The past week looked like being a quiet one, with a dearth of news at the beginning of the week. However, this ended when news broke of a sale occurring in Detroit, involving the last survivor of the former Burton and Ashby Light Railway. The fate of number 14 now hangs in the balance, with the announcement generating much comment and a genuine will to see the tram survive although whether this is a practical proposition remains to be seen. The ideal scenario would see the tram repatriated and housed securely in Britain, similar to the fate which awaited Blackpool 147 over a decade ago, but the practical hurdles in achieving this would appear to be insurmountable. Hopefully, a future for this venerable survivor can be found and the tram can be found a safe home, either in Britain or its adopted country, avoiding the worst case scenario of losing it for ever. Elsewhere and several tramways are now in the last throws of the 2014 season before closing down for their winter hibernation. Next weekend will see the last services of the year on the Manx Electric Railway, the Snaefell Mountain Railway and the national Tramway Museum. However, ensuring that things don’t end quietly, events are being held at both Crich and the Manx Electric to bring the curtain down on the season in style. Crich will be bathed in multi coloured lights every evening until November 2nd for the annual Starlight event, with decorated trams and the rare chance to experience a ride along the line in darkness, with the saloon lights of the trams adding to an evocative atmosphere, an experience highly recommended. On the Manx Electric, the end of the season will be celebrated in style with the now annual Winter Photography event which, this year, takes the theme of a celebration of the 120th anniversary of the Tunnel Cars. A host of special events are planned on November 1st, all of which will be recorded on detail on Trams Today over the course of the weekend and then, the following day, the tramway will run for the final time this year, with the last journeys offering a chance for a darkened ride along the line. With trams in darkness on the Isle of Man, at Crich plus the regular use of heritage trams in Blackpool as the system gears up for its busiest week of the year, the theme of trams running at night seems an appropriate one for this week’s cover photos. Thus the banner picture features Manx Electric Royal Trailer 59, standing at Derby Castle in the company of a Winter Saloon, with the lights of Douglas promenade visible in the background. The profile picture is from the recent Starlight Special event at Crich and features Glasgow 812 at Town End with its headlights and saloon lights cutting through the darkness. As well as a report on the final days of the various tramway systems which are due to close next weekend, all the latest news from other tramways around the country will be featured over the course of the week. It could be a busy week for tram moves, with both Box 40 and Balloon 711 awaiting departure from Crich back to Blackpool and the potential than further T68s and T69s will leave their homes on Metrolink and Midland Metro respectively. Of the two features currently running on Trams Today, one, the history of the Prague tramway system will be continuing and charting an interesting period in the history of this system when the traditionally styled trams were starting to be replaced by the famous T series of cars developed from the 1950s. Our second feature focussing on the trams in the Belfast Transport Museum comes to an end on Monday and this will be replaced by the final instalment of tramway history from years ending in a 4. Having started in 1954 and jumped forward every decade, we end with a comprehensive look at what was happening in the tramway world ten years ago in 2004. I hope everyone enjoys the mix of news and features planned for the week ahead and a warm welcome is extended, as usual, to all those who have discovered and joined the site over the last seven days.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 21:10:39 +0000
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