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The current operating fleet at Heaton Park consists of: *Manchester 765 - single deck 'combination' car dating from 1914 and restored locally in the 1970s *Blackpool Brush Car 623 dating from the 1930's and made its preservaton debut in January 2012 currently on loan in Blackpool *Hull 96 A 1901 built tramcar which was our last major workshop project being completed in October 2015. *Blackpool 619 - replica of a Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramroad vanguard built in 1987 Also resident but currently out of service are *Stockport 5 - A four wheel open top Stockport with reverse staircases built in 1901 on loan from it's owning group the friends of 5, currently undergoing overhaul in our workshop. * Blackpool 752 - the tramway's multi-purpose works car which was acquired from Blackpool in 2008, *Blackpool 702 - Currently stored in Lakeside depot awaiting overhaul to return to operational condition * Manchester 173 - 1901 built short canopy open topper, currently awaiting workshop capacity for its restoration to be completed * Oldham 43 - Built in 1903 acquired by the society in 2014 after being rescued from a farm, a longer term project. * Manchester Horse Bus * Rawtenstall 23 - awaiting major restoration and currently stored in various pieces Several other trams are housed off-site. Reversible Horse car L53 is in Bury Transport Museum Blackpool 680 is on loan to Blackpool heritage tram tours Blackpool Balloon is in store in Rigby Road Depot, Blackpool.
Mission: Current projects for the 100% volunteer based society include the overhaul and return to service of 1901 Built Open Top Tram Stockport Number 5, tidying and improving the areas immediately adjacent to the tramway and increasing our volunteer numbers
Operating as usual
Another working day and another glimpse of 752 shows the latest area of Lakeside depot being tidied, ballasted and ready for concreting so that more racking can be erected to allow the tidying and organising to continue.
If you'd like to help us with the cost of the concrete please visit buff.ly/3hpJ8yx
#throwbackthursday
As Blackpool 1 (752) has been so heavily featured this week, we though we would show a picture of it in 2009 not long after it arrived from Blackpool.
It is seen here stabled on depot road
Its amazing what a few days can do.
Despite Wednesday evening making the side of Blackpool 1 (752) very cluttered, by the end of Saturday the area was much, tidier with all the stored items being much clearer and tidied away.
buff.ly/3hpJ8yx
Sometimes to get the work completed we need to move a lot of trams outside to have room.
On this occasion Blackpool 702, Blackpool 1 (752) Manchester 173 and Blackpool 623 were all outside. Despite quite a nice day there was a large amount of shade just outside the depot.
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We thought we would show you another sneaky peek of the work going on inside Lakeside.
Somehow it seems Blackpool Works Car 1 (752) has managed to creep into all these pictures so we will be seeing a lot of it this week.
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The landscaping team down at Middleton Road depot are not to be forgotten with the back breaking but visually pleasing work they have been carrying out.
Depot road is now looking much more loved again from the overgrown condition that we returned to find it in.
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#throwbackthursday
We've been doing some research into tramway overhead fittings and styles and came across this image in our archive.
As its only just up the road from where we are based we thought we would share it with you despite not having a tram in the picture.
Other than the lack of overhead wires and tram tracks the scene is not much changed today.
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#workshopwednesday
You can see the roof of the workshop so that counts right?
During recent repair works to our overhead a few months back a temporary repair was carried out which unfortunately left the wire twisted and very difficult to run trams through.
This has now been corrected by our overhead team and some of the looseness in the wire removed in the process.
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Our team have continued to make the most of the sunshine with the paint brushes coming out again.
This time it was the turn of our lifting frame which was wheeled outside in order to be rubbed down and primed with red oxide ahead of a repaint.
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Its always nice to see the rare members of our fleet outside & the work inside Lakeside has given us plenty of opportunity to do this.
This Saturday was another one of those occasions with 173 towed out into the sunshine in order to allow work alongside road one to be carried out.
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As part of our efforts to clean up and make the tramway more presentable we have been lavishing some much needed care and attention upon Lakeside railings.
