Extravaganza - visiting artists

I called at the Museum yesterday afternoon to meet Wim Beukenkamp a regular contributor to this blog. But first I had a look round.

George Formby I presume.
Who can recognise this relaxed tram conductor who gets his teddy bear to do all the waving to his fans.
A prestidigitator entertaining the ice cream queue.

Finally a strange encounter. I was told off in no uncertain terms for taking this photograph. My response was that he had just lost a customer - I own two of his pictures and was considering having a bus picture I took with a box camera as a schoolboy converted into a painting.
I told him that this 'no photography' business is getting quite ridiculous - people have paid good money to come to the event and taking pictures is part of the experience.  

Derbyshire bus services

Town End

In the morning

After the morning meeting (7th August post), the tram crews check over their allocated trams and prepare them for service.

The trams in service yesterday were Chesterfield 7, Glasgow 22, 812.

Croydon works (2)

Graham Feakins writes "Here are the views of ongoing work just beyond the Church Street stop.
Now, here the trams are running whilst they are doing this work, which begs the question as to why there was the blockade (and why it was expected to last until the end of August). Having said that, it seems that the interlacing point rails have been replaced - yet again.
Note the clumsy turnout arrangement - distinctly uncontinental (apart from in Siberia, perhaps."

Croydon works (1)

Graham Feakins took these pictures yesterday (Thursday).
On Wednesday, it was tipping down, so I went to Croydon today. Surprise - the loop is open again!
There is very little to show for all the palaver at either West Croydon or George Street.
Starting with the curve at West Croydon, all they have done is resurface around the rails, whilst at George Street, very little welding or grinding work is apparent. Included is a view where the section breaks are, and two (!) attempts to decide where to place the euphemistically-described "Stop Boards" - those railway sleepers I mentioned.

Johannesburg 60 etc

On Tuesday 60 was in the workshop alongside MET 331.

The broken glass has been removed from the two quarter light windows.
Leeds 399 and London United 159 seen from 60's balcony.

Blackpool & Fleetwood 2 is still at Crich.
I think it is going to Blackpool after the Bank Holiday weekend.
Rack 2 and 167 are going to Blackpool on 2nd or 3rd September. No double deckers are going. 60 was in service at Crich on 1st Sept - pictures to follow.

The Big Red Tram and a wasp

I was duty 4 conductor yesterday. When I arrived I was pleased to see LT 1622 at Town End.
Sheffield 74 was also out despite the threats of heavy showers.
For my lunch reliefs I did 4 full trips on 1622. Whilst I ate my sandwiches 1622's own conductor was stung by a wasp so I did two more trips.

Finally the third tram was Blackpool 167 which is still at Crich.
The Museum can be found by searching for the post code DE4 5DP in Google Maps. The Museum is open and the trams operating from 10:00 until 17:00 every day until October 31st. 
Details can be found at www.tramway.co  .uk

A Friend in the North

Mike Crabtree has sent me these pictures.
On Wednesday afternoon 18th August 2010, I called in briefly at Ravenglass Stn (R & E Rly) and met the driver of the 17 10 Ravenglass to Dalegarth. Our former active TMS member Bob Tebb.
Please find attched images of Bob with his allocated locomotive; No 11 'Douglas Ferriera' and the scene of the 17 10 to Dalegarth departing with Bob at the controls.
!

I also add an image of Leeds 600 taken in 1963, outside the depot on what is today's road 4 with Bob Tebb working on the roof (with his back to us), many years before the Work at Height Regs came into force

Finally 'Fifty Years at Crich - Part 3 1966 - 1969' has been published. http://www.focustransport.org.uk/tramcrich3.aspx

Croydon (4)

The trams thread their way slowly through Croydon town centre.

We had seen notices that the town centre loop will be closed for a week and following my first posts I received this email from Graham Feakins. We are now back in Ripley but I will ask him to send us some pictures of the work.

You were lucky - the town centre loop is closed from today until 1st September for "Track Improvement Works" (don't you love that phrase!), despite the fact that the sections being worked upon, with rail replacement in places, were only relaid two years ago!

On the George Street corner, where the line curves in from Wellesley Road towards East Croydon, there is an enormous HSE-oriented palaver.
Railway sleepers are placed across both tracks just east of the curve and a tram is parked on what is now a stub (think Town End by the shelter) simply to house a high-viz pointsman with the longest point iron I have ever seen (as tall as the pointsman). His job is to set the trailing crossover points so that reversing trams from East Croydon on the westbound track can run back to East Croydon! None of your sprung-loaded stuff here or letting the drivers of their own trams change the points!
Beyond the sleepers is a corrugated iron fence surrounding "THE WORKS". Within its confines are some twelve bright orange-suited chaps employed by Volker-Rail standing about watching one hand-pushed rail grinder (linked to a gauging trolley on the other rail) at work on the curve. There are also section-breakers in the overhead on both wires between the crossover and the curve. This has 'permanent' earthing clamps and dropper cables to and clamped in the tracks to isolate the section concerned but personally, I cannot see the possible hazard between work on the rails and the overhead. I had a word or two to say to them about the palaver and they just looked at me in total disbelief. They are not, so far as I can see, going to replace the rail here for a third time.

For pictures of some London buses we saw and DLR click on this link.
http://www.focustransport.org.uk/sightlondon1.aspx  

Croydon (3)

Beckenham Junction tram stop is outside the railway station.
Wimbledon Station. The trams terminate inside the station which has ticket barriers. There are lots of posters and verbal warnings about the dire consequences of arriving without a valid ticket.

Approaching Addington Village.