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National Tram Museum
National Tram Museum

The National Tramway Museum is located in the historic village of Crich, Derbyshire. Exhibits move through the ancient streets, making the village a museum. A tavern, café, patisserie, park, and tram depot are all available. The Eagle Press, a tiny printmaking museum featuring a Columbian printing press from 1859, is located in the hamlet.

crich tramway museum 2016

A diverse fleet of trams transports visitors to the National Museum over a single one-mile route out of the hamlet and back. Until the 1960s, the trams on show at Crunch ran on urban circuits in numerous British cities. Some trams have been saved and restored since this means of transportation was abolished (there are even exhibits from other countries & even from east anglian railway museum).

With a few exceptions (e.g., Blackpool), most tram networks were decommissioned by the 1960s. The Glasgow Tramways Corporation (1962), whose tramways are prominently exhibited in the museum, was the last to close. Some tram lines, such as London's Croydon Tramlink, Sheffield Supertram, Midland Metro, Edinburgh Trams, Manchester Metrolink, and Nottingham Express Transit, have been restored or recreated in recent years.

For a long time, George Stephenson, the renowned innovative engineer and "father" of Britain's railways, resided in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Stephenson discovered significant coal reserves in the Clay Cross area while building the North Midland Railway from Derby to Rotherham and Leeds, which led to new economic prospects. Stephenson opted to use the local coal and limestone to create quicklime for agricultural uses and then transport the final product via the newly built railway because Creech was already well recognized for its high grade limestone. Stephenson's business bought Cliff Quarry, which is now the location of Creech's tram village. The North Midland Railway link also allowed the quarry to be connected to the lime kilns via the Ambergate Junction Railway Station. George Stephenson was born in Wylam, Northumberland, in 1781, but spent the last 10 years of his life in Chesterfield, where he frequently invited people to Creech to see the'mineral' railway and visit one of the local pubs. He died in 1848 and is buried in Chesterfield's Holy Trinity Church. After Stephenson's death, his railway continued to serve the public for many years.

The museum's origin begins in August 1948, when a group of enthusiasts decided to preserve an open tram from being dismantled by buying it back for £10 during its final farewell journey in Southampton. This tram, number 45, is now on display in Creech as a working exhibit. There were no railway museums at the time, and the idea of a museum village with working trams seemed far-fetched. Despite this, the Tramway Museum Society was established in 1955, and in 1963, it was turned into a charity educational foundation. Over the years, Tramway Museum aficionados of all ages and walks of life collaborated to develop the museum that exists today. The museum is now a self-supporting organisation that relies on grants from individuals and foundations such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council's Designation Challenge Fund, and the DEFRA Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. The museum now houses around 60 trams from all throughout the country, the majority of which are double-decker trams built between 1900 and 1930. Professional conductor-guides discuss the fascinating history of each tram with guests.

Trams of various types
Trams of various types

Tramway and light railway society have been in use since the 19th century, and there have been many different purposes and designs for trams all across the world since then. This article discusses the various design types of trams, including articulated, double-decker, drop-centre, low-floor, single ended, double-ended, rubber-tired, and tram-train; and the historical and current uses of trams, including cargo trams, a dog car, hearse trams, maintenance trams, a mobile library service, a nursery tram, a restaurant tram, a tourist tram, and as mobile offices.

crich tramway museum 1940's weekend

Tram Design Types

Each pioneering example of twin-section articulated tram vehicle, created and originally utilized by the Boston Elevated Railway in 1912–13 with a total length of about twelve meters (40 feet), has two or more body sections, joined by flexible joints.A Jacobs bogie facilitates the articulation between the two or more carbody parts in the koda ForCity, the world's first 100 percent low floor tram using pivoting bogies. An articulated tram can have a low-floor or a high-floor (normal) floor. Newer trams can be up to 72 meters (236 feet) long and transport 510 people at a comfortable 4 passengers per square meter. This would be significantly higher with crush loadings.

