I live only a few miles away from Crich.
A direct bus service to Crich runs past the end of the road where I live.
Yet I have never before posted a blog from there.
It was only when I received these images from friend Peter Rose that I realised what a gem on my doorstep I have been missing.
Posted with Peter’s consent and my thanks to him, there will be more from Crich in future.
264 ‘Sheffield Corporation Transport’.
Peckham P22 / ‘Sheffield Corporation Transport’.
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
For some years, the trams in Sheffield were a big part of my life.
As a child, I lived a five minute walk away from the Queens Road depot where the body of this tram was built.
I went to school by tram, I visited my grandparents by tram, I went to work by tram.
They were a part of Sheffield’s urban scene that were just taken for granted.
Then in October 1960, 63 years ago almost to the day at the time of writing, they were gone.
Sheffield was a smoky, dirty city in those days but the cream and azure blue trams and buses were always kept clean.
In 1953 an attempt was made to reduce the cost of cleaning by painting buses and trams a dark green.
There was uproar in the city.
The citizens of Sheffield were proud of ‘their’ buses and trams.
The few vehicles that were green were rapidly repainted.
Today, Sheffield has a modern tramway system where one of the new trams was painted in an approximation of the traditional livery.
They are efficient, smart and do a good job but to Sheffielders of my and earlier generations they are merely a substitute for what went before.
The livery lived on with the buses until. ‘Sheffield Corporation Transport’ became part of ‘South Yorkshire Passenger Transport’ in 1974.
It is still much missed.
New in 1937.
1147 Den Haag Tramways (The Hague), Holland.
ACEC B-3 (PCC Type) / La Brugeoise, Bruge, Belgium
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Not obvious in this image is the fact that is only single ended, unlike most trams which have driving positions at both ends.
New in 1958.
399 ‘Leeds City Transport’.
Peckham P22 / ‘Leeds City Transport’
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
New in 1925, withdrawn in 1951 but kept in use as the depot shunter at Kirkstall depot where it was built.
Preserved by ‘Leeds Transport Historical Society’ in 1959, coming to Crich the same year.
180 ‘Leeds City Transport’.
Peckham P35 / Brush Electrical Engineering Company, Loughborough /1
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
New in 1931, withdrawn in 1957.
Refurbished prior to being preserved and came to Crich in late 1959 or early 1960.
180 ‘Leeds City Transport’.
Peckham P35 / Brush Electrical Engineering Company, Loughborough /2
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
The driver’s view prior to moving over the crossover and starting the next journey.
35 ‘Edinburgh Corporation Transport’.
Peckham P22 / ‘Edinburgh Corporation Transport’
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
New in 1948, withdrawn in 1956.
Having spent some years in store, It came to Crich in 1989 having taken the long way round via Blackpool.
The livery it carries is not all that different to the buses in Edinburgh's ‘Lothian Buses’ fleet of today.
The cream having been replaced by off white.
HE 12 ‘THE BARNSLEY& DISTRICTELECTRICTRACTION CO. LTD’.
Leyland / Brush Electrical Engineering Company, Loughborough
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Used by ‘TB&DETCL’ for services to parts of Barnsley not covered by the tramway network.
The history of this bus is well worth reading.
It covers amongst other things the time it spent as part of a house in Newark!
Go to the museum website and search for HE 12.
8 CHESTERFIELD TRAMWAYS COMPANY.
Trunnion / GF Milnes