Copper thieves force closure of heritage tramway
VOLUNTEERS ‘SICKENED’ AS HEATON PARK ATTRACTION SHUT ‘INDEFINITELY’
HEATON Park’s historic tramway has been forced to shut ‘indefinitely’ after it was targeted by thieves.
Volunteers who run the line discovered that overhead copper wiring had been cut from above the track on Tuesday.
It is thought that thieves used a hacksaw to rip out the wire, which helps to power the trams, late on Monday evening or in the early hours of Tuesday.
Geoff Senior, operations manager at the heritage tramway, said volunteers had been left ‘angry and upset’ by what had happened.
“It’s sickening that we have to go through this,” he said.
“We are a society that survives on what we get in terms of gifts and grants and we are trying to move forward.
“We are looking to grow the museum and extend our depot, but this is taking our efforts away from that.”
A post on Heaton Park Tramway’s Facebook page on Tuesday evening announced that it would be forced to shut ‘indefinitely’ until the damage could be repaired.
It read: “It is with great sadness that we must announce that we are indefinitely closed due to the theft of overhead wire.
“Our dedicated volunteers are working hard to work out how best to replace missing wire and repair other damaged caused.”
Hundreds of people have responded to the post by expressing support for the tramway, while a fundraising page set up to help replace the stolen wire has so far raised more than £3,900.
Mr Senior says he has been heartened by the community’s generous response. He added: “The one thing I am taking away from this is the amount of goodwill we have received. We are feeling very loved.
“It is good to know that people in and around Manchester are out there fighting for us.”
The tramway, which is run by Manchester Transport Museum Society, is set to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year after reopening in 1979.
The track is the only remaining part of the Manchester Corporation Tramways, which ran between 1901 and 1949.
Originally used as a siding into the park so that trams running along Middleton Road were not held up by people in the park, the stretch operated until 1934, but the tracks remained.
A 300-metre original stretch has since been extended to 800 metres from Middleton Road to the boat house.
The tramway transports up to 10,000 people each year, with fares retained to pay for the maintenance of the trams.
To donate to Heaton Park Tramway, visit www.gofundme.com/f/fundraiser-for-the-replacement-ofstolen-overhead.