Double Decker

A tram with two floors is known as a double-decker tram. The tops of certain double-decker trams are open. Horse-drawn trams were the first double-deck trams. The National Tramway Museum has one of the first electric double-deck trams, which was built for the Blackpool Tramway in 1885.Before most tramways were pulled down in the 1950s and 1960s, double decker trams were widespread in the United Kingdom and Dublin, Ireland. In 1912, the New York Railways tried out a Brill double deck Hedley-Doyle stepless centre entrance car, which was dubbed the "Broadway Battleship" and spread to other large streetcars. [4] Double-decker trams were widely used in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The most unique double-decker tram once ran between Leonora, a remote Western Australian outback town, and Gwalia, a nearby village.Alexandria, Blackpool, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Oranjestad still have double decker trams.

Drop-Centre (center section lowered)

Many trams in the early twentieth century had a lowered middle portion between the bogies (trucks). This simplified passenger access by lowering the number of steps required to enter the vehicle. "Drop-centres" was a common nickname for these vehicles. The design is thought to have begun in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1906, when Boon & Co Ltd. constructed twenty-six trams in three series. Several of these trams have been saved. They were a popular design.

Low ceilings

A "low-floor" tram (left) and a "high-floor" tram (right) (right). Tram producers have been attempting to lower the tram's floor level since the 1990s.Since the 1990s, light rail cars that aren't designed for a high platform light rail system have had a partial or full low-floor design, with the floor 300 to 360 mm (11. 8 to 14. 2 in) above the rail, a capacity not present in older vehicles. This permits them to load passengers directly from low-rise platforms that are little more than raised footpaths/sidewalks, including people in wheelchairs or using perambulators. This addresses the criteria to offer impaired travelers with access without the use of costly wheelchair lifts while also making boarding faster and easier for other passengers. Passengers like how easy it is to board and disembark from low-floor trams, as well as how easy it is to move around inside 100% low-floor trams. Low-floor trams have a high level of passenger satisfaction. Since the 1990s, in some jurisdictions, such as, this has been made required.Various companies have developed low-floor designs, ranging from part-low-floor (with internal steps between the low-floor section and the high-floor sections over the bogies) to full-low-floor (with internal steps between the low-floor section and the high-floor sections over the bogies), such as Citytram. Prior to the advent of the koda ForCity, this had the mechanical disadvantage of having bogies to be fixed and unable to swivel (except in some trams for less than 5 degrees), decreasing curve negotiation. This causes the tracks and wheels to wear out prematurely.Many cities throughout the world currently have low-floor trams, including Adelaide, Amsterdam, Bratislava, Dublin, Gold Coast, Helsinki, Hiroshima, Houston, Istanbul, Melbourne, Milan, Prague, Sydney, Lviv, and many more.The Ultra-Low Floor or (ULF) tram is a low-floor tram that has been operating since 1997 in Vienna, Austria, and Oradea, Romania, having the lowest floor-height of any such vehicle. Unlike other low-floor trams, the ULF's interior floor is at sidewalk height (approximately 18 cm or 7 inches above the road surface), making it easy for passengers in wheelchairs or with baby carriages to board the tram. A new undercarriage was required for this setup. The traction motors' axles had to be replaced with a sophisticated electronic steering system. Under the car's top, auxiliary gadgets are fitted.The mechanical disadvantage of most low-floor trams is that bogies must be fixed and unable to pivot. This causes excessive wear on the rails and wheels, as well as a reduction in the speed at which a tram can navigate a curve.

History of tramway
History of tramway

Trams and their history

Trams, streetcars, the old railway line, and trolleys have a long history dating back to the early 1800s. Trams, streetcars, and trolleys have a long history dating back to the early 1800s. It can be separated into numerous distinct periods based on the primary source of motive power.

