1940s Photo Shoot

A photo shoot took place on Friday 26 March to publicise the Easter 1940s Weekend

Blackpool 712 (2)

Blackpool 712 before it leaves Blackpool, the tower can be seen in the background.

Back at Crich having been unloaded and washed.

Blackpool 712

Blackpool 712 arrived at the Museum this morning and was unloaded ready to take its place in the new Century of Trams Exhibition.

Toilet Progress

The toilet refurbishment at Town End is starting to take shape.

Banners

Banners are currently being hung in the Exhibition Hall

Leamington & Warwick

The Leamington & Warwick tram body gets moved into place.

1147 Moving to the Wash Bay

The Hague 1147 was moved from the depots and into the wash bay in order to be cleaned before being moved to the hall.

The Hague 1147

The Hague 1147 was taken out of the depots today and will be washed before being placed into its new position in the hall.

More Progress on the Century of Trams Exhibition

The graphics and lighting are being installed.

Towing Test

On Sunday morning the KLV was used to test its ability to recover a failed tramcar.  Here we can see 1622 being used to replicate such a situation.

KLV

The KLV was out on the main line today shunting the flat truck.

Exhibition Hall Progress

The new lobby being constructed.

The lighting being installed

The new flooring being layed.

and walls painted.

Laying Tarmac at Town End

Getting Involved

If you would like to get involved at the Museum you can become a member for just £21 per year and here are a couple of the events that you can get involved with.  If you would like to become a member click here.

May 1 2010 Members Day. Would you like to see behind the scenes at the museum or have a go at driving or conducting? To book a place contact Lynda Wright at lynda.wright@tramway.co.uk.


Tram Camp! Summer Working Week from 7 August to 15 August 2010. Come for a day or the whole week+. The most important event of the year is the Forties Weekend. Come and help prepare, help on the day or join a painting party! There's gardening work to do, railings to paint and lots more. Contact Lynda Wright for more information or to book a place.

Trams from Blackpool

Blackpool 249 (712) being painted for the Museum by Blackpool Transport Services. Here we see Ray Gardner applying the pre-war livery to the car. This will be one of the last heritage tramcars which he paints as he is due to retire shortly, after 29 years painting trams and buses for Blackpool Transport.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Trailer set 672/682 and Blackpool 648 are also reserved for the Museum collection.

Building the Entrance Lobby

Now that the demounting is complete, Haleysharpedesign have begun to construct the entrance lobby for the new Century of Trams Exhibition.

Best of Britain and Ireland Exhibition

Crich Tramway Village will be attending the Best of Britain and Ireland trade show at the Olympia in London from the 17-20th of March. The stand will be in a pod with Visit Peak District and Derbyshire. It will be an opportunity to meet new potential visitors to the Museum. Crich welcomes groups of all sizes and offers a discount for 10 or more people. There is free coach parking available and even free admission and refreshment voucher for the driver. If you would like to bring a group to the museum, please contact us for further details.

Preparing Trams

Leeds 602 and Sheffield 264 were being shunted today so that they can be washed in preparation for being displayed in the new exhibition.

Best Volunteer

During a ceremony at Chatsworth House Alan Barber was the winner of the 'Best Volunteer Award' in the Excel Tourism Awards 2010. Click here for further details.

Pictured above are the award winners for all the categories.

Track and Training

Further work has been carried out on the new track at Town End this week preparing the groundwork before the tarmac can be laid.

The former Croydon rail-mounted crane was in use on the main line this morning for training purposes.

Leicester 76

Leicester 76 has recently been washed and prepared for display in the new 'Century of Trams' Exhibition. This wash was the first time Leicester 76, the only surviving Leicester tram, has been outside for almost 20 years.

We have only recently discovered that 76 never actually ran in this condition in Leicester, though other Leicester trams did. Leicester adopted a strange half enclosed balcony design with a window that wrapped around the seats on the balconies to protect the passengers from the weather.

76 was the first tram to be restored at the Museum, being fully restored in the Stone Workshop after being used as a cricket pavilion in Yorkshire.