These have all been sandblasted to remove any debris or loose paint before being painted back up with fresh coats of Hammerite to preserve them from the Manchester elements.
#throwbackthursday
The sight of Hull Tram 96 waiting at Middleton Road gates is a very common one normally.
However on the 14th June 1988 that sight was seen for the very first time as Hull 96 arrived at Heaton Park fresh from its overhaul from dilapidated works car to operational passenger car.
Image courtesy of Keith Chadbourne
Although we haven't quite made it into our workshop yet we have been cleaning along the depot road approach track to reduce the weeds.
We're always very aware of the role we play within the park and strive to keep the areas we are responsible for presentable.
As pictures of our shunt went down so well last week we thought we would bring you one more but from a slightly different perspective.
This fantastic image shows 7 of our fleet stabled at Lakeside. Blackpool 702, 619 and 623. Manchester 765 and Hull 96 with the two top decks of 173 and Stockport 5 also in view.
Its not just inside Lakeside depot that's been receiving some much needed attention.
We're trying to improve the whole area around it and as part of this a team of people have been scraping, sanding and painting which even after just one coat of paint we think shows a major improvement.
#throwbackthursday
This 1940 Image taken by Stan Hope captures not just the tram itself but a real scene of the times.
Manchester Tram 1052 is seen here in Hazel Grove surrounded by buildings, vehicles and sign written adverts of the period.
With a good chunk of the heavy work starting to come together in Lakeside we've been planning for the next phase of our works and this has meant a bit of a reshuffle of the fleet.
Therefore last Saturday a large shunt took place which meant that at one point all of the trams in our collection were at Lakeside leading to some great photo opportunities such as this one showing Manchester 765, Manchester 173, Hull 96 & Stockport 5.
*Notice*
Taster Tram Driver Experiences.
This notice if for any customers who have already purchased a Taster Tram Driving Experience for 2020.
Please click the link below.
http://hptramway.co.uk/notice-taster-tram-driver-experiences/
**Notice** – Taster Tram Driver Experiences This notice if for any customers who have already purchased a Taster Tram Driving Experience for 2020, only Dear All, On behalf of everyone at Heaton Park Tramway, thank you for your patience and we hope you are all doing well. It has been a hard few of ...
Don't Forgot all the ways you can help us out.
We know we keep asking but we really do need your help in achieving our goals, in whatever small way you can.
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With Oldham 43 enjoying a day out last weekend, the area around it could be tidied the rails of road 3 where it normally resides extended and ballasted..
Extending this track to the wall will give us a bit of extra railed space in order to store our Permanent Way trolleys on the rails making them much easier to extract.
#throwbackthursday
This week we're changing location and travelling back in time a bit further to 1898.
The Location is London Road outside the train station in an area not unfamiliar to trams even now. However the horse trams seen in this image are very different from todays modern vehicles.
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#workshopwedenesday becomes Permanent Way Wednesday
Our team are making the most of having full possession of the running line to catch up on our track maintenance with work recently focusing on assessing and tightening loose track joints along the length of the line.
Our ongoing works inside Lakeside depot gave us a rare opportunity this weekend for Oldham Corporation Tramways 43 to be pictured outside.
This 1901 built future restoration project can be seen here at Lakeside points alongside Blackpool 623 and Manchester 765.
The battle against nature never stops.
It doesn't seem that long since the area at Lakeside was an empty building site and devoid of vegetation.
Our volunteers have been working very hard on taking this undergrowth and self seeded trees back to the hill line in order to improve the appearance of the area at Lakeside
#throwbackthursday
It seems Manchester Town Hall in Albert Square was often used as a back drop for photos as this image from 1905 shows.
Pictured this time is Manchester 136 a 4 wheel open topped tram similar to our own Manchester 173.
#workshopwednesday
One of our next projects for completion in our workshops is Vanguard 619 seen here at the newly laid end of Lakeside depot's road one where no tram has been before.
With the recent good weather though the team have understandably been focussing their efforts on outside works.
Manchester 765 has been out for a run recently in order to identify areas of our track that may require some attention during our current works.
