Leeds horse tram prepared for painting

Posted on Monday 18 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The ongoing project to restore Leeds horse tram 107 has not been featured on British Trams Online for several months, but it’s now time to change that with an update on recent progress. A lot of recent work on this tram has focussed on the seats, but soon a landmark event will take place as its original primrose, white and brown livery will reappear on the body panels.

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Big purple tram promotes Big Blue Hotel

Posted on Monday 18 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Yet another of Blackpool’s brand new Flexity2 trams has received side panel advertisements. Following on from the earlier designs for Redrow Homes, on one side only of car 011, and the Pleasure Beach Ice Arena on 007, comes the latest contract for the Big Blue Hotel, applied to car 005.

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Metrolink services to Oldham start

Posted on Saturday 16 June 2012 by Gareth Prior

Last week on British Trams Online we reported that subject to the successful completion
of testing services on the new Manchester Metrolink line to Oldham would start on Wednesday 13th June and that is exactly what happened when at 0524 on that date the first tram departed Manchester Victoria for the temporary stop at Oldham Mumps. In doing so it became the first tram in the town (in service anyway) since the original system closed on 3rd August 1946.

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NET 211 celebrates the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Posted on Saturday 16 June 2012 by Gareth Prior

Earlier this week we reported on the latest progress of turning Blackpool Brush 290 into a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee tram for the 2012 Blackpool Illuminations, but that will not be the first tram in the UK to receive a special livery to celebrate the occasion. On Wednesday 13th June when the Queen was visiting Nottingham, Nottingham Express Transit 211 was unveiled in a special vinyl wrap livery to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee – in the process becoming the only second generation tram in the UK to officially commemorate the occasion.

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Testing starts on East Manchester line

Posted on Saturday 16 June 2012 by Gareth Prior

Even before trams had started passenger service on the Oldham line testing commenced on another piece of the expanding Manchester Metrolink jigsaw on Monday 11th June – the East Manchester line between Piccadilly and Droyslden.

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Work starts on Midland Metro City Centre extension

Posted on Saturday 16 June 2012 by Gareth Prior

A start has been made on the utility diversion works in Birmingham City Centre for the extension of Midland Metro between Snow Hill and New Street railway stations, with Norman Baker, Transport Minister, on hand to start the work! This is the first progress to be seen in the actual City Centre on the extension since it was given the go-ahead although work has already been underway on the viaduct linking the current Metro line with the City Centre.

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Mitcham double-tracking update

Posted on Saturday 16 June 2012 by Gareth Prior

Work on double tracking the section of London Tramlink between Mitcham and Mitcham Junction is nearing completion with this weekend seeing the last announced closure of the line in this location. Track laying is now well underway following the fitting of overhead masts and ballast which should give extra operational flexibility on the Wimbledon line which previously had a large section of single track. Despite this work it is not expected that an increased frequency will be introduced as there are still sections of single track on the line.

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Next stage of Edinburgh tram works set to start

Posted on Saturday 16 June 2012 by Gareth Prior

Further road closures and traffic diversions are to put into place from this weekend in Edinburgh as the next stage of tram construction works commence. Broughton Street is to be closed as its junction with Picardy Place whilst York Place will be reduced by one lane
in each direction. The news has been met with, predictable, complaints with local residents and businesses claiming the closures should have been delayed by a few weeks until the school holidays to minimise disruption.

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Manchester Metrolink Engineering Works: Sunday 24th June

Posted on Saturday 16 June 2012 by Gareth Prior

Further engineering works on Manchester Metrolink will see services suspended between
Bury and Crumpsall all day on Sunday 24th June. A replacement bus will be put into operation between these two locations calling at all stops with a Metrolink ticket needing to be purchased before travelling on this. A normal Metrolink service will continue to operate between Crumpsall and Piccadilly.

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NET bridge over railway station to be named Karlsruhe Friendship Bridge

Posted on Saturday 16 June 2012 by Gareth Prior

The Oberburgermeister of Karlsruhe has been in Nottingham this week to officially
name the new bridge which will connect the current Nottingham Express Transit system with the phase two extensions across the railway station. The bridge will be named the “Karlsruhe Friendship Bridge” to mark Nottingham’s friendship with the German town which helped shape NET’s success – even though the bridge hasn’t actually been built yet and won’t be completed until the end of 2013!

