Sunday 20th December

WOW!

The operational year ended in whiteout as you can see from the pics! We tried in vain to get 752 and 6 coupled together to break the ice but we got as far as just past depot points and had to give up. Possibly the first time ever that service on HPT has had to be curtailed due to excess snow. It put aroung 6 inches down in the short time we were there.

A wonderful and rare shot of Leeds 6 and Blackpool 752 in the snow. The 2 cars coupled together revived memories of the photos of 6 always oin tandem on the streets of Leeds and usually coupled to something!

An idea of what we were battling - OK its not exactly Normay, but its deep enough when you're trying to revive a grounded Tram!

The snow coming in as we wrestled with the point blade - lots of hot water and elbow grease! (OK so I'm taking the photo rather than helping, somebody had to take the pics, but I did fetch a cketle of boiling water!!)

Total whiteout toward sdepot - beautiful.

Just as we managed to get the Trams back in 2 hardy souls turned up 'Oh, aren't you running?'

So, here's to 2010. We are now closed until January 10th.

I hope to have the full diary of events online over Christmas.

In the meanitime compliments of the season from a wonderful Chritmassy Heaton Park.

6th December

Another wet and quiet day. This time last year we were quite busy because the weather was cold and dry, ah well . . .

We took the opportunity to have a big shunt round to get ready for the main winter work. 765 is now at the back of the shed and will re-emerge spruced up in February.

You may have noticed that Blackpool Transport have issued the list of visiting Trams for next year's 125 celebrations and 765 is now officially on there. Most of you will know that the car inteded to visit Heaton Park is replica Vanguard 619.

By next update we should be ina position to announce a press release about next years' events, with a couple of surprises . . .

John