Whilst out on the line we couldn't resist stopping for a minute to appreciate the wonderful backdrop of the Heaton Park & Hall Landscape
Despite us not operating at the moment it important to keep our trams as spick and span as possible especially with so many dirty jobs going on around them.
We are especially grateful for the assistance of volunteers from the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society for helping in this task whilst there own tramway remains closed.
Its not just Lakeside where all the action is at the moment either.
In order to tidy up the areas along the tramways route and ensure that the required clearance from the track is maintained a small band of volunteers has been doing some "apocalyptic pruning" as we like to call it.
We certainly think the area looks much tidier already even before they move on to weeding and tidying up the stone setts.
#throwbackthusrday
This weeks image is this fantastic photo of Albert Square in Manchester taken in 1942 as Manchester Pilcher car 242 is seen outside Manchester Town Hall.
We know we said we weren't going to show any more images from inside Lakeside till it was done but we just couldn't resist this one.
Manchester 765 is seen here on road one of Lakeside depot lights ablaze alongside our new concrete floor.
We are delighted to announce the latest additions to our Collection
We are very excited to announce that we are becoming the new custodians of the 7 1/4" gauge Wooton Tramway complete with functioning overhead and two trams constructed and owned by Howard Burford who has kindly donated the system to our tramway
We are very grateful for Howards generosity and aim to ensure intend to take the very best care of the tramway and use it as our outreach program and continue to tour it to events in the future using the portable track and specially adapted caravan that the equipment is contained within.
As soon as storage arrangements are finalised the team will be heading to the Isle of Wight to collect it.
Our recent work to improve Lakeside depot has been made much easier by the valued assistance of Creamy Crete and their fantastic service.
We're not showing too many much pictures inside the shed now as we want to save the impact of the finished job for you all to see.
Heaton Park Tramway, C/o Park Manager's Office, Heaton Park, Manchester
Manchester
M25 2SW
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As we have mentioned in previous posts, 765 has had some work to refurbish the destination boxes ahead of its appearance at Beamish Museum for the Great North Steam fair. This includes the work to the mechanisms and a new set of blinds. With a week to go before the steam fair it is time we shared this little video of the new blinds in action.
2 weeks ago today 765 left us for Beamish. She has been on several test runs already and is in good shape to take part in their Great North Steam Fair in April. http://hptramway.co.uk/index.php/2019/02/17/765-test-runs-at-beamish/ http://www.beamish.org.uk/events/great-north-steam-fair/
The line is jointly run by the Manchester Transport Museum Society, who own a number of vintage trams and Manchester city council. The current operating fleet at Heaton Park consists of: *Manchester 765 - single deck 'combination' car dating from 1914 and restored locally in the 1970s
*Hull 96 A 1901 built tramcar which was our last major workshop project being completed in October 2015.
*Blackpool Brush Car 623 dating from the 1930's and made its preservaton debut in January 2012 Also resident but currently out of service are *Stockport 5 - A four wheel open top Stockport with reverse staircases built in 1901 on loan from it's owning group the friends of 5, currently undergoing overhaul in our workshop. *Blackpool 619 - replica of a Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramroad vanguard built in 1987, currently undergoing overhaul in our workshop * Blackpool 752 - the tramway's multi-purpose works car which was acquired from Blackpool in 2008, *Blackpool 702 - Currently stored in Lakeside depot awaiting overhaul to return to operational condition * Manchester 173 - 1901 built short canopy open topper, currently awaiting workshop capacity for its restoration to be completed * Oldham 43 - Built in 1903 acquired by the society in 2014 after being rescued from a farm, a longer term project. * Manchester Horse Bus * Rawtenstall 23 - awaiting major restoration and currently stored in various pieces Several other trams are housed off-site. Reversible Horse car L53 is in Bury Transport Museum Blackpool 680 is on loan to Blackpool heritage tram tours Blackpool Balloon is in store in Rigby Road Depot, Blackpool.
Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester
Boyle Street, Cheetham
Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester
Boyle Street, Cheetham
