Better weather - Chesterfield 7 & Southampton 45

Today the weather was nice enough for these two trams. (Tomorrow 131 update)

Mid-Summer's Day

Richard I thought you might like these for your blog.
They were taken about 4.30pm on 21 June 2008 - mid-Summer's Day.
Best wishes

Huntsman's Pie

1. Lawrence is painting Rack 2's roof.
2. Sounds nice.
3. The wooden frame work for the side panel is being dry-fitted to Cardiff 131.
4. The trolley base has now been fitted to 131's roof.
PS the trams in service today were Leeds 399 and Glasgow 812.

Mostly Blackpool

1. Rack 2 has now taken Blackpool 166's place in the workshop. You can just see it behind London United 159.
2 & 3. 166 looking very smart and shiny is now in Depot II.
4. Today's trams were Blackpool 40 and J'burg 60. Richard Sykes is seen driving 60.

Confectionary and 812

Today the Sweet Shop was being painted. The weather has turned colder and Glasgow 812 was in service along with Sheffield 74.

The Woodland Walk and Sculpture Trail

1. Interested visitors.
2. A school group enjoying the stone circles.
3. The new Board Walk.
4. BCTV volunteers enjoyed having their photographs taken.

Tramathon - short workings

LT 1622 and Oporto 273 can only operate as far as Wakebridge at present terminating before the new curve as shown in the pictures. Liverpool 869 and Blackpool 40 and 167 can run through to Glory Mine.

Tramathon

The Museum was very busy today. When I arrived at 12:30 ish the car park was full. I will publish more pictures tomorrow including LT 1622, Liverpool 869 and Porto 273.
1. Blackpool 166 on a test run or workshop staff outing.
2. Two Blackpool toast racks.
3&4. Two pictures I took on my way back to the far corner of the car park.

Today'sTrams

Today's trams were Leeds 399 and Southampton 45 - a much better selection than yesterday - but 40 and 399 yesterday and 40 and 45 today would have been even better. Each day our customers would have had the choice two towns and be able to compare the ride of a smooth bogie car and a bouncy 4-wheeler.
Our customers always ask where the tram has come from. Running two from the same town on the same day is plain daft.
Our customers will nearly always comment on how smoothly 40 rides compared with the other 'bone shaker'.
I don't think anyone expects visitor number increase this year. We must do everything we can to ensure that every customer has a memorable visit. Simply choosing two very different trams for them to enjoy is the easy bit.

Cardiff 131

Four pictures showing the progress of Cardiff 131's restoration.
1. The roof has been constructed using 131's floor as a work bench. It has now been moved onto trestles for temporary storage.
2. The new water tank is being stored in Depot V (I lifted the covers give a glimpse of the paint work).
3. The wooden underframe for the water tank is being checked for fit.
4. Shiny wheels with the truck frame in the background.

Australia & Blackpool

1. A member who now lives in Australia has donated a number of engineering drawings he acquired as a young man. Mick Smith and Tony Wilkes holding one of them in front of MET 331.
2. Blackpool 40 is back in service. The other service car today was Blackpool 167. I still don't understand why we run two such similar cars on the same day.

A view from The Red Lion

Will this be repeated at Crich?

The Journal

Congratulations to David Smith on his appointment as Editor of The Journal of the Tramway Museum Society. I wish him every success and I look forward to acting as Assistant Editor as I want to be able to travel before the falling value of the Pound (12% against the Euro) and inflation rob me of my savings.
This picture was taken in August 1967 one year before the Russian invasion of Prague and one year before Prague 180 arrived at Crich.