Momentous day for ‘Bluebird’ at Crich
For the first time in 65 years, London’s No. 1 moves under its own power.
HISTORY was made at Crich Tramway Village on April 22 as London County Council tram No. 1 moved under its own power for the first time since 1957.
Nicknamed ‘Bluebird’, because of the distinctive blue and ivory livery that it originally carried, it has been repainted into the colours as part of its restoration, which began in 2014.
Good progress is being made with the project as a result of hard work by staff and volunteers, supported by funding from the London County Council Tramways Trust.
Preservation
Having entered service in the capital in 1932, No. 1 was sold to Leeds City Transport in 1951 and operated there until 1957. Donation to the British Transport Commission saw its preservation initially at the Commission’s museum in Clapham. In 1972, it was given to the Tramway Museum Society, which owns and operates the National Tramway Museum at Crich.
Although it has previously moved under tow there, April 22 was the first time it had drawn traction current to move independently.
‘Painstaking work’
The reinstatement of No.1’s electrical system has required what the museum describes as “many hours of painstaking work”.
Delivered at a time when road traffic was increasing and some tram operations had been abandoned in favour of combustion-engined buses or trolley buses, No.1 featured several innovations. Specialist reconstruction work off-site (which necessitated the removal of its roof prior to movement) and re-creation of its air-operated lifting platform steps (the original set is believed to have been lost during its time in Leeds) have been among the major challenges.