History of the National Tramway Museum

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Friday, June 12, 2009

Blackpool and Eastern Europe

1. Prague 180 and Blackpool 49 in 1969.
2. Halle 902 was built in Prague in 1969.
3 & 4. Recent pictures of Blackpool 298.
Halle 902 and Blackpool 298 have been the subject of recent comments on the internet so I thought I would add my suggestions.
Blackpool 298 should not be stored in the Exhibition Hall but consigned to a dark corner at the back of the depots for the next 5 years. During this time the Blackpool Tramway will be transformed and a rational policy for all the Museum's Blackpool exhibits can then be determined.
Halle 902 is unlikely to be an Access Tram. However it could be retained as a static exhibit and combined with Prague 180 to form the centrepiece of a dispay of Eastern European tramways. Some 17,622 Tatra T3/T4s were built, more than any other type of tram and whilst 902 is not suitable for running at Crich now, who knows what the situation will be in another 40 years.


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2 comments:

  1. Dobbin13/6/09 00:01

    Richard,
    I agree that Blackpool 298 should be removed from the Exhibition Hall. It should (& I hope one day will) be a beautiful memorial to Walter Luff and his 1930s Blackpool fleet, but for now it is an eyesore fit only for storage at Clay Cross. Halle 902 however has no place on our premises. It was brought to Crich under false pretences as a potential Access Tram, and is now merely an unattractive depot filler. We should offer it for sale to other tram museums elsewhere in Europe, and reinvest the money in restoration of more deserving subjects.

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  2. Christoph Heuer13/6/09 21:24

    Dobbin,
    your comment seems to imply that in the process which led to the acquisition of 902 incorrect or at least incomplete information was given by those who promoted the acquisition. Please rest assured that this is not the case.

    Please also note, that 902 is also a representative of the final development of the American Tram story which is represented at Crich by 273, 674, 1147 and 902. One might argue that if you question 902 you also question the other three.

    BTW, questions such as this are discussed on the Tramway Museum Yahoo group. To join send an email to tramway_museum-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

    Kind regards

    Christoph

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