1973

Tony Bacon became the Museum’s second full time paid employee during 1973. He retained his positions as Workshop Superintendant and Mechanical Engineer.

From the start of electric tramcar operation in 1964, visitors had been offered return rides to and from Town End with no one being allowed to alight at the far end of the line. However the introduction of VAT resulted in a change of policy whereby passengers were allowed, but not encouraged to alight at Wakebridge. Wooden ramps were built at Wakebridge and an ex-Leeds request tram stop was erected opposite the oil stores (now the Craft Cottage). A former Bradford taxi drivers’ shelter had been donated in 1972 and this was installed at Wakebridge. Over the years it has been moved twice but it is still at Wakebridge. It is in a reasonable state of repair but some of the woodwork needs replacing. If anyone would like to volunteer for this please contact Lynda Wright at Lynda.Wright@tramway.co.uk .

Starting in 1970 the Peak District Mines Historical Society created a Derbyshire lead mining display at Wakebridge. At first this could only be seen from the trams but from 1973 visitors could have a closer look. The mining display has been maintained and developed over the years by the P DMHS and is staffed most Sundays.

The big event of April and May was the filming of sequences for an ITV television film, Shabby Tiger based on a novel by Howard Spring. A set was built in front of the stone workshop and Johannesburg 60 and Blackpool 49 were disguised to resemble Manchester trams 717 and 327. Most of the filming was during the day but there were some night time scenes. One of which entailed 717 coming down the line and reversing quickly at Town End so as to be seen again going back up the line. TMS members familiar with turning trolleys and releasing back hand brakes were equipped with a powerful torch to see the wire and told to turn it as fast as you can whilst the driver ran to the other end. Denis Higgins and Keith Chadbourne, both natives of Manchester, spent a whole week at the Museum to act as drivers or conductors when required.

Work on building the Assembly Rooms had continued throughout the winter and spring until early May when the scaffolding was removed and work postponed until autumn. During May an exhibition called Trams and Royalty was set up using the area immediately in front of the partially complete Assembly Rooms for an outdoor display. The space between the buttresses was used for indoor exhibits. The area was fenced off with a wooden fence and a small charge was made for admission.

Between August 1971 and February 1973 over 200 tons of virtually unworn straight rail in good lengths was acquired from Bulwell and Trent Bridge depots in Nottingham. The stone workshop track was reconnected to the depot fan in January and a wash bay for trams was constructed which had a concrete floor, a water supply, moveable wooden gantries and, most importantly, drains. The track in Depot IV was realigned and later in the year the floor was concreted. All the site preparation and shuttering was done by volunteers. Ready-mix concrete was delivered to the appropriate track on the depot fan and then a simple hand operated hopper wagon was used to transfer the wet concrete to the required location where volunteers were waiting with shovels and shuffle boards. Following this the track to Derwent View was reconnected (This area is now occupied by the traverser). Later in the year preparations were made for concertina doors for Depot II and the overhead wire was modified to negotiate the cross beams.

Glasgow 1297 received a repaint and a coat of varnish during the winter. Blackpool & Fleetwood (rack) 2 received a thorough electrical and mechanical overhaul early in 1973. During the following winter the interior was refurbished with old scumble paint being scraped from the ceiling to reveal the original light and dark woodwork. Leicester 76 spent several weeks in the workshop when the staircases were stripped and repainted. Work had continued on Leeds 399 at the back of Depot V including new upper deck wooden seats made from pitch pine from the former Woodhouse Moor Methodist Church in Leeds. Tony Bacon was establishing a formal maintenance programme in the new workshop and noted 23 outstanding jobs on Sheffield 264. Blackpool 166 had its bogies stripped down and cleaned and the wheels reprofiled by British Rail at Doncaster. On one occasion a team of eight volunteers were employed on the bodywork: two preparing frames, two gluing these frames, two nailing slats in position and finally two removing surplus glue from the finished product. 166 was reunited with its bogies on 17th February 1974.

The Extravaganza tram service was operated with four pairs of two double deckers and Rack 2 and Sheffield 46 operating Cabin Specials (a shuttle service from Cabin to Town End slotted in between service cars). Air displays were organised by the Northern Aircraft Preservation Society including a Lancaster and a Spitfire. There were also modern Jet Provosts giving displays of aerobatics and formation flying. The narrow gauge railway was modernised and extended using a battery electric locomotive rather than the steam engine, Pixie, which had been used in previous years.

For an experimental period of seven weekends a combined admission – tram ride – exhibition ticket system was introduced. The price was 25p for adults and 15p for children and car parking was included. Specially printed tickets were sold at the entrance and cancelled by the conductors. Additional tram rides were chargeable. This experiment was judged a success and became permanent in 1974.

15 passenger trams were used in 1973: Blackpool 2, 40, 49, Glasgow 22, 812, 1100, 1115, 1297, Leeds 180, Leicester 76, Prague 180, Sheffield 46, 264, 510 and Vienna 4225.

1974

An Extraordinary General Meeting was held in January 1974 to consider a report by professional fund raisers known as the Wells Organisation. After a lively debate the meeting adopted a resolution “that this meeting recognising the desirability of the Society adopting a development programme to enable the works and other improvements listed in the table to the Wells Report be carried out, gives general approval to the proposals contained in the Report for raising funds to meet that programme”. Following this Mr Gamble of the Wells Organisation commenced a three month tour of duty as a part-time fund raising organiser and a Steering Group was set up in July with a view to producing a fund raising brochure.