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Horse-drawn

In 1807, the Swansea and Mumbles Railway began operating the world's first passenger tram service. 1870s, Houston, Texas, United States of America Around 1910, employees of the Adelaide South Australia horse tram at the depot (possibly Unley). As of 2017, the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway in Douglas, Isle of Man, was still in operation. The Swansea and Mumbles Railway in Wales, UK, was the world's first passenger tram. The British Parliament authorized the Mumbles Railway Act in 1804, and the first horse-drawn passenger tramway began running in 1807.It was operated by steam from 1877 to 1961, and then by very large (106-seater) electric tramcars from 1929 until 1961.BirkenheadThe town of Wirral, on the Wirral Peninsula, had become the first in Europe to have a street tramway. When George Francis Train, an American, installed track from Woodside Ferry Birkenhead Park Main Entrance and conducted a horse drawn car service, it was the start of it all. The Corporation of Birkenhead's Birkenhead Corporation Tramways began operating on February 4, 1901, first to New Ferry and thereafter around the town. It was decommissioned on July 17, 1937.In 1832, the first streetcar in America, designed by John Stephenson, commenced service.This was the Fourth Avenue Line of the New York and Harlem Railroad, which operated along the Bowery in New York City. These trams were a type of animal railway, with horses and mules pulling the cars in pairs. Other animals, including people in emergency situations, were only used on rare occasions. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, it was followed in 1835 by New Orleans, Louisiana, which has the world's oldest continually running street railway system.In 1839, the first tram in Continental Europe debuted in France, running between Montbrison and Montrond on city streets and along the roadside outside of town. It had steam traction approval, but it was totally powered by horses. It was shut down in 1848 due to continuous financial failures. The tram system grew in popularity in many European cities (some of the most extensive systems were located in Berlin). Budapest Leningrad, Birmingham London Lisbon Manchester Paris The first tram in South America debuted in Santiago, Chile on June 10, 1858. In 1860, Sydney became the first city in Australia to use trams. On January 8, 1863, the first tram service in Africa began in Alexandria. In Batavia (now Jakarta), Netherlands East Indies, the first trams were introduced in 1869. (now Indonesia) Horsecars had a number of drawbacks, including the fact that each animal could only work for a certain number of hours per day, had to be housed, groomed, fed, and cared for on a daily basis, and produced copious amounts of manure, which the streetcar company was responsible for storing and then disposing of. Many systems need ten or more horses in stable for each horsecar because a typical horse drew a streetcar for around a dozen miles per day and worked for four or five hours.

Steam

Around 1900, a German steam tram engine from the Cologne-Bonn railway pulls a train through the Brühl marketplace. Steam was used to power the earliest mechanical trams. There were two types of steam trams in general. The first and most common had a tiny steam locomotive tram engine (akin to a small train) at the head of a line of one or more cars. Christchurch, New Zealand, had a system using steam trams.South Australia is an Australian state.; Sydney, Australia, and other New South Wales city systems Munich, Germany (since August 1883), British India (Pakistan) (from 1885), and Ireland's Dublin & Blessington Steam Tramway (since 1888). In the suburbs of Milan and Padua, steam tramways were also utilized; the last Gamba de Legn ("Peg-Leg") tramway ran on the Milan-Magenta-Castano Primo route in late 1958. [needs citation] The other type of steam tram, known as a tram engine steam dummy, had the steam engine built into the tram's body (US). The most well-known system to use trams was Paris. Between 1909 and 1939, steam trams designed by the French ran in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.Between 1887 to 1901, the island of Södermalm in Stockholm, Sweden, had a steam tram line.Tram engines were frequently modified to make them suitable for use on city streets in residential areas. For safety and to make the engines quieter, the wheels and other moving portions of the machinery were frequently encased. It was common practice to take precautions to keep the engines from releasing visible smoke or steam. To prevent producing smoke, the engines usually ran on coke rather of coal.To avoid visible steam, superheated condensers were utilized. The limited room for the engine was a key disadvantage of this tram type, which meant that these trams were frequently underpowered. From the 1890s through the 1900s, steam tram engines were phased out and replaced by electric trams.

