A Matter of Storage
One of the biggest stories this month concerns the relocation of the tram fleet of the Lancastrian Transport Trust from Blackpool Transports Rigby Road depot into outside storage - and it has provoked a lot of discussion amongst the enthusiast fraternity - both positive and negative.
The issue of where to store full-size tramcars is not a new one: it has been around as long as the preservation movement has been, with many vehicles leading nomadic existences during the early days prior to the establishment of tramway museums.
Even then, many cars still remained stored outoors for many years, until enough funds could be accumulated to afford the construction of basic covered shelter for these priceless artefacts. I am sure that many readers will have seen views from the early days of Crich with numerous trams stored in the open, at the hands of the often-harsh Derbyshire weather conditions.
Slowly, gradually, each of the priceless artefacts were placed into undercover storage - not just at Crich but across the country - and indeed we are covering one such journey made elsewhere in this edition of the magazine.
Now, though, with the mass clearout of Blackpools first generation tramcars, the issue of storage has arisen once more. Britains tramway museums are full with no space to accomodate further vehicles without the costly expenditure of constructing further covered accommodation.
Indeed, the Heaton Park tramway has been running an appeal for a number of years now to construct a new depot complex - with work expected to start imminently - whilst Crich has taken the opposite view of only accepting cars that it can fit undercover, following a failed appeal to construct a temporary structure to house trams.
Elsewhere, schemes are also underway in both the north east and the north west to create brand new tramway museums to house former Blackpool vehicles and, whilst each has its own aims and objectives, one common denominator is present across them all: the need for (hopefully temporary) outdoor storage whilst these plans come to fruition.
And lets not forget the large number of Centenary cars that are exposed at caravan sites and other storage yards across the north west, ignored by the major players and instead acquired very much for further use rather than preservation - although it is worth noting that both 641 and 647 have been acquired by newcomers to the preservation scene.
But could the situation of outdoor storage have been avoided in the first place? With emotions running high throughout the movement following the move of the LTTs fleet into outdoor storage, many are asking whether these groups could not have worked together to realise their ambitions, pooling resources to get cars undercover quicker than may happen with multiple, isolated schemes: there is only a finite amount of enthusiasts cash at the end of the day.
This, of course, also begs the question: Do we need to save every single Blackpool tramcar? The obvious answer - to me, at least - is no, we dont, but ultimately it is those with the cash that will determine which cars will be saved - and everyone will have their favourites. As I see things, a representative example showcasing the major points of the Blackpool tramway would be far more appropriate, and could even have avoided the situation that we now find ourselves in of having numerous artefacts outdoors.
Whatever the future holds, though, I certainly hope that after going to the expense of saving and moving tramcars around the country, each of the schemes comes to fruition, and these trams are preserved for many more years for the enjoyment of both existing and the next generation of enthusiasts.
If you would like to share your views on the subject - or respond to any of mine - please dont hesitate to get in touch: my email address is below and Ill publish a selection next time.
Jack Gordon, 10/09/12 - [email protected]
