Summerlee Tramway link-up plan revived
A THIRTY-year-old, never implemented plan for Scotland’s only operating heritage tramway at Summerlee Museum of Industrial Life to link the museum more closely with the centre of Coatbridge have been dusted down as part of an overall plan to further develop the venue as a must-see tourism and leisure destination.
Museum manager Lu McNair said: “The original plan was for the tramway to operate through what is now the entrance to the museum and travel down Heritage Way, half a mile to the centre of the town. This part of the tramway, which currently links the entrance with our mine and miners’ cottages, was never built 30 years ago. Now we are costing the extension scheme, and are also looking to substantially cut our annual £1000 electricity bill for keeping the trams running and to boost our green credentials by switching to solar power to generate our traction current.”
Preservation
The tramway extension forms part of an overall development plan being written in a bid to secure funding not just for the trams, but to also allow railway exhibits on outdoor display to be better presented and conserved.
These include the museum’s North British Locomotive Company-built South African Railways 3ft 6in gauge Garratt 4-8-2 + 2-8-4 No.4112, which has been on outdoor display since the 1980s when it was moved north from the Plym Valley Railway, and which is now causing some concern because of deterioration of the paintwork.
Also under the microscope is former Glasgow ‘Blue Train’, Class 311 EMU No. 303, whose motor coach and one surviving trailer are also on outdoor display.
Asbestos removal issues and the impact of Covid-19 on a volunteer working group that had started to restore the train has led to progress slowing down.
As with the Garratt, the museum is including the electric unit in its plans for better display and conservation as an outdoor exhibit.
Lu said: “We are planning ahead by ensuring that all of our exhibits are relevant and well-presented, as well as those outdoors, which also include industrial locomotives, wagons and rail cranes, being better protected from the elements to ensure their long-term future.
“We already have tram rail and traction poles in stock for the extension.
“The next step is to prepare a comprehensive development plan which aims to allow us to apply for funding for these important projects.
Coal review
“We are also looking at further reducing our carbon footprint and have stopped burning coal in the grates of our miners’ cottages, and we are reviewing the use of coal in our traction engines and steam sawmill. Although our use of coal is very limited, we do recognise it as an issue we have in common with other industrial museums and heritage railways and, as a movement, we need to seek a sustainable solution.”