The driving tram honour to drive Coronation tram

She added: “Equal pay for women is a big thing now – but back then we’d train young men to be conductors and they’d then earn more. Male drivers were paid more than women too. It was accepted then.”

Whinhall woman Bette made contact with the tram group after being alerted by a friend to February’s Advertiser article highlighting the work of the group who are restoring car 1245 to be the only one of its kind in the world in operation.

She had aimed to find out about making contact with any other former Coatbridge clippies and tram colleagues – and enthralled the volunteers with her tales from the tracks.

Having earlier worked locally at Boots, Bette became a clippie in Coatbridge aged 19, and was then transferred to the

200218trams_01

Bellgrove depot in Glasgow two years later.

She was among “about half a dozen” women who took up the opportunity to train as drivers and regularly negotiated the routes from Anderston Cross to Baillieston and Dalmarnock to both Riddrie and Milngavie.

Bette was a tram driver for nearly four years, leaving the role in December 1959 to start her family, becoming mum to children Anne, Libby, Scott and Brian, and is now a grandmother of three.

She later returned to work aged 39 when she began training as a nurse, at Coathill and Wester Moffat hospitals as well as at the Royal Infirmary, and spent much of her two- decade career at Gartloch hospital prior to retiring.

A delighted Bette was this week shown the under-restoration tram by volunteer group members Charlie McAloon and Bobby Davidson, who showed how car 1245 has been rebuilt from the “bogey” motors up and showed the preserved operating gear and bolt collector, which connects to the overhead wires.

She also had the chance to get behind the controls of an operational “Glasgow standard” tram – on which she completed her training – as the vintage vehicle is a familiar sight ferrying visitors around the Summerlee premises.

Charlie said: “We first spoke to Bette after she’d got in touch to see if we knew of any of her old colleagues from Coatbridge, and it was great to speak to her.

“The big thing for us is to have facts from that time to add to and help with what we’re doing.

“When we found out she was a driver too, that was the icing on the cake.

“We’re looking forward to having her driving the tram for the first time when it’s finished, and there couldn’t be anybody better.”

240518summerlee_02 All aboard Bette learned about the tram repairs from volunteer restorers Charlie McAloon, left, and Bobby Davidson

200218trams_05 Historic look Under restoration at Summerlee, “Glasgow’s last tram” was known for its art deco styling

In the driving seat Bette’s visit to Summerlee also gave her the chance to get back behind the controls of the “Glasgow standard” tram on which she trained

Restoration project Volunteers are painstakingly restoring Coronation tram 1245 and aim to have it back on the tracks next year

Then and now Bette is pictured aged 17, four years before she took up her role as a tram driver