Beamish celebrations start without visiting trams!

Posted on Wednesday 3 April 2013 by Andrew Waddington

The much-anticipated Beamish Museum tramway’s 40th anniversary celebrations are now just hours away, and to publicise the occasion, a special press event took place on Wednesday 3rd April, with tram crews in period costume posing along with a celebratory cake. However, behind the scenes all is far from rosy; at this time neither of the advertised visiting trams had yet arrived on site, although Lisbon 730 was expected later in the day and may well have arrived at Beamish by the time this article appears online.

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Posted in Beamish Tramway, Birkenhead Heritage Tramway, National Tramway Museum | 2 Comments

Chesterfield 8 loan details emerge

Posted on Wednesday 3 April 2013 by Andrew Waddington

More information has been released by Chesterfield Borough Council regarding an event taking place over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend, which will hopefully see horse-drawn tramcar Chesterfield 8 make a brief return visit to its former home town. As reported previously, the National Tramway Museum has been asked if the tram can be made available for a special guest appearance at the first ever Chesterfield Community Arts Festival, which is being held from Thursday 2nd to Monday 6th May.

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Crich appoint new General Manager

Posted on Wednesday 3 April 2013 by Andrew Waddington

The Tramway Museum Society have announced that Tony Hill has been appointed as the new General Manager of Crich Tramway Village, home of Britain’s National Tramway Museum. The appointment of a Manager was mooted some years ago, and the need to advertise for the position was further emphasised last year when a number of dissatisfied Society members requested that this become a high priority for the existing Board of Management, which is made up of unpaid volunteers. The post was finally advertised late last year and attracted a healthy number of applicants, from which a unanimous decision was made to appoint Mr Hill.

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In Pictures: Blackpool Heritage Tours Day 4

Posted on Tuesday 2 April 2013 by Gareth Prior

The final day of the Heritage Tours Easter operation in Blackpool on Easter Monday, 1st April, saw another six trams used with Twin Car 272+T2 making its year debut as the morning timetabled journey to Fleetwood and Standard 147 also in use on the timetabled service. During the morning popular duo Princess Alice and Balloon 717 were in use on specials before Box 40 replaced Alice and then Boat 230 came into use instead of 717. 230 even managed a trip all the way through to Fleetwood at the request of the driver who is close to retirement.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 4 Comments

A new role for Blackpool 643

Posted on Tuesday 2 April 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Blackpool Centenary car 643 has recently opened for business in a new role – as a static dining car at its new home of Broadwater Caravan Park. The tram was sold to the local business following withdrawal from service, departing Rigby Road for the final time in January 2012, and just over a year later its appearance has been completely transformed.

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An egg-cellent Easter for Blackpool’s heritage trams

Posted on Tuesday 2 April 2013 by Andrew Waddington

A highly enjoyable Easter weekend on the Blackpool tramway came to an end on Bank Holiday Monday, 1st April with another varied selection of heritage trams joining the service cars on the promenade. Over the four-day holiday period eight different historic trams were used, showcasing the variety that still exists within the fleet.

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In Pictures: More from the Blackpool Heritage Tours

Posted on Monday 1 April 2013 by Gareth Prior

The Heritage Tramway Tours in Blackpool have continued over the Easter weekend and following on from the five trams seen in action on day two, the third day of tours – Sunday 31st March – saw six different trams carry passengers! The two Heritage Tour trams on this day were Bolton 66 (morning trip to Fleetwood) and Princess Alice (evening Fleetwood journey) with the morning see Boat sisters 230 and 600 in use on specials before they were replaced by Box 40 and Balloon 717 in the afternoon with the double  decker managing a run all the way through to Fleetwood. Thanks to Alan Taylor we have more images from the second and third days of the Easter weekend Heritage Tours.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 2 Comments

In Pictures: Stored trams in Fleetwood

Posted on Monday 1 April 2013 by Gareth Prior

Trams from both the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust and the Lancastrian Transport Trust remain stored out in the open in Fleetwood with several vehicles visible from the tramway as you arrive in Fleetwood. Six trams are now stored in the yard with the LTT’s Coronation 304 the latest to arrive following aborted attempts to move it to undercover storage when it returned from its trip to Beamish. The five FHLT trams there are: Railcoach 678, Twin Trailer Car 683, Balloons 713 and 726 and Jubilee 761.

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More old friends return to Fleetwood

Posted on Sunday 31 March 2013 by Andrew Waddington

Day two of the new and improved heritage tram service in Blackpool, Saturday 30th March, proved to be even more exciting than the first day with five different vintage trams joining the Flexities in action. Three of these even managed to visit Fleetwood Ferry, with two of those journeys being particularly historic, and despite the bitter cold, the day even witnessed the first Boat car working of 2013!

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 9 Comments

In Pictures: Box 40 starts a new season of Blackpool’s Heritage Tours

Posted on Sunday 31 March 2013 by Gareth Prior

The 2013 operating season of the Blackpool Tramway Heritage Tours started on Good Friday 29th March with two trams being utilised on the timetabled service and an extra two in use as specials throughout the day. As reported extensively on British Trams Online in the past week or so the first and last timetabled trips on each day now run through to Fleetwood and the honour of the very first public heritage service to the northern terminus went, rather appropriately to Blackpool & Fleetwood Box 40.

