Its been over three years since trolleybuses ran at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley but now with funding having been secured they are set to return to action. Whilst not directly linked to trams this will be a positive move for heritage transport at the museum, and it is hoped that it will pave the way for the trams to return at some point in the future.<\/p>\n
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The Black Country Living Museum have secured \u00a3272,000 of funding from the DCMS\/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund which will go towards the restoration, and extension, of the trolleybus route.<\/p>\n
Three locally built trolleybuses will be returned to service (the identity of which have not been revealed) and they will run through the 1940s-60s High Street which will help to celebrate the region\u2019s role in early electric transport.<\/p>\n
The project to return the trolleybuses is to be known as \u201cRestoring the Electric Age: Reviving the Trolleybus Experience at Black Country Living Museum\u201d. It will not only see the three trolleybuses returned to operation, but the operating route will also be extended into the museum\u2019s recreated street. Once complete this will allow the museum to become the only place in the UK where visitors can experience historic trolleybuses running through an authentic mid-century streetscape.<\/p>\n
The project will also:<\/p>\n
Although this funding secures the core of the project, the Black Country Living Museum are looking for donations which will support interpretation, accessibility improvements and enhancements to the visitor experience. Donations are welcome at https:\/\/shop.bclm.com\/book\/make-a-donation\/product\/bclm-donation-trolleybuses\/15393<\/a><\/p>\n The news of the planned return of the trolleybuses comes just as Dudley is about to be connected to the wider West Midlands Metro, with the Black Country extension due to open as far as Flood Street, Dudley later this year. This will include a tramstop at the Black Country Living Museum giving perfect access.<\/p>\n And what of the tram line at the museum? There aren\u2019t currently any plans for it to be worked on but in a response to a query on their Facebook page the museum stated: \u201cOur trolleybuses and trams use much of the same infrastructure, so the investment in this project will put us in a good position to work on our trams in the future while we’re prioritising the trolleybuses for this project we promise we haven’t forgotten about our trams!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Its been over three years since trolleybuses ran at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley but now with funding having been secured they are set to return to action. Whilst not directly linked to trams this will be a … Continue reading