Impressed with trams

[Andy in Germany]

Stuttgart is home to the only rack and pinion tramline in Germany. Thankfully the city has recognised how useful this is for cyclists, and it's the only line that carries bicycles all day, including peak hours.

Even better, they've just replaced the last generation of trams and changed the old small, and rather home built bike carrying wagons for much bigger versions:

 

[Drago]

Milton Keynes was originally built with a tramway in mind. The older grid roads have wide central reservations along which the tracks were to run and the terminus was to be at the big vacant-to-this-day area under Secklow Gate.

Sadly the money ran out, although there was always enough to lay yet another square metre of tarmac for a car to drive or park upon, funnily enough. However, 40 years on plans have been resurrected and are once again being considered, so who knows?

 

[Mike_P]

They kept an old railway viaduct in Nottingham for years on the basis it would be used for a tram line. Once they started on it about the first thing they did was knock the viaduct down and build a new one.

 

[newts]

I used the tram from Birmingham New Street to West Brom & back recently for the first time. I shall use this for future work trips.

 

[BrumJim]

I used the tram from Birmingham New Street to West Brom & back recently for the first time. I shall use this for future work trips.

View attachment 744708

Kenrick Park?

 

[Tenkaykev]

Rode on the tram network in Newcastle for the first time on Sunday. It was rammed due to the GNR. Staff were great, really friendly and well organised. We'd been staying in Leeds for a few days previously, there appeared to be a lot of infrastructure work going on around the city centre, same as when we last visited a couple of years ago.

 

[newts]

Kenrick Park?

No, Black Lake.

 

[BrumJim]

No, Black Lake.

On second viewing, tram is heading the wrong way for Kenrick Park.

 

[newts]

On second viewing, tram is heading the wrong way for Kenrick Park.

I used to get a second train from New Street to Sandwell & Dudley, then taxi the last couple of miles. Black Lake is 450 metres from my destination.
It drops you right outside the main entrance of New Street Station on the return journey.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I was slightly saddened to see the old Blackpool trams, like the one below, aren't used now, apart from for 'heritage' tours/rides. I remember them from 1960's holidays in Blackpool and my dad as a coach/bus builder of 49 years, working on them at East Lancashire Coachbuilders in Blackburn Lancs. They brought the in need of repair trams to his works on large transporters, or he and his workmates went to Blackpool to work on them, depending on the circumstances. He used to tell us as children that they brought the trams the 27 or so miles from Blackpool to Blackburn by laying temporary tracks to drive them here and then back to Blackpool and as children we believed him!