Plastic tram, made in Hong Kong

He's a blast from the past, a plastic tramcar, Made in Hong Kong. 

Other than the code number L No.547, and the title "A Double Decker Tramcar", there's no indication of the manufacturer. When I was a kid (cue the Hovis advert music), Made in Hong Kong meant cheap tat, and to be fair, this isn't a quality toy, but it looks lovely. 

Costing 3/6 when new (is that lot?) I'm thinking this is a 1960s toy, but that's a guess. Even the internet can't help much, other than show me lots of other toy trams. 6 inches long, it's a nice size for play, and there is quite a bit of detail. 

Drive comes from a flywheel unit underneath. This had come loose when I bought the tram, so it's been refixed with lashings of superglue, giving me a white shadow around it. This required me to open the model up by sliding a blade around the bottom edge of the roof. The glue joint broke pretty cleanly, and once the model had been washed to remove all the dust, it's gone back together really well.

Pan down trams

The trickiest part of any tramway model is the overhead. Unless you model a very specific location, such as Wolverhampton with its stud contact, or London with the slots and skate, overhead wires are very much part of the scene. 

From Birmingham, we have another option, at least for modern image modellers. Part of the route in the city requires the trams to operate from batteries, as there isn't any overhead. The thinking was that the line runs through some historic buildings, and no one fancies screwing overhead cables to these, so for a short section, the trams drop their pans, and run on batteries.  

Saturday Film Club: 1972: Crich's National Tramway Museum

Shot in1972, this is a proper bit of history, showing the early days at Crich tramway museum, including the working quarry, which is now derelict. Early preservation era, could be a very fertile time for model railways if anyone fancies it. 

Paint on the VER car

 

A quick update on the Volks Car - painting has started using the closest colours I have to hand. Precision Paints LNER coach cream for the top, and Humbrol 73 (Wine) for the lower section. 

Looking at photos, they aren't a bad match for the current colours. Yes, I know Car 2 never made it into this livery, but I'm keeping things simple so the model actually gets finished. 

Volks Electric Railway - Car 2

 

Fate sometimes pushes projects your way. Wandering around Bournville show, I found a trader who was new to me - DoubleM Models. 

Most of the range is 3D printed narrow-gauge models. There are also some T gauge trains, which is what caught my eye. At three quid a go, I picked up a couple, and was about to pay, when I spotted in the boxes at the end of the stand, Volks Railway Tramcars 1 and 2 in 4mm scale. 

The VER was one of my Dad's favourite lines. He had travelled on it as a child, and many times since. That included the centenary day, which we arrived at by accident. 

So, what choice do I have, but to buy the kit? I'm sure if he'd been with me, we'd have been leaving with at least one - over the years, we'd discussed, and investigated ways to make a model of the line.  

The kit runs on a Kato 11-109 chassis, and they sell those too. The Kato unit is well known and respected, so a working model is guaranteed. I walked away from the stand with a ligher wallet, but all the bits for a model. 

This one's for you Dad.  

 

Crich haul

 

For a show that I didn't really rate, I still managed to come away with some interesting "stuff". Kicking off with the Tramway museum itself. They always have a table with stuff that has been donated, and doesn't fit in with the museum, or the proper souvenier shop. 

For donations, I am the owner of a Lisbon tramway tin that used to contain sweets. I loved these trams, and this is a bit of fun. 

The George Milnes enamel sign is a replica (it says so on the back) but rather nice, as is the German sign prohibiting spitting on the tramcar. This might be real, it certainly has a bit of weight. To be honest, I picked it up out of curiosity at the end of the day. Oddly, no one else seemed to want it. 

And the poster. It's A4 sized and I would guess is at least 20 years old. I suspect this might be from a batch (there was a big pile) of duff posters, as it's been altered in Biro to add "to" between a couple of dates. 

KW Trams are good for a chat, and a couple of years ago, I picked up a Morris Minor Fire Engine kit for work. This time, I have a 7mm scale phone box (I love phone boxes), a SPUD marked as "rough", but a useful wheelbase, and for just over a tenner, and after a bit of a clean up, followed by some tinkering, it runs fine. The Birmingham tram kit is a bit of nostalgia - I'm sure I remember these being sold in the 1970s!