Cable-hauled

Trams powered by gas, namely naphtha coal gas, were used in a variety of systems around the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Gas trams are reported to have operated between Alphington Clifton Hill in Melbourne's northern suburbs (1886–1888); Berlin and Dresden, Germany; Jelenia Góra Cieplice Sobieszów, Poland (from 1897); and Lytham St Annes Neath Trafford Park, Manchester (1897–1908).Mr Noble had exhibited a new'motor car' for tramways'successfully,' according to a report from the San Francisco Bulletin. The tramcar, which was "absolutely equivalent in size, shape, and capacity to a cable grip car," used gas as its "motive power," with the reservoir being "charged once a day at power stations via a rubber hose." The automobile also had an electrical generator for 'lighting up the tram as well as driving the engine on steep gradients and starting the motor'.Gas trams have received relatively little attention. However, for an article in the October 2011 edition of "The Times," the historical journal of the Australian Association of Timetable Collectors, now the Australian Timetable Association, study on the subject was conducted. In Malaysia, a tram system powered by compressed natural gas was set to open, but the project's progress appears to have stalled..

A LIVING RAILWAY MUSEUM FOR FAMILIES
A LIVING RAILWAY MUSEUM FOR FAMILIES

Our Victorian buildings, rebuilt trains, and working signal boxes tell a narrative of a time when the railway was one of the main employers in the region, and we are a working museum dedicated to preserving the history of railroads in the Eastern Counties.

THE MUSEUM'S LATEST NEWS

Thomas has a day off. Important Information for the 30th and 31st of October 2021 This weekend, Thomas and Friends will be joining us for our Day Out with Thomas event! Please be informed that this event is strictly by pre-booked ticket only, and that admittance is strictly by pre-booked ticket only.

The emergence of society

The museum was founded on September 24, 1968, as the Stour Valley Railway Preservation Society. After obtaining a lease from British Rail to use the abandoned goods yard and railway infrastructure, including the station building, the SVRPS was founded in December 1969 at Chappel & Wakes Colne Station. Three months later, the first public steam day was held.

The goods shed and station buildings were promptly rebuilt, with a workshop established in the goods shed to allow for rolling stock maintenance and restoration.

The Museum's Beginnings

The East Anglian Railway Museum was renamed The Stour Valley Railway Preservation Society in 1986 to reflect its concentration on representing railway history in the Eastern Counties rather than only operating trains. In 1991, the museum was granted charitable status (Registered Charity No. 1001579), and in 1995, it was designated as a Registered Museum.

Since 2005, the museum has placed a greater emphasis on interpretation and display facilities, and a wide range of fundraising events are held each year to support the museum's activities.

locomotives powered by steam

With Henrietta coach, a John Fowler & Co 0-4-0 is utilized as a Toby the Tram Engine. Industrial steam locomotives in varying levels of repair are on display at the museum.

Built in 1936 for the Bowaters Paper Railway, outside cylinder Works No. 2542 "Jubilee" After an 18-month refit, it was reintroduced to traffic in April 2007 and is now regularly utilized on steam trains.

Percy the Small Engine was painted bright green and given some cosmetic improvements. Friends of Thomas the Tank Engine Outside cylinder Works No. 1047 "Storefield" by Andrew Barclay, manufactured in 1905.

After a rebuild, it reopened to traffic in 1999. In 2005, it was taken out of service, and a new overhaul was completed in August 2015.

ST inside No. 54 "Pen Green" cylinder, produced in 1941. 7031 (Works No.) Following conversion into a version of Thomas the Tank Engine, it entered service on March 21, 2008. The boiler was overhauled in the spring of 2017, and the ticket expires in 2027.

Currently undergoing renovations

Outside cylinder Works No. 2670 Lamport No. 3 W. G. Bagnall 0-6-0ST The building was completed in 1942. In March 2013, it arrived at the East Anglian Railway Museum from the Battlefield Line Railway. Dark green paint with red and yellow lines. This locomotive is undergoing maintenance right now. New boiler tubes and a new firebox are required for the locomotive.

