However, in a further twist to this already bizarre tale, instead of moving straight to East Anglia, the Glasgow tram has instead been transported to Wales. It is understood that it will be restored at the Boston Lodge workshop premises of the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway Society, where various different vehicles have been renovated in the past. Once complete, the car will presumably move to its new home and enter service at the East Anglia Transport Museum, where it should become a much valued working exhibit alongside the Blackpool, London, Lowestoft and Amsterdam trams already on site. It is not known what plans exisit to accomodate Glasgow 488<\/strong> at the museum, as their tram depot is presently full to capacity. One suggestion has been that Sheffield 513<\/strong>, currently on long-term loan to the EATM, may be returned to Beamish, although it has now been suggested that this car will also be staying put even after 488<\/strong> arrives.<\/p>\n Whatever happens next, the East Anglia Transport Museum Society deserve considerable praise for making the seemingly impossible become a reality, and bringing a neglected British tram back to its native country for a more\u00a0prosperous future. With Lowestoft 14<\/strong>‘s reconstruction progressing well, the next few years could be a very exciting time for this museum which is clearly proving itself as another key player in the UK tram preservation movement. No other British museum has ever returned a British tram to the country after it spent time overseas, and if ever proof were needed that the EATM is committed to the future of its tramway exhibits, then this is certainly it!<\/p>\n 488 still on the back of the lorry which had been used to transport it to Wales as the crane prepares to unload it onto Welsh soil. (Photo: John Peduzzi)<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The lower deck of 488 sits on Welsh soil for the first time. This is now the third country this tram has been in with a fourth to come when it is completed and moves to Carlton Colville - how many other trams have spent a period of time in that many countries? (Photo: John Peduzzi)<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The UK tram preservation movement is known for throwing some very welcome surprises at enthusiasts on occasion; something which seems to have become more common over the last few years, with tram loans and increasingly ambitious events taking place on … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/488-1-550x367.jpg\" "\\"488-1\\"")
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