Finally, some books. Adelaide and Lison trams are ones I've ridden on, and I don't own books on either, until now. The Lisbon one is really superb, full of pictures showing the trams in location around the city, also covering some other parts of Portugal - it makes me want to go back!

The Postal History of the Manx Electric railway is a rare beat, an IoM transport book I didn't own! OK, it's pretty niche, covering the franking marks applied to letters and cards that have travelled by rail, which probably explains why it wasn't a massive seller. 

Oh, and I brought back some refreshments. 

 

Tram beer with a picture of LCC No.1 on the label, which was lovely. 

And a Ploughman's in a packet. Taken from one of those cards in the pub that peanuts come from, but without the sauchy photo, I just had to try it. Verdict: The sub-Dairylea cheese and crackers were nice. I'm no fan of pickled onions though. 

Model trams at Crich 2025

 

 

As I sat outside the Red Lion pub at the tramway museum, I reflected that this was a rare occasion. I'd travelled to a model show, and was disappointed. 

Every year, I visit the model tram event, hoping to find something I can photograph for a magazine. A couple of times, I've struck lucky, but the hit rate is low, and there was nothing for me this time. 

Truth is, it was a model tramway show with very few model tramways. 

There was an interesting N gauge model of Blackpool seafront. 

I enjoyed a good chat with the builder about his 3D printed tram bodies, running on RTR chassis. It looked nice, but the camera is cruel to both trams and scenery. 

Staying with N, a demo layout showing trams and working buses. 

Again, excellent chat, and some ideas for a future magazine project with the buses

A proper model tramway showed a chunk of continental Europe. 

Now, this is what I expect to see. Sadly, not right for my mag, but nicely modelled. They seemed to be having running problems every time I stopped by, but this happens when you take a layout out, and I'm sure the exhibitors were unhappy not being able to put on their best show. 

Large scale was represented by a single tram running up and down. 

Nice, and technically interesting. One for the enthusiasts. 

For the public, and probably the most popular layout, judging by the crowd around it, Lego. 

Finally, a US Interurban layout. 

More trains than trams if I'm honest, but the builders had done their research, and this apparently isn't uncommon. I have a feeling that the prototype has legs for a longer layout with a bit more scenery. 

Apart from this, a 36-year-old 009 layout. Cracking model. 

Really lovely, but it's been in the mag before. There was also a diesel MPD, which I forgot to photograph, but did enjoy a very long chat with the builders. 

Oh, and I drove a tram simulator. Quite badly, as it turns out. 

I'm sure if I had paid attention properly, I wouldn't have driven off the end of the Crich tramway!

And that's it. 

Sorry chaps, but saying it's Rail 200 does not mean that you can put railways in a tramway show. My guess is that they simply can't fill it with tramways, as they are few and far between. This is very much NOT the fault of the organisers - it's the model tramway hobby. They simply aren't building tramway models. Chatting with the MPD owner, we could come up with around half-a-dozen we remembered in the last 30 years, not many, considering the number of model railways over that period. 

Now, I get that tramways aren't easy to model, thanks to all that overhead wiring and inlaid track. I've been there, and it's a pain to build and make work reliably. I don't really know what the solution is, I'm afraid. While a tramway is on my radar as a future build, based on the model of Wolverhampton tramway I remember from many decades ago, it's not coming to the workbench any time soon. 

Moving on, Crich has a new cafe. 

The old one was falling down, and I suspect didn't offer ideal working conditions to the staff. I'm really not sure about the new version though. Visually, it's a modern building in a mock historic setting. The design is clever in that it's not intrusive, but I don't know. We've definitely lost some atmosphere. 

The glass wall is an improvement; sitting inside, customers can now watch the trams pass by, but there doesn't appear to be as much seating. Also, the ergonomics need sorting. All the menus are beside the till, so you have to queue up before getting your hands on one. None of the sandwiches or cakes have prices. The big blackboard behind the counter is empty. I went to the Red Lion next door for food. 

I'm sure some of this will be sorted. I'm normally very understanding of modern facilities at preserved railways. Most of the customers want good toilets and eating facilities. There is also a lift to get those less mobile up to the cafe and the upper floor of the pub. 