"A J Hill " inside cylinder No. 7999 (BR No. 69621) "T within cylinder No. 7999 (BR No. 69621) "T inside cylinder No. 7999 (BR No Built in 1924, it was reintroduced to service in 2005 after many years of excellent service on both preserved and main line railways. The ticket for the boiler expired in April of 2015. The boiler is now being overhauled, and it will be removed from the frames in August 2020.

In the process of being overhauled or on static display

0-4-0ST outside cylinder Works No. 2039 "Jeffrey" by Peckett and Sons.

The building was completed in 1943. The sculpture is currently on exhibit outside the museum entrance, painted black with red and white lines.

mid suffolk light railway

Locomotives powered by diesel

A collection of industrial diesel locomotives is on display at the museum.

Operational

D72229 is the Drewry 0-4-0 War Department number.

Due to a class 04 overhaul, it is operational and available for hire from Andrew Briddon Locos. Army Green in color, this locomotive is currently a regular on shunting and passenger duties.

0-4-0 Works No. 333 "John Peel" by Andrew Barclay.

Due to the lack of an electric start, it is only used on rare occasions. Blue in color.

4220039 7 "Toby" is a work with the number 4220039.

Day out with Thomas events have been cosmetically converted to be 'Toby,' and there is even a Henrietta carriage. Along with the Number 7 Magnet, it's painted in brown and grey.

Currently undergoing restoration

No. 2029 Simplex 0-4-0.

Currently undergoing extensive restoration. Black in color.

Several diesel engines

At the museum, two Class 101 DMU cars are in use. Diesel Unit Preservation Associates Ltd owns the units. One more Class 101 unit (E51505 at Ecclesbourne Valley Railway) and two Class 108 units are owned by DUPA (E50599 at Ecclesbourne Valley Railway and M56223 at Llangollen Railway). E56358 has a BR Blue paint job with full yellow ends, whereas E51213 has a BR Blue Grey paint job with full yellow ends. The original pattern tungsten lighting has been restored to both automobiles. E56358 and E51213 were regular performers on the Marks Tey to Sudbury Line until 1993, when all 1st generation units were withdrawn in East Anglia and transferred to Manchester. They were both withdrawn from service in 2001, then stored at MOD Shoeburyness before being purchased in 2003. At Railcar50, they represented the Class 101 DMU class. The unit is primarily utilized as Daisy at Day Out With Thomas events. The Diesel Multi-Unit (DMU).

Operational DMBS No. E51213. The building was completed in 1958.

Multiple electric units

The National Railway Museum loaned British Rail Class 306 unit 017 to the museum in mid-2011 for a four-year tenure. In October of 2018, the unit was removed from the museum.

British Rail Class 317 unit 317345 donated a driving vehicle to the museum in 2021. Angel Trains, a Blur alternative rock band, contributed it. Blur gave a concert at the museum, which was also where they gave their first concert in 1988. The band performed in front of roughly 150 people in a goods shed, as it did in 1988. This was their first event since 2001, and it was also the start of their 2009 mini-tour, which included headlining at Glastonbury and delivering two shows in Hyde Park. In November 2009, the PRS for Music Heritage Award put a plaque on the East Anglian Railway Museum in honor of Blur and the site of their first live performance.

East Anglian Railway Museum's Festive Day Out With Thomas

All aboard for a Festive Thomas Day Out!

Peep, peep, peep! At The East Anglian Railway Museum, join Thomas and Friends for a day of seasonal family fun.

Take a journey behind Thomas, say hello to Sodor Station Sweepers Rusty and Dusty, and meet The Fat Controller.

There's also a lot more to appreciate, such as:

• Take unlimited rides behind Thomas, Percy, and Daisy • Meet Toby and Henrietta • See re-enactments of classic Thomas stories with Thomas, Rusty & Dusty, and The Fat Controller • View the Rusty & Dusty Show • Participate in other Thomas & Friends-themed activities What is the duration of Thomas' ride?