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60 Years in Preservation: London Tramcar no. 1858 by Tim Major

Posted on Saturday 16 June 2012 by admin

In July 2012 London Transport HR/2 tramcar No. 1858 celebrates 60 years since its purchase from London Transport by a young tram enthusiast Peter Davis, probably the first time a tramcar had been acquired for preservation by a private individual. Tim Major brings us this article which seeks to bring together some history of the tram and in particular the time since it was acquired for preservation.

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Elton John disrupts Blackpool trams

Posted on Friday 15 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The first ever concert at the new Tower Festival Headland on Blackpool promenade is being held on Saturday 16th June, and will see Sir Elton John performing many of his classic songs at the outdoor venue. Unfortauntely, although future events are not expected to cause much disruption to the tramway, this concert will feature a different stage layout meaning that a revised timetable will operate this weekend.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 3 Comments

Pleasure Beach advertise on Flexity 006

Posted on Thursday 14 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Mere days after the first ever external advertisements appeared on one of Blackpool’s new Bombardier Flexity2 trams, a second member of the class has received adverts – this time for a familiar name in tramcar adverts, in the shape of Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Whereas the earlier adverts on car 011 were applied on only one side, 006 now carries posters on both sides. Both trams carry adverts along the length of the roof sides, and along the lower panelling of the centre section.

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Uniform look for heritage tram crews

Posted on Thursday 14 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

As Blackpool Transport’s heritage tram coastal tours go from strength to strength, another pleasing development has been the introduction of a new uniform for all platform staff to wear whilst working on the historic trams, with effect from June 9th. The most noticeable feature of this is a black jacket enhanced by an embroidered heritage tour logo, as used on the ‘polo’ tram stop signs at Pleasure Beach, North Pier, Cabin and Bispham. The smart appearance of crews is further improved by a shirt and tie.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway, People | 1 Comment

LUT 159 launch date announced

Posted on Wednesday 13 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The eagerly-awaited launch into passenger service of London United Tramways 159, following a complete reconstruction in the workshop at Crich, has been set for Saturday 7th July. The tram arrived at Crich Tramway Village as a derelict wreck back in 2005, and since then it has been transformed into one of the most stunning trams in the entire fleet thanks to a £300,000 restoration.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 1 Comment

Bright future ahead for Centenary class

Posted on Tuesday 12 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The return to traffic of Blackpool Centenary car 648 as a ‘heritage’ tram on its native rails on Sunday 10th June seems to have heralded a fresh start for this much-maligned class of tramcar. When the Blackpool tramway upgrade was announced it was widely expected that many of this class would end up being scrapped as they were never as popular as most other types of Blackpool trams – yet in reality it is looking increasingly likely that all eight will survive for many years to come!

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Diamond Jubilee Brush makes progress

Posted on Tuesday 12 June 2012 by Gareth Prior

Work to turn Blackpool Brush 290 (ex-627) into a special Diamond Jubilee tram for display at the 2012 Blackpool Illuminations is continuing at HM Prison Kirkham with the old advertising livery for Coral Island Buccaneer Bar rapidly disappearing under an undercoat for its new livery. The yellow undercoat is being applied following the completion of repair work on the trams panels by a prison team with assistance from members of the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust.

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Frankfurt tram turned down by Crich

Posted on Monday 11 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Following on from the controversy regarding the Tramway Museum Society’s decision to reject some Blackpool trams which had previously been reserved for their collection, it has been revealed that the TMS have now turned down the offer of another historic tram. However, this one is unlikely to create such strong feelings amongst enthusiasts as the vehicle in question hails from overseas, and would therefore not have added to the Society’s aim of illustrating the development of the tram in Great Britian.

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Posted in National Tramway Museum | 6 Comments

First Flexity2 succumbs to adverts

Posted on Monday 11 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The main event for tram fans in Blackpool on Saturday 9th June may have been the unveiling of Boat car 604 in its original identity of 230 complete with ‘George Formby’ name boards, but another, arguably even more historic event also occured on this day when Flexity 011 became the first of the new articulated fleet to run in service with external advertisements.

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Weather turns out not so nice for Boat 604!

Posted on Sunday 10 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The highly anticipated launch of Blackpool’s George Formby tram, Boat car 604, took place on Saturday 9th June. As seems to have become the norm for the return of open Boat cars, the weather on the day was far from kind but in spite of the damp conditions, 604‘s appearance helped to brighten up an otherwise dismal day and its sponsors braved the rain to ensure that the tram was welcomed back into service in fine style.

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Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 2 Comments