Overall, if you treat this as a trip to the tramway museum with a model show on the side, it was OK. Go especially for the models, and it's less so. Maybe next year. 

Little Lisbon trams

Did I go all the way to Lisbon to see trams, and not bring back some souveniers? Don't be daft!

Ryanair luggauge limits, obviously reduce the amount of tat I can put in my suitcase. Useful, as there is a LOT of tat for sale in the city. 

However, I wasn't going to come away entirely empty-handed. So, in the middle, we have an Atlas originals tram bought before the holiday in an Oxford Diescast sale. I like the Atlas trams, it was cheap, and meant I didn't have to find space on the plane. Handy, as there wasn't one for sale in the city itself. Oh no. Nothing nearly as accurate...

At the front, a fridge magnet, to join my collection including the train from Switzerland. 

Behind that, a little model, complete with a bit of overhead, for my mate Tim. He's passed on a couple of little Australian trams from trips, so I return the favour. 

And at the back, a drawing (print) bought in the market, from the artist. I took a photo of him, and will stick it on the back. There's quite a bit of art featuring trams, and some of it is quite fun. I liked this as it's small (A5) and different from anything in the tat shops. 

I did manage to avoid the horrors such as models with bogies though! Maybe next time.

Riding the trams in Lisbon

This time last week, I was on day two of a short break to Lisbon. A full-on city break with my travelling buddy. We flew out 9:30am Saturday, and back 8:30pm on the Sunday. 

Day One, once we'd landed, found a hotel, and some food, was a tour of the city funiculars - three of them. Quite a lot of walking, but worth it to tick off what I thought was a full set - only to find a fourth appeared a couple of years ago!

 

It was more than a little damp, and my trainers didn't grip well on the limestone pavements, but we explored the city, thanks to Christian, our guide, and saw a lot that we'd not have found off our own bat. If you are in the city, I'd definitely recomend this tour. 

Day 2 was all about strolling around the old town. A trip to The Lisbon Story filled in a lot of the history of the place, including a flying priest. 

A trip up The Rua Augusta Arch gave us a vantage point to watch some of the action on the river, as well as a large group of Portugal fans getting ready for the match later that day. 

Day 3 - A three hour walking tour, including a ride on the famous route 28. The one the tourists like. 

To be honest, we caught the number 12 instead, as our guide insisted on queuing up on the corrrect side of the street, where the sign is, not the narrow strip of pavement on the side where the doors open. 28 is notorioulsy difficult to get on, anyway, so this didn't help. Not to worry, the route is nearly the same, and there was space to sit, and run around the car taking photos. 

The ride was fantastic. I can't believe how steep and windy the roads these trams traverse are. Well beyond the limits of conventional wheel grip to my mind, but they charge around quite happily. The drivers have to work hard though to deal with the terrain, and insane traffic conditions. 

Our guide then took us on a tour of more interesting bits of the city. To be honest, he did go on a bit, and it wasn't long before me and another member of the tour started to wander a bit as we wanted to take photos of trams weaving through narrow streets. I manged more of this later  in the day too - and could easily spend a whole weekend doing this!

Cake-wise, there is a bakers about every three shops, and Breakfast Pastel de nata for breakfast too!

You can enjoy the full gallery here.   

Under the skin of Blackpool 298

I love seeing quality workmaship, esecially on wood. What you are looking at here is Blackpool 298 undergoing some serious restoration. 

When Blackpool modernised their trams, a lot of the original features were lost. To most people, this wouldn't matter, but to those who did, the plan was to buy 298, which still had all the old details, and send it for restoration. 

The process took decades, and a couple of changes of venue, before the vehicle found its way into the tramway museum's bay.

Quite a lot of the tram was beyond saving. The chassis is now a feature on one of the outside walks, and much of the sides has had to be replaced. The roof, especially the sunshine top and corner windows, has survived, only needing repair.

Model trams at Crich 2024

A few photos from the recent model tramway show at Crich. 

Of course there was cake, and much less sickly than it looked! Hopefully a couple of the layouts will feature in a future magazine shoot, so watch this space.

Saturday Film Club: Moving a tramcar

On the face of it, this is an interesting video showing how to move a full-size tramcar from one museum store to another. 

