Cardiff 21

The Cardiff horse car was hiding in a corner of Depot V yesterday. Hopefully I will be able to get a better photograph of it tomorrow.

Royal visits

The announcement in Contact that HRH The Duke of Gloucester will be visiting Crich on Wednesday reminded me of earlier Royal visits and I found my old copies of The Journal.
1. The first Royal visit was by HRH Prince William of Gloucester on Monday 14th August 1972.
He is seen at the controls of Leicester 76 with Roger Benton. (Photo credited to Derby Evening Telegraph)

2. The second was by HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester on Wednesday 9th June 1976.
He is seen driving Blackpool 166 with Merlyn Bacon. (Photo credited to David Frodsham)

The October 1972 issue was the first one that I produced and perhaps I cropped the cover picture rather too enthusiastically.

Metrolink

The city centre section of Metrolink is closed and it looks as though all of the track is to be replaced. At present trams are terminating at St Peter's Square and Victoria. I am told that the work will be planned so that one track will remain open for cars to be transferred to and from the depot at night.

1. St Peters Square temporary terminus with two coupled cars for Altrincham.
2. Manchester United supporters being sold tickets by a temporary conductor with an Almex 'Model A' ticket machine.

3. The old track has been removed and new track is ready for installation.

4. The Oldham Loop will be closed for conversion to Metrolink in October. A Leyland National based railbus at Shaw - note the semaphore signal at the far end.

Nomination for Tramway Museum Society Board Membership

I have agreed to be nominated for Board Membership and here are the details I submitted. I would be happy to publish similar details for other candidates.

The Tramway Museum Society

Statement by Richard Lomas

• After celebrating 50 years of Crich we need to spend the next five years building the foundation for the next 50.
• Corporate governance and management systems date back to 1962 and no longer work
• Stick to core business and contract out services such cleaning and catering to specialist contractors.
• The relationship between employees and volunteers is a concern needing to be clarified, rationalised and improved.
• I personally have worked as a volunteer for 3 years in the Library and I want to build on that and the recent capital investment to develop the Library’s potential.
  
  
  Ripley
  12th May 2009

Leicester and Heanor

I took these pictures in Leicester and Heanor today. Both the Clock Tower and Heanor Church appear on pictures of trams and I can even remember Leicester trams as a small child - they had one overhead wire whereas Derby trolleybuses had two. However I cannot imagine a Leicester tram passing today's clock tower and its angular buildings but I can imagine a shabby Notts & Derby car on a wet evening in Heanor.

50 Years On

I visited the Museum briefly this morning to see an old friend who was an active member in the 1960s.
1. It's just a week now until the first of the Crich50 celebrations.
2 & 3. Mike Crabtree sent me these two 1959 pictures. They were taken by Mr G Warnes of Doncaster on 31st January 1959. Geoff Warnes came with Merlyn Bacon on the day of the original inspection by the TMS Ctte and others of Crich Quarry. I am hoping to meet Geoff at Crich next week.
4. 50 years and 2 months later on 31st March 2009 (but looking in the opposite direction).

Morris Minors

Sunday was Morris Minor day. The trams in service were Blackpool 2, Blackpool 40, Sheffield 74 and Southampton 45.

Today's bus

Models Weekend

Today there were both model trams and full size Morris Minors at the Museum. Here are two pictures of the largest models and two pictures of the smallest models.
Morris Minors and full size trams to follow.

Crich50

Today as a '59er, I received an invitation to visit the Museum on Sunday 24 May. In the morning there will be symbolic public re-enactment of the first visit by members of the Society's Committee to inspect the site. This will take the form of a journey by Sheffield 15 (diesel-drawn) from Town End to Wakebridge.
I have no pictures of 1959 and very few of the horse trams or the diesel engines.

1. Sheffield 15 driven by Michael Ward in 1963.
2. The diesel engine, GMJ, can be seen on the left of this busy 1984 scene being coupled to the crane. Richard Hartwell is the driver.

Red Lion

These 3 pictures show the new 'open door' policy when the Red Lion is not in use on quiet days. I think it is very effective.

Cardiff 131 went out to play yesterday

1. Mike Crabtree at the helm.

2. 131 and Leeds 399 at Glory Mine.

3. 131 leaving Wakebridge southbound.

4. 131 and Glasgow 812.

Mystery picture

What? Who? Where?

Unfair Dismissal

I am also very sorry to report that my initial appeal against unfair dismissal as a volunteer in the Library was not sucessful. I understand that under the provisions of the 'Grievance Procedure for Working Members of the Tramway Museum Society', I can make one final appeal to the Board of Management. This I have done and I understand that they will set up a panel of three Board members to consider this appeal.

Missing gates and Capitals

I paid a brief visit to the Museum this afternoon. Leeds 345, LT 1622, Paisley 68, Sheffield 74 and Berlin 3006 were in service.

50 Years to the Day

In the spring of 1959, I was a 17 year old schoolboy living in Matlock. Having lived in small towns and rural areas all my life I knew nothing about trams but had been a serious train spotter and, more unusually, a bus spotter. The highlight of each month was the arrival of Buses Illustrated. In April I read a small paragraph in the Matlock Mercury which said that a tram museum run by volunteers was going to be set up in the disused Crich Quarry. I had read of the Tallylyn and Ffestiniog railways and so I though this might be interesting.
On Saturday, 2nd May I rode my bike up to Crich and looked down into the quarry from the Stand and saw four or five people and a dog pushing a small railway wagon full of stones. I went down and introduced myself to Denis Gill who was the leader of a Manchester area working party. Denis was very enthusiastic and ensured that I went away with a membership form and he followed this up by sending me an article about the Matlock cable tramway. I saved up my 7/6d and joined the Tramway Museum Society becoming member number 102.

Fifty years later I have accepted an invitation by the Chairman to a reception celebrating 50 Years of the National Tramway Museum at Crich which I will be proud to attend.

This same afternoon, I have also received issue 4 of Tramways Monthly. Who could have imagined the internet 50 years ago? Matlock still had a manual telephone exchange and only one house in our row had a phone and that was a party line.

We don't know what the world will be like in 2059 but we can be certain that the Museum will have to change and adapt in order to survive and prosper. So here's to another 50 eventful years!

Thanks for your comments Jack. I will be at Crich tomorrow afternoon and will look out for you and Dan and perhaps let you take me for a ride.