started to be able to pass through the area again at 1620 although delays were still experienced as the service was reformed.

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Over £70 million worth of contracts awarded for NET Phase Two

Posted on Thursday 22 August 2013 by Gareth Prior

A major milestone in the construction work for phase two of Nottingham Express Transit has been reached following the news that over £70 million worth of contracts have now been placed with East Midlands based businesses. Of this £70 million, £43 million is with companies in Nottingham and its surrounding districts with £20 million to firms in the city alone.

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