However, look in the background. These stores belong to the Science Museum, and contain stuff not on display. At least not yet. I understand that the new store will be accesable to the public in some form, and looking at what's in there, I fancy getting inside.

Model Tramway Exhibition 2023

 

Of to Crich Tramway village for the annual model tram exhibition. And, this is difficult to write. It wasn't very good. 

Normally, I'll be positive about a show. Any show. But this one. Oh dear. 

Walking in, the were some excellent Lego trams. You can tell the boat and dreadnaught easily enouhg, and that's pretty hard to do in bricks. The owner was letting people drive too. It's the perfect first sight for a very public show. The only cost to get in was the museum admittance, so there would be plenty of non-enthusiasts exposed to the hobby for the first time. 

Another highlight was Kennington Tramways, a layout I photographed for BRM years ago. It looks brilliant, and works well. 

There were also some 3/4 inch trams running up and down a length of track. Pretty much all you can do in this scale, but they look good. A mine-based model railway was very average, but it worked and the operators were chatty, always a good thing. 

The Model Bus Federation were represented by a diorama showing a garage, which most people ignored for the model fire engine putting out a smokey fire next door. Quite cleverly done, and appealing to the kids. 

KW Trams brought an excellent selection of kits for trams in many scales, and road vehicles. A future magazine project was aquired.

After that though. Hmmm. 

30 feet of Tramway and Light Railway estates sales didn't take any money off me, and you know how easy it is to sell me stuff from a second hand stall. Quite a few big ticket items with built and unbuilt kits plus RTR foreign trams, but  very light in interesting bits. Not taking cards wouldn't help either. Not many people carry a few hundred quid with them nowadays. 

The bookseller was finding the same thing. I bought three interesting, and cheap books. Being able to pay by card would have liberated another 12 quid for a book on Toronto trams, since I've ridden on them. 

Finally, there was a tram-building demo complete with small, and working, albeit with mahoosive pans on the top of the trolley poles, Brimingham tramway. The demo is transported in a suitcase. How do I know? Because said suitcase was dumped on the table amid a pile of clutter. My workbench is a mess, but I'm not appearing in front of the public at a show. 

And that was it. If you had travelled specifically for the show, you'd likely be disapointed. It all looked so tired. What happened? I've certainly been to TLRS shows in the past that have been much livelier, and several times the size. I hate to criticise, as I know that all the work is done by volunteers. That said, years ago, the policy was not to pay expenses for layouts. Perhaps people have decided that it's not worth paying to travel and put themselves up for a couple of nights? 

Or, maybe the truth is that there aren't any model tramways out there to exhibit. I hope not, as I'd love to bring more to people's attention in magazines. I guess I love tramways, but appreciate the overhead makes building them tricker. Maybe another problem is the glut of diecast trams available. If you like trams, perhaps this tempts you to collect, rather than build? 

Saturday Film Club: Upson Down tramway

Time for a short video I recorded a few weeks ago covering a little tramway layout that looks great moving, but is impossible to photograph as all the scenery gets in the way!

Model Tram show - Crich 2022

 

Off to Crich for the model tramways show. I had a few work things in mind so I'm afraid the photo selection is a bit limited. There were some lovely G scale Belgian trams on the Whiteleaf Tramway though. 

And I was very lucky - the rain started before the Blackpool Boat left the stop. Me and most of the passengers bailed out before it turned into a mobile swimming pool!

Pictures of trams

Just a couple of photos today - both taken last Sunday at the model tramway festival at Crich Tramway Museum. Enjoyable day with tram rides and a few nice models - plus a full rucksack of goodies for me!

Plastic trams

Dad's birthday - and I spotted that the Wythall Transport Museum shop eBay account had some of the Atlas Editions tram models for sale for a fiver each. Well, I couldn't think what to get him, and I rather like the look of them.

I'll confess, I've not carried out any research into these - so they may be horribly inaccurate, but neither of us is bothered, they just look so good. 

To be honest, if the partwork that these hail from re-appeared on the shelves, I suspect we'd sign up for it. We're not into foreign trams really, and don't need any more models, but how can you resist? All the models are HO scale, and moulded in plastic. This wasn't cheap to tool up.

Still, a present bought, and money gone to a good cause. Now, I wonder if we could build a very small transport museum, with a display of trams from around the world...