London in wartime

Today I worked as a conductor on Southampton 45. A customer told me of two wartime slogans he remebered on London trams and buses:
'Multiply the paper stocks'
'Put me in the ticket box'
and
'I trust you'll padon this correction '
'That stuff is there for your protection'.
The first slogan is asking for used tickets to be collected for waste paper and the second refers to the masking put on windows to protect from bomb blasts.
The trams in service today were Oporto 273 (seen at Stevenson Place), Southampton 45 (at Town End), and Paisley 68 (at Wakebridge). My assessment is that most customers rode on all three trams and enjoyed their day at the Museum.
On Southampton 45 most cusomers rode upstairs and were not frightened of the sunshine. Look at the pictures; our customers like to ride upstairs on open cars and one very different alternative adds to the experience.
Finally note that on the first week of the school summer holidays (ie peak season), Woodland Refreshments are/is closed.

No open top trams

Another very hot and humid day with very little wind and temperatures in the low 30s.
There were no open trams in service although the engineers assured me that several were available. Instead our customers sweltered. Why weren't they offered an exhilerating ride on an open car?
Leeds 399 at Glory Mine. The other two were Blackpool 40 and Johannesburg 60.

Leeds 399

Another hot and muggy day. The trams in service were Johannesburg 60, Sheffield 74 and Leeds 399 with no open top cars. I know my grandsons would have been disappointed. 

Trams & trees

Another warm day.
Glasgow 22 approaching Wakebridge, Oporto 273 leaving Wakebridge.
View of the Derbyshire countryside from the top of LCC 106.

Heatwave

It was very warm today so the trams were loading in the shade of the buildings rather than at Town End.
LCC 106 and Sheffield 74 with Paisley 68 in the background.
 

Modern Mini

Today the Museum was invaded by Minis but they all seemed to be more modern than WTY 894 that I used to own many years ago. This had the small engine and the long gear lever. It used to jump out of gear coming up the hill from Bull Bridge to Crich.

View from the Bridge

A beautiful day for visitors to enjoy a ride on Blackpool & Fleetwood 2, Sheffield 74 and Southampton 45.
Kerstin Wunsche at the controls of 74.

Computers and Horse Trams

What is Alan Phoenix doing to a defenceless computer - answer in the next issue of The Journal.
Sheffield 15 operated for the Edwardian weekend but is now back in the Exhibition Hall, sandwiched between Oporto 9 and Prague 180. Sheffield 264 is in the background.
Another fine day with Blackpool 166, LCC 106 and Leeds 399 in service.

Pims Served with Lemonade

Another mostly cloudy day with Blackpool & Fleetwood 2, Johannesburg 60 and LCC 106 in service. As we were expecting a special group of ladies the Red Lion was serving Pims rather than real ale.
 

Next weekend

Sheffield horse tram 15 in the workshop - presumably being prepared for the forthcoming Edwardian Weekend. There are also several barrels of real ale in the Red Lion (Leadmill, Ossett Silver King and Moorhouses Pendle Witch). I am hoping to call in the Red Lion on Sunday (9th) - how about you?
The weather was overcast and showery today. The trams in service were Blackpool & Fleetwood 2, Blackpool 40 and Sheffield 74.

Visitor's viewpoint

Tram crews enjoy a cup of tea or coffee prior to their duties. The upstairs cafe now has really attractive table settings.
A view of J'burg 60 and Blackpool & Fleetwood 2 from the cafe window.
We walk round the corner and the inevitable white vans completely spoil the effect and the hard work that has gone into creating a period urban backdrop for visitors to photograph the trams. If tram crews are discouraged from using out of context mobile phones etc, why oh why are vans allowed to park willy nilly? The van on the left was parked most of the day, the one on the right had a driver with an attitude problem.

Wrong line

Another overcast day with Sheffield 74 and LCC 106 in service.
Berlin is seen 3006 operating 'wrong line' on its way from the depot to Town End.
London United 159 has received another coat of paint on its dash panel.

Motorbikes & training

Today was overcast but fine and Chesterfield 7, Johannesburgh 60 and Glasgow 812 were in service.
812 is seen passing a collection of vintage motorcycles whilst inside the library a training course was taking place. 

Not much too say today. Weather windy but managed to stay fine. Chesterfield 7 and Leeds 345 were in service with Liverpool 869 and Glasgow1297 on driver training duties. Track work continued with single track working as last week. Here is southbound 345 crossing over in front of north bound 7. 

London United 159

Ken Green dismantling a narrow guage Lison bogie which will be reconstructed to standard guage as has the one in the foreground.
A controller has been fitted to the south end platform. I have no idea why the number 171 is chalked on the dash panel but Dave Jones has sent me the explanation.
'I was at a postcard fair in London when I found a superb close up of the front end of LUT171. It was a view I had never seen before so I bought it and had it copied for the workshop to assist them with detail etc. It was from that view that much has been laid out, including the headlamp position, once a number had been chalked on the dash.'

Customers

The weather today was rather muggy and Glasgow 22 and Southampton 45 were in service. Berlin 3006, the Access Tram, is used most weekdays and today was no exception. I think the lady nearest the camera of picture 1 had worked on trams or buses many years ago but I forgot to ask where. Picture 2 show a grandfather from Burton on Trent and his grandson enjoying an ice cream on the steps of 22.