Unlimited Rides for a third of a mile.

Is it true that the Thomas rides are unlimited?

Hours of operation

Open from 10:00 a.m. to 16:30 p.m.

Parking

Parking is free for 200 automobiles.

Address

Gullane (Thomas) Limited, Chappel & Wakes Colne Station Day Out With ThomasTM 2021 Gullane (Thomas) Limited, Chappel & Wakes Colne Station Day Out With ThomasTM 2021 Gullane (Thomas) Limited, G

Please enter a promotion code if you have one:

Business Environment (SIC)

47610 - Book retailing in specialized outlets

58110 - Publishing of books

91020 - Museums and related activities Please let us know what you think about this service. (This link will open in a new window)

Time to return

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black and brown chess piece on white tray

Discount or Railcard

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Only Standard has a wheelchair accessible area. Getting Closer Closer Enter the name of the station

The East Anglian Railway Museum is located in the county of East Anglia.

Returning to the listings The East Anglian Railway Museum, located next to the spectacular Chappel Viaduct in the lovely Essex countryside, provides a fascinating insight into the history of trains in East Anglia. Get up close and personal with our collection of steam engines, diesel locomotives, and vintage carriages by immersing yourself in the atmospheric Victorian station buildings, operating the working signal boxes, and getting up close and personal with our collection of steam engines, diesel locomotives, and vintage carriages. The Chappel Station Café is open every day and is housed in a wonderfully restored historic railway carriage.

Museum Day 2019 Prices:

£7.00 for adults

£4.00 for children aged 5 to 15.

FREE for children under the age of four.

If you book online, you will receive a 10% discount.

Safely enjoy your day out:

Your 2FOR1 entry tickets must be reserved in advance via the attraction's page under "Online Booking." Leaflets and paper vouchers are not available at this time in order to reduce contact.

Unless you are exempt, you must hide your face while traveling by rail.

Make careful to travel during quieter periods and always check our website or app for the most up-to-date travel information before you go.

Please be advised that if an attraction does not provide 'Online Booking,' it is currently unavailable on 2FOR1.We're working with attractions to get them back on track when the time comes.

Purchase rail tickets

Station with the closest proximity

Colne, Chappel & Wakes

Conditions of Sale

To redeem the voucher, you must show a valid Greater Anglia rail ticket as proof of train travel.

Photocopies will not be allowed.

Acceptance is contingent on the establishment's terms and conditions and availability.

Details are subject to change without notice and are accurate at the time of publication.

Offers are subject to change without notice.

It is not possible to exchange or sell a voucher. 0. 0001p voucher sale

This deal cannot be combined with any other.

Opening Hours

Tuesday, September 7th, 17:00-23:00

Wednesday, September 8th, 11:00 a.m. until 23:00 p.m.

Thursday, September 9th, 11:00 a.m. until 23:00 p.m.

CAMRA & the East Anglian Railway Museum in 2021

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About

The East Anglian Railway Museum has been bringing visitors of all ages back in time to learn about the region's trains for over 50 years. The site spans over ten acres, and visitors can tour our Victorian station, goods shed, and signal boxes to learn about the history of passenger and freight transportation.

There is something for everyone with exhibitions of steam and diesel locomotives, vintage carriages, and wagons. With a variety of tiny artefacts on display, our heritage center takes a look behind the scenes of railroad operations.

Volunteers restore the engines and rolling stock in a working restoration shed.

A railway-themed Children's Playground, a Picnic Area, and an ex-London bus turned into a Children's Play Bus are all part of the Museum.

Every day the museum is open*, the award-winning Platform 2 Café will be open, providing wonderful handcrafted cakes, afternoon teas, lunches, and great coffee!

Weddings, parties, conferences, and other events, as well as training rooms, are all available for lease.

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National Tram Museum
Trams of various types
History of tramway
A LIVING RAILWAY MUSEUM FOR FAMILIES