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This week on British Trams Online…

Posted on Saturday 30 March 2013 by Gareth Prior

Why not take a look at the rest of our website this week (if you haven’t done so already!) as there are lots of goodies waiting for you:

Gallery 350: Manchester Metrolink March 2013 (60 photos from a recent trip to Manchester as I ended up chasing T68s and T68As across the network although a lot of M5000s also ended up getting in the way of my camera) – http://www.britishtramsonline.co.uk/gallery350.html

Gallery 351: Heaton Park Tramway Spring Gala (images from a very cold gala at the Heaton Park Tramway which saw Stockport 5 relaunched into service) – http://www.britishtramsonline.co.uk/gallery351.html

Gallery 352: Variotrams at work on London Tramlink (Ian Buck provides us with images of the Stadler built trams in operation) – http://www.britishtramsonline.co.uk/gallery352.html

Event Preview: Our Friends Electric at Beamish – http://www.britishtramsonline.co.uk/ourfriendselectricpreview.html

Plus see the homepage for details of our new feature “Support our Heritage Tramways”

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Event Preview: Our Friends Electric

Posted on Saturday 30 March 2013 by Gareth Prior

Event: Our Friends Electric
Where: Beamish – the Living Museum of the North
When: Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th April (1000 to 1700 each day – last admission 1500)

2013 marks the 40th anniversary of the operation of trams at Beamish and to celebrate this milestone “Our Friends Electric” will be held at the Museum for four days at the start of April. Forming the start of Beamish’s Great North Festival of Transport (a 12 day celebration of vintage celebration which will carry on over the following two weekends as well) this event should see two visiting trams joining the resident fleet in operating an intensive four tram service on each day of the event and making a change from recent special events there this will run both clockwise and anti clockwise opening up extra photo opportunities. It is also planned that there will be changes in trams during each day so a large selection of trams can be sampled for rides or photography.

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NEETT plan for the future

Posted on Friday 29 March 2013 by Andrew Waddington

They may be newcomers to the tram preservation scene, but the North Eastern Electrical Traction Trust are certainly keen to make up for lost time, with plenty of plans for the future of its growing vehicle collection. Recently the group announced that work would soon commence on a new storage building in which to house its trams, and now the Trust are looking not only to provide a secure future for the vehicles already in their care, but for more besides!

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Posted in North Eastern Electrical Transport Trust | 4 Comments

Track circuit blamed for East Croydon derailment

Posted on Friday 29 March 2013 by Gareth Prior

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch have released their report into the derailment at East Croydon back on 17th February 2012 with the cause of the incident being put down to issues with the track circuit which meant that the points moved as the tram was crossing them to enter the tramstop.

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SYPTE bid for money for essential Supertram track replacement

Posted on Friday 29 March 2013 by Gareth Prior

The South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) have recently put a bid in to the Department for Transport to fund the replacement of a large amount of street track which is said to be approaching the end of its safe working life. The bid makes the stark warning that without the replacement of the track it would be necessary to either close parts of or all of the Supertram network as it wouldn’t be safe for continued operation. The replacement of the track would take place between July 2013 and April 2015 and the chance would also be taken to bring sections up to the standard required for tram-trains.

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Posted in South Yorkshire Supertram | 12 Comments

The end in sight for Woodlands Road?

Posted on Friday 29 March 2013 by Gareth Prior

It looks like the battle to save Woodlands Road tramstop on the Manchester Metrolink line to Bury could be over following the news that after considering the outcomes of the public consultation the Department for Transport are “minded” to allow the stop to close – subject to ratification from the Office of Rail Regulation, although this is said not to be automatic.

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Picture in Time 4: Sheffield 264 (the Crich one!)

Posted on Friday 29 March 2013 by Gareth Prior

The latest tram to feature in our “Picture in Time” feature is Sheffield 264 – the one based at Crich rather than Beamish’s version. Built in 1937 264 remained as part of the operational fleet in its home city until the end in 1960 and it was then transferred to Crich in the final month of that year. It operated at Crich between 1970 and 1980 when it was then withdrawn from service to become a static exhibit and today it can be found in the Great Exhibition Hall.

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Trams for Derby? Too expensive for us say Councillors

Posted on Friday 29 March 2013 by Gareth Prior

Councillors in Derby have rejected plans to introduce trams in the City as they consider them to be too expensive for a City of their size. The plans – which were drawn up by David Gibson, regional officer for the LRTA – would have seen a seven mile route running from Mickleover and Mackworth to Pride Park with a possible future extension to the High Speed 2 station at Toton.

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St Andrew Square works delayed by poor weather

Posted on Friday 29 March 2013 by Gareth Prior

The City of Edinburgh Council have announced that the recent spell of poor weather has meant that there have been delays to the tram construction work at St Andrew Square – but that this will not affect the overall schedule of the project. Concrete and joint sealing work was due to take place in March but snow and sub-zero temperatures have delayed this until April, obviously providing that the cold weather finally comes to an end.

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East Anglia Transport Museum now on Facebook

Posted on Friday 29 March 2013 by Gareth Prior

The East Anglia Transport Museum have become the latest organisation to set-up an official Facebook page to keep interested parties informed on the latest activities at the Museum. You can find the page (and “Like” it if you so wish) at http://www.facebook.com/pages/East-Anglia-Transport-Museum/127169834125027.

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