Monday 16 September 2013

Enthusiasts Day at Crich

Two generations of Blackpool toastrack trams at Crich, as 166 & 236 pass each other at the bandstand.


Saturday 14th September saw the annual Enthusiasts Day event at the tramway museum at Crich in Derbyshire. Throughout the day there were several photo opportunities on the depot track fan, and a grand total of sixteen passenger trams were planned to be in service. The first photo line up was entitled 'Little 'n' Large', which was Sheffield horse tram 15 posed alongside the largest tram in the collection, Blackpool Jubilee car 762. The morning service tram output consisted of Glasgow 22, Blackpool 40, Sheffield 74, Blackpool 166, Blackpool 167, Blackpool 236, Leeds 345 and Berlin 223 006-4. A display of London trams comprised the second photo opportunity of the day, consisting of London United Tramways 159, London Transport 1622 & 1 and Metropolitan 331. Midday saw Leicester 76, which normally lives in the exhibition hall, being displayed on the track fan alongside the hall. The afternoon service tram output consisted of Chesterfield 7, London United Tramways 159, Leeds 180, Leeds 399, Blackpool 630, Glasgow 812, Glasgow 1068 and London Transport 1622. The afternoon photo line-up was of five horse trams, Cardiff 21, Chesterfield 8, Oporto 9, Sheffield 15 and Leeds 107. Cardiff water car 131 was also in use throughout the day, giving platform rides to limited numbers of visitors along the tramway. See Blackpooltrams on Flickr for a photographic round-up of all the service trams and photo line-ups that took place during the day.

London United 159, London Transport 1622 & 1 and Metropolitan 331 on display on the depot track fan at Crich


Blackpool 40 and Leeds 345 pass by the depot entrance points, with the Bowes-Lyon bridge visible behind


Blackpool Brush 630 outside the Tea Rooms at Town End, with LUT 159 and Cardiff water car 131 behind


The magnificently restored 1902 London United Tramways 159 waiting at the museum entrance tram stop


Blackpool Pantograph car 167 passes the depot while working the morning passenger service


Crich's first service tram, Sheffield horse tram 15, and their largest tram, Blackpool Jubilee 762, on display together


Five horse trams on display outside the depot, Cardiff 21, Chesterfield 8, Oporto 9, Sheffield 15 and Leeds 107



2 comments:

  1. Hi Alan great pics as always. I wish you'd taken a paintbrush to 762 while you were there, however...the colour scheme/ad isn't quite in-keeping really...! Do you happen to know if they have any plans to repaint?

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    1. Hi Jill, yes 762 is a bit garish, unfortunately they'd have to do quite a bit of bodywork for it to look authentic in its old green and cream livery, as it's had quite a few modifications made to it since then, and Crich being Crich they won't want to do a half-hearted job on the restoration. As far as I know the short term plan is to keep 762 in the current advertising scheme, because at least it's an authentic livery in view of all the bodywork modifications.

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