In Pictures: NET 202 spreads the Olympic word

Posted on Saturday 21 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

As we reported a few weeks ago when the Olympic Torch made its way through Nottingham City Centre, Nottingham Express Transit added a special “super square” advert on the centre car of 202. This advert not only welcomed the torch to the City but also publicised events due to take to place to celebrate the Olympics this summer. Carry on reading this article to see a photo of the advert.

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Pensioner hit by tram as Blackpool Transport urge pedestrians to be cautious

Posted on Saturday 21 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

A pensioner in a mobility scooter was hit by a tram in Cleveleys this week which led Trevor Roberts, Managing Director of Blackpool Transport, to urge all pedestrians to be cautious around the tramway. This was the second incident in recent weeks around Cleveleys which has seen a pedestrian hit by a tram whilst using a designated crossing across the tramway.

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NET Five for £5 group ticket relaunched for summer

Posted on Saturday 21 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

Nottingham Express Transit’s popular “Five for £5” ticket is available again for the school summer holidays to help families make the most of City Centre attractions over the next six weeks. As from today (Saturday 21st July) up to five people (including a maximum of
2 adults) can enjoy a day of unlimited travel on the tram for just £5. This offer is available until Sunday 2nd September.

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Work to start on Rochdale Tram and Bus Interchange

Posted on Saturday 21 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

Work is due to start later this month on the construction of the new tram and bus interchange in Rochdale. The new £11.5 million interchange will become the first of its kind in Europe to have integrated hydropower generation and has been funded by the DfT, TfGM and Rochdale MBC. Kier Construction have recently been appointed to construct the interchange and with work due to start soon it should be completed by next year. However trams will not be using the new tram stop until 2014 when the Rochdale town centre extension is opened to the public.

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Crich Bandstand Park officially opened

Posted on Wednesday 18 July 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The newly renovated area around the century-old bandstand at Crich Tramway Village was officially declared open at a small ceremony on Saturday 14th July, with the Mayors of Amber Valley and Trafford amongst the dignitaries in attendance. This special occasion was part of this year’s Edwardian themed weekend, which as usual saw the only chance of the year to ride on a horse-drawn tram at the Museum (Sheffield 15) and was blessed with fine weather, unlike most of the summer so far!

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Crich workshop budget slashed

Posted on Sunday 15 July 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Despite 2012 shaping up to be a classic year for Crich Tramway Village in many ways, with some fantastic enthusiasts events and the launch of three ‘new’ tramcars into the operating fleet, visitor numbers are giving major cause for concern – probably as a result of the dire weather conditions which have affected most of the country during late spring and early summer. The Tramway Museum Society have reacted to this by discussing areas where the 2012/13 budget can be cut back with the workshop likely to be hardest hit.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 2 Comments

Pleasure Beach advert Flexities continue to increase

Posted on Sunday 15 July 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The invasion of side panel advertisements on Blackpool’s new fleet of Flexity2 supertrams shows no sign of slowing down just yet, with two more trams making their service debuts with external adverts over the past weeks. Seven Flexities now carry this form of advertising, six of which are promoting different attractions at the Pleasure Beach theme park. The odd one out is of course 011, which advertises Redrow Homes on just one side.

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Balloon 700 impersonates a Flexity!

Posted on Sunday 15 July 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Sunday 15th July saw the annual Fleetwood Transport Festival event staged, and Blackpool Transport chose this occasion to unveil the first traditional tram to have been outshopped in the new Flexity-style fleet livery of purple and white. The chosen recipient is prototype Balloon car 700, which was released from the Paint Shop in secrecy the previous day ready for its starring role at the event.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 25 Comments

In Pictures: Nottingham Express Transit 208 in EON advert

Posted on Sunday 15 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

As originally reported last week Nottingham Express Transit 208 has received its first
all over advert with a design for EON being applied over the weekend of 7th/8th July. The
mainly red design means that three of the Incentro trams are now carrying non-fleet livery with 201 in an advert for Nottingham Contemporary and 211 in a special Queen’s Diamond Jubilee livery.

