It is still surprising how much of our tramway past remains to be discovered, even more than half a century after the last cars ran in Glasgow, leaving only Blackpool and the Isle of Man systems to represent traditional tram operation. Thanks to their use in a variety of more mundane roles, many bodies have been rescued over the years and restored to their former glory allowing us today to sample delights such as Stockport 5, Manchester 765, Bolton 66, Sheffield 74, LUT 159, Sunderland 16 and many others, none of which would have survived had they not become garden sheds, summer houses and even anglers huts. Who knows what remains to be discovered, hidden deep in the undergrowth in some forgotten part of the country; the news this week has centred upon two such survivors, both of which have returned to prominence after many years hidden away. The transfer to a new home of the last surviving Carlisle tram will hopefully lead to work accelerating on its reconstruction and in a few years it will be able to be displayed prominently in its home town as a permanent reminder of a system which closed down as long ago as 1931. However, the big news of the week comes from Manchester, with the discovery and rescue of the last survivor of Oldham’s tramway past. Number 43 has had a less than distinguished career since being withdrawn from service in the years before the start of the Second World War, spending its time outside on a farm, but has survived in a remarkably sound condition and thankfully the MTMS has stepped in to secure its future. The remains will now be saved for posterity and will ultimately join the fleet at Heaton Park to await its turn for restoration and one day it will be possible to once again ride on an Oldham tram, something which has not been possible since 1946. Other positive developments in a generally busy week has been the move of Blackpool Balloon 708 to Sunderland where it will undergo conversion to its original condition as an open top streamliner, thus creating one of the most unique preserved trams in the country whilst two other Blackpool trams, Brush Car 631 and Centenary Car 648, have merged with new look this week, both now appearing in a state much more befitting their role as designated heritage trams on their home system. Next week is looking equally as busy, with yet another tram scheduled to move to a new home as well as three simultaneous events being held on July 21st, the Festival of Model Tramways in Croydon, the second day of Crich’s Edwardian weekend and, probably the highlight, the annual Tram Sunday festival in Fleetwood. A full report from the latter will feature on this site, as has been the case with every heritage running day held in Blackpool so far this year. With Tram Sunday due to be probably the major event over the next few days, this week’s cover pictures take a step back in time and look at two images from the festival in its heyday. The banner picture is from 1998, a year when the 100th anniversary of the Fleetwood Tramroad was celebrated leading to an impressive collection of vintage trams visiting the festival. The picture shows the opening parade with Pantograph 167 heading the line up, followed by Box 40, Replica Vanguard 619 and Marton Box Car 31. Interestingly, these trams are now in four different locations, with only 40 remaining in Blackpool. The banner picture meanwhile is from 1997 and shows Boat 607 at Ash Street, preparing to run down the main street in the days when trams were allowed to operate through the festival site, adding greatly to the atmosphere of the event. Of Trams Today’s trials earlier this week, little needs to be said, as the details have already been thoroughly examined. It seems that there has been a triumph of free speech over those who attempted to censor the site, a pleasing victory for common sense. Thanks to everyone for their support at this time and for all the positive comments received during Trams Today’s temporary absence and hopefully those responsible will have realised the folly of their actions. Focussing on more positive things, it has been a milestone week for the site. At the same time as we published our 200th news article of the year, the number of likes smashed through the 1700 barrier and have continued to rise at a steady rate ever since. A warm welcome is extended to all who have joined us to help make this achievement possible. Next week it’s all change as far as our features are concerned, with both our current features coming to an end. All the developments in the tramway world which occurred in 1973 will have been covered by Friday and therefore this feature will take a break, before returning and jumping forward a decade to examine 1983. In addition, the entire fleet of Nottingham’s tram system has also been comprehensively covered and therefore tomorrow it will be time to move to a different location for our ‘Trams of….’ feature. New this week is the start of a serialised feature called ‘Blackpool celebrates…’ which will be brought to you in several parts over the next few months. Britain’s longest surviving tramway system has had much to celebrate over its long history and has organised a total of five different parades to commemorate key milestones. This feature will take a look at each of the processions with full details of the trams involved, starting with the one held in 1960 to mark the 75th anniversary of the system. All of the thirteen trams included in this celebration will be covered, with details of their subsequent history as well as a picture of them as they looked during this era. In contrast, the ‘Trams of…’ feature will focus on the modern, with a return to Manchester’s Metrolink. The majority of the trams which operate on Britain’s largest tramway have already been featured but, over the next few weeks, the remaining operational members of the M5000 class will be covered, starting with 3040 and working upwards. Hopefully, this mix of the nostalgic and the modern will ensure these new features appeal to both those with a yearning for nostalgia and those interested in the current tramway scene. In addition, of course, all the latest news items will, as always, be brought to you on Trams Today as soon as they occur.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 08:22:57 +0000