In November 1973 a small team of TMS members had dismantled the wrought iron gates at the entrance to the private roadway to Marylebone Station in London. This work had been carried out between midday on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon when the hired lorry set off for Bonwell Street to collect some slot rail and then for Crich. The gates were re-erected at Town End during 1974.

Work by contractors on the Assembly Rooms had re-started during the winter and was completed in the spring. A new exhibition called Trams and Speed was then set up using some of the outside exhibits from 1973. Routine maintenance was carried out during the winter on the main line track and overhead. Concertina doors were fitted to Depots II and III and the wooden doors were moved from Depot III to V resulting in all the depots having doors for the first time.

Turning to the trams, Southampton 45 was replaced by Blackpool 166 in the stone workshop so that 166 could be painted. Glasgow 812 spent some time in the workshop for general repairs including welding sheet steel to the dash panels. Leeds 180 took its place in the workshop for a new lower saloon floor and a truck overhaul. Oporto 9 had spent the previous summer out of doors as part of the Trams & Royalty exhibition and its paintwork received some attention.

MET 331 had been placed on accommodation bogies in September 1974 so that its own could be restored. The trucks were stripped down and renovated in the workshop and its wheels were re-profiled by British Rail Engineering. It was the first time that roller bearing axle boxes had been dismantled and restored at Crich. All low current wiring was renewed, the air brake, sanding equipment and life guards were renovated and the car’s underside was de-rusted and painted. Its traction motors were found to be in good order but the main body suspension units were badly worn and grease nipples were fitted to the new ones. 331 made several test runs in September. Blackpool 166 entered service on 18th August following a celebration party the previous day.

Admission prices were raised in October to 30p for adults and 20p for children. Admission money was collected on the roadway to the car park and Ultimate tickets were issued. These included one tram ride and were cancelled by tram conductors who also issued a traditional punch ticket in exchange.

As an aside the following trams were stored at Clay Cross at the end of 1974: Blackpool box 40, Cardiff 131, Derby 1, Howth 10, Gateshead 52, Grimsby & Immingham 14, Newcastle 102 and the steam tram engine.

13 passenger trams were used in 1974: Blackpool 2, 40, 166, Glasgow 22, 812, 1100, 1115, 1297, Leicester 76, Prague 180, Sheffield 189, 264 and Vienna 4225.

1975

In February 1975 a volunteer working party dismantled the gates from the Birmingham Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Markets and transported them to Crich for future use. Some 70 tons of small stones was used to grade the entrance slope from the Marylebone Gates to the Assembly Rooms. This area was asphalted later in the year. A new entrance was made for Cliffe Cottage (now known as Poplar House) separated by a stone wall and Birmingham railings.

Another winter 74/75 project was improvements to the public entrance which was a muddy path alongside the top road leading to a short flight of steps where the Red Lion is now. Between November and March, volunteers laid kerbstones alongside the roadway and the top of the bank side to enclose 10 tons of small stones which had to be levelled before contractors asphalted it just before Easter.

Work continued on installing overhead wires in Depot III and concertina doors replaced the wooden ones of Depot IV. The drum clock was added to the side of the stone workshop and has remained there until the present day. Field Cottage was acquired through the good offices of the late John Price. The major winter 1975/76 project was track reconstruction at Wakebridge to convert the ‘Y’ into a passing loop with a siding.

Noisy trams and wear of both the rails and wheel flanges in dry weather were becoming a source of concern. Simple remedies such as running Sheffield 330 to water the track or manually applying grease to the sides of the rail groove were only partially successful. Welding to build up the check rail was tried unsuccessfully. Track lubricators or automatic grease applicators were however often attached to the rails of sharply curved railway branch lines. The manufacturers were contacted and their technical director confirmed that they could be modified for tram rail and suggested that just north of Cabin Crossing was the best location. As far as was known, this was the first installation of such lubricators on tram section rail in the UK, and was the first modern purposely manufactured tramway equipment put to use at Crich. They remained in use for more than 30 years when they were replaced with similar but more compact units.

Four trams were moved in the second week of March 1975. Newcastle 102 moved from the Clay Cross store to Crich and then Blackpool 02 provided a return load. Next was DHMD 1 which moved from the former British Transport Museum at Clapham to Crich and finally Blackpool 1 (now 4) moved from Clapham to Clay Cross. In July Blackpool 59 (the Dreadnought) was moved from Clay Cross to Blackpool and displayed on the Prom to raise funds for Blackpool Civic Trust’s restoration plan. Blackpool Coronation 641 (now 304) provided a return load.

Turning to the trams themselves, Glasgow W21 was displayed outside the Assembly Rooms as part of the Trams and Strife exhibition. DHMD 1 arrived in full working order and made a test run on 20th April. Some work was required on Newcastle 102 but it entered service on 21st June following a launching ceremony. During the winter work had been carried out on the north platform of Glasgow 1100 followed by a partial repaint. Sheffield 264 had some temporary repairs just before the Extravaganza and then was lifted from its truck in the autumn. New lino was fitted in the lower saloon and the platforms early in 1976. Work continued on Leeds 180 and Southampton 45. Glasgow 22 received a truck overhaul during the winter of 1975/76. Although not strictly a tram, a wheel lathe was acquired on loan from British Steel Corporation and placed in store at Clay cross.

16 passenger trams were used in 1975: Blackpool 2, 40, 49, 166, Glasgow 22, 812, 1100, 1115, Leeds 180, 602, Leicester 76, Newcastle 102, Prague 180, Sheffield 189, 264 and Vienna 4225.

The following pictures were taken on the same day featuring most of the trams that were operable in 1975.The following pictures were taken on the same day featuring most of the trams that were operable in 1975.

Richard Lomas
6th October 2010

To be continued . . .