The quarry closed yesterday after more than fourty years. During the afternoon the staff had a ride on Blackpool 2.


There was a shortage of volunteers yesterday and workshop staff were pressed into service as drivers and conductors for a few trips.

Trainee driver Mike Conroy-Hargreaves and Southampton 45. The third tram was Glasgow 812 with an all Scottish crew.

Mechanical matters

Leed s 399's truck is being re-assembled.
LUT 159's bogies.

Good News!

The good news is that Dobbin has made a speedy recovery and is back at work.

London United 159 looks quite different now that the top deck seats have been fitted.
Jo'burg 60 and Glasgow 812 were in the workshop on Tuesday.

Leeds and Liverpool via Berlin

These trams were running yesterday morning.

Das Hannoversche Strassenbahn-Museum

Christoph Heuer has sent me some pictures from Germany of the Hanover Tramway Museum. Berlin 3011 and Frankfurt 2040 are familiar having brothers at Crich.



Christoph comments that he has added two more pictures, one of Magdeburg 1008 which proves that an independent museum can successfully operate a T4D. In all fairness, I have to say that it helps that Magdeburg is literally down the road and we have a maintenance team from Magdeburg at the museum about once a year. The other is of Wien (Vienna) 2625 with 5325. Those are the oldest motor car and oldest trailer currently in operation, being built in 1921 and 1929 respectively. On the picture of 3011 you can see Berlin 5964 right behind it. Berlin 5964 is one of the T24-type cars which were rebuilt into Reko cars such as 3011 in east Germany between 1959 and 1964. 3011 and 3006 are new cars, of course.

Caption required

A suggestion from a member who is rumoured to have been in hospital for two weeks.
"I know I need new shoes but I'm not sure about 'sixties' white knee-length boots."
Also see comment.

Contrasting trams

264 Day

Yesterday we had a reunion to remember and document the work done on Sheffield 264 between 1960 and 1984. 


David Johnson, Roger Mercer, Richard Lomas, John Marsh, Laura Waters, Garth Tilt.

Glasgow in 1962

This is a posed picture of a Morris Minor and a Glasgow tram just 48 years earlier than the one I published yesterday. 610 EKF belonged to Roger Mercer and I will be meeting him at Crich today and will tell you why tomorrow.

I have also contributed some early pictures of Crich to a new enthusiast's web site http://www.focustransport.org.uk/ which was launched this week.

It didn't rain afterall

Yesterday, the weather forecast on the BBC, Channel 4 and this computer was for rain in the afternoon. Therefore trams with roofs was the order of the day and I couldn't beleive my luck when Glasgow 812 was suggested by my driver. Jo'burg 60 was the other.
Needless to say it didn't rain but we had a very pleasant day meeting visitors from as far away as New Zealand and Holbrook. These pictures were taken on our last journey and I appologise for the destination blinds but we had had nearly full loads on most journeys.

It was my turn to lock Wakebridge sub station. I will take some more pictures of this next week.

Blackpool 40

The driving school were using Blackpool 40 on Saturday and I understand that Cardiff 131 also made an appearance for TSO members but we had left before then. Today I am scheduled to duty 1 tram conductor with John Marsh as my driver.

LCC 106

Lcc 106 and Sheffield 74 were in service on Saturday.

Peter's Day

This Leyland beer lorry belongs to the National Brewery Centre (formerly the Bass Museum) in Burton - Peter's home town.

Peter's friends from Ipswich Transport Museum visited the workshop, the library, the exhibition hall and had the opportunity to drive Southampton 45.