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Seaton hit by the weather

Posted on Sunday 15 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

The unseasonable heavy rain which has been afflicting much of the UK in this so-called summer in 2012 claimed another victim last weekend  when flooding meant the Seaton
Tramway were unable to operate a full service.

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DLR changes for the Olympics confirmed

Posted on Sunday 15 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

With the London 2012 Olympic Games fast approaching the Docklands Light Railway have announced that there will be a number of station closures and alterations for the duration of both that event and the following Paralympic Games.

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Edinburgh Trams progress update released

Posted on Sunday 15 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

The project to return trams to the streets of the Scottish capital is still on target for opening in summer 2014 and within the revised £776 million budget according to the latest progress update released this week. In the release the City of Edinburgh Council have promised that in the future they will be completely honest to local residents and businesses how things are progressing – even if this is not always positive.

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NET delays after car abandoned on tracks

Posted on Sunday 15 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

It was certainly a Friday 13th that travellers on Nottingham Express Transit would like to forget after an abandoned car on the tracks caused delays for two hours. The suspected stolen car was left on the tracks north of the David Lane stop which meant trams were unable to pass the area between 1400 and 1600.

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A weekend at Immingham

Posted on Saturday 14 July 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Further details of a proposed loan arrangement involving Grimsby & Immingham 14 have now been confirmed, with the tram due to make a very brief return to one of its old haunts later this month. The car – which is of course owned by the Tramway Museum Society – is normally a static exhibit at Crich Tramway Village, but is now set to visit Immingham for the first time since its native system closed down way back in 1961.

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Twin set 674+684 swaps North West for North East

Posted on Saturday 14 July 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Concluding a busy week for Scott’s Heavy Haulage, Twin set 674+684 has now left Blackpool and joined the recently departed Centenary car 647 at a temporary storage site in Gateshead after being sold to the North Eastern Electrical Traction Trust. The set has duly become the third to leave Blackpool in the last twelve months, but unlike sets 1 and 3 both halves have moved to the same destination.

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Last traditional Blackpool tram departs

Posted on Saturday 14 July 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Tuesday 10th July 2012 saw the second tram in consecutive days to leave Blackpool’s Rigby Road depot for good, when Centenary car 647 set off for pastures new on the back of a low loader provided by Scott’s Heavy Haulage. The tram, which last ran on 6th November 2011, has been acquired for preservation by the North Eastern Electrical Traction Trust and is unlikely to ever return to Blackpool, making this a significant day in the relatively short history of the tram.

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Diamond Jubilee Brush Car to be displayed at Pleasure Beach for Illuminations

Posted on Friday 13 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

The Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust’s Brush Car 290 (ex-627), which is currently undergoing a repaint into a special livery celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, is to be displayed on a specially constructed section of track at Pleasure Beach for the 2012 Blackpool Illuminations it has now been confirmed. Work on the tram is currently progressing well at HM Prison Kirkham under the supervision of volunteers from the FHLT and further images have now been released on the artwork which is to feature in the windows of the tram.

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The Rocket leaves Rigby Road to become a star once again!

Posted on Friday 13 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

Another of the Lancastrian Transport Trust’s trams has departed Rigby Road Depot with the departure of the Illuminated Rocket 732, although this one didn’t go far as it was only destined for the Illumination department’s headquarters where it is to receive a cosmetic overhaul for inclusion in the 2012 Illuminations.

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Balloons to star at Tram Sunday

Posted on Thursday 12 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

It has been announced that the two trams which are to be on display for this year’s Fleetwood Tram Sunday will be Balloon Cars 700 and 717. The two trams will be stabled on next to Pharos Lighthouse during the event which takes place on Sunday 15th July. It will also provide the first chance for the public to see one of the modified Balloons in
the Blackpool Council Purple and White livery as 700 has recently received these new colours.

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LUT 159 launched at Crich

Posted on Wednesday 11 July 2012 by Gareth Prior

The operational fleet at Crich increased further on Saturday 7th July with the launch of London United Tramways 159 after an extensive seven year restoration. Unfortunately 159’s day in the limelight was spoilt towards the end of the day when it suffered a minor fault which ruled it out of an active role in the following days “London 60” event.

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