Manchester (from Keith Chadbourne)

   I went up Ashton New Rd yesterday to see how things are progressing. I
cannot see any sign that they have started test running yet. The track
grooves are still full of muck in a number of places that you can see from
the top deck of a bus. There are three or four places where holes have been
dug in the road where there is new track (see the photos). There also is a
place where the overhead has been strung and tied back to traction poles
leaving a gap in the overhead. What for I have not the foggiest idea. This
does not show up too well on a picture. In yesterday's Manchester Evening
News it says that 1011 has been the first of the old cars to be withdrawn. I
have seen 3050 in the Old Trafford Depot yard. According to the M.E.N. 60 of
the new cars have been ordered and this has now been increased by another
12.

Home at last

Heaton Park 24-April

Blackpool 13

arriving in Hull on 26 April.
Photo Tony Stevenson.

A boat in Poland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbl%C4%85g_Canal

A Boat at Crich

An immaculate 'Boat' was delivered to Crich on Monday.
Photos fro G and H.

Lodz 2012 (2)

Lodz 2012 (1)

Phil G has sent me these pictues taken las week.

Poland 1992 and earlier

Wroclaw on a Sunday afternoon.
Horse bus in Wroclaw.
I think ths N1 car is in Grudziaz.
A line up in Poznan. The yellow tram is from Amsterdam.

In reply to the comments we visited Katowice and Krakow in 1985 and 1990 and northern Poland in 1992 so you are almost certainly right.
Richard

Blackpool 12

 Tony Stevenson has sent me these pictures of Blackpool 12 being delivered on 5th April

Berlin 223 006 - 4 yesterday

Hazel took this photo yesterday. I'm not sure if 3006 is available for service.

Poland 1992 - Lodz

 In 1992 we went for a drive around northern Poland.
1. Note the Polski Fiat. There were lots of these.
2.This time a Trabant.
3. I have forgotton where these Duewags came from.
4. There were lots of horses working on the farms.

Greetings from Ripley

oday I am at home in Ripley on leave from the hospital until Friday.

Richard

Fleetwood

New Blackpool

Photos by Tony Stevenson

Blackpool sands

The first of the new trams to leave for its maiden trip after a £100m upgrade in Blackpool, UK, has derailed due to sand on the tracks.
Blackpool Transport managing director Trevor Roberts said that workers are still trying to bring back the service by using re-railing kit but sand that is being blown into the tracks as fast as they can clear it.
"Not a good start to the morning, the first tram out round Fleetwood Ferry has come off the rails," Roberts told the BBC.
The derailing happened only one day after the official re-opening of the tram network, and occurred at about 6am on Wednesday morning.
A fleet of 16 computerised trains have replaced Blackpool's traditional and long-serving heritage vehicles, which will continue to run a service for tourists in the Lancashire city.
German train maker Bombardier delivered the new trams under a deal worth £68m. The trains are 32m long and can house up to 150 passengers in five divided sections.
According to Blackpool Transport, the new tram will reduce some journey times by up to 15mins due to their more efficient acceleration rate.
The four-year upgrade also included the replacement of 11km of track and a new tram depot was built.
UK Transport Minister Norman Baker, who officially opened the tramway on 3 April 2012, said on the occasion that Blackpool has a long and proud history of tram use.
"We want to ensure that the future of tram use in the town is even brighter and that is why I was happy to give £68m towards this fantastic project. Blackpool's trams are absolutely on the right track," he added.
Currently, no service is running between Fleetwood Ferry and Fisherman's Walk in Fleetwood.
Image: Blackpool's new trams were delivered by German train maker Bombardier and can accommodate up to 150 passengers. Photo: Bombardier

April the First

Thanks agian to the Qs for these pictures.

The first is my first glimpse of Berlin 3006 in its DDR livery with fleet nuuber 223 006 - 4.