London United 159

Wooden decency panels for the top deck have been made and fitted. They have now been removed for painting.

One top deck seat has been assembled the top deck is being measured out for fitting the seats.

Nottingham and Blackpool

I have been to Nottingham today.
The Lacemarket.

The connecting bus service to Ilkeston at Phoenix Park. I arrived at 15:54, took this picture and the bus left at 15:56 - fantastic! There are discussions about a merger between the two French companies Veolia and Transdev which is a stakeholder in NET.

Click here for pictures of Blackpool trams heading for Crich. I have a question about 249: does it have original tram seats or have some been replaced by bus seats as on some Blackpool trams? I ask this because, as was the case on Sheffield 189, 50 years ago it is easy to change them now but it may well be very difficult in the future.
By the way, I notice on your blog you asked if 712 has bus seats. Having ridden on it last September, I'm pleased to confirm that it still has a full set of swing-over seats intact, just how it should be!!!

In the depot

Workshop update

Blackpool 167, Blackpool & Fleetwood 2, Oporto 273 and London United 159 are in the workshop.

Rack 2 and 273 are being commissioned for service and new brake blocks were being fitted to 167. I post some pictures of 159 over the weekend.

Exhibition (and Sheffield 264)

During the weekend Sheffield 264 was washed and cleaned and together with Leeds 602 is now out of reach in the exhibition hall. I understand that Derby 1 and Howth 10 were also washed and cleaned over the weekend.This picture was taken yesterday, Tuesday, and there doesn't seem to be much activity in the exhibition hall.

It is well known and documented that 264 was repainted at Crich in the 1960s. However there seems to be a myth that the interior was not touched.

264 arrived at Crich straight out of service, complete and in running order. It has also had a trail of unpaid bills. I was one of a small team of sponsors formed in 1961 who raised money to pay off debts and then to pay for depot accommodation and paint etc. 264 stood outside for longer than 189 or 510 and both the winter rain and summer sun took their tolls both inside and out. Our only chance of saving 264 was to strip down and paint both the interior and exterior so that it could take up its role as an operational duplicate.
This we did and 264 was quite extensively used for several seasons during which time several mechanical faults had to be rectified.

It is well known that 264 had a complete exterior repaint. Perhaps it is not so well known that all of the interior paint and varnish was stripped down and repainted. Some small body panels and wooden body parts were replaced and a vast quantity of P35 body filler and Nitromors paint stripper was used.

Over the next few weeks I will try to assemble a more detailed report of the work that was done. If someone else can do this for 189 then these facts can be taken into account in any future decision.


Finally the Museum has a new web site. I always keep an eye on the situations vacant in case any jobs in the library are advertised.

Town End - 9th March 2010

A beautiful spring morning. Contractors appear to be working in the Assembly Rooms and Museum staff were fixing a street light.

Kopenick, Humberstone, Clock Tower and Sandcastle

The lift on 3006 is inspected regularly to conform with various acroynms.
My last views of Leicester 76 which was moved from Depot III to the exhibition hall on Friday.

Leeds 602

602 has been cleaned for exhibition and is now in Depot III.

In my excitement at seeing 264, I forgot to take interior pictures of 602. If it is still in Depot III on Tuesday I will take some but photography is not now allowed in the exhibition hall.

A family tram

Here I am on a ladder in March 1961.


Nine years later in Oct 1970, Kath is driving 264 but seems to have forgotten her uniform.
Martin in 1970 aged two.
Finally Kath in 1971. Note the knot in the trolley rope. Incidentally I have asked for the trolley rope to be removed as Sheffield didn't use them.

264 in Sheffield

I took very few pictures of Sheffield trams because I didn't have a reliable camera until 1961. This my only picture of 264 taken 50 years ago.

Sheffield 264

Today it was 264's turn to be moved to the workshop for cleaning. It will then form part of the new exhibition. I have many memories of 264.

Here are links to previously published pictures of 264:
http://tramwayarchives.blogspot.com/2006/03/three-men-on-tram.html
http://tramwayarchives.blogspot.com/2007/06/sheffield-264.html
http://tramwayarchives.blogspot.com/2007/06/yet-more-264.html
http://tramwayarchives.blogspot.com/2007/06/more-264.html
http://tramways.blogspot.com/2010/03/exhibition.html

Solar panels

Two banks of solar panels have been installed on the Exhibition Hall roof in between the translucent ones. So we should have the best of both worlds, natural light and cheap electricity.

Refugees

Blackpool 298 in Depot VI.
Blackpool 49 with Sheffield 189 behind it in Depot V.
Newcastle 102 in Depot V.
Glasgow 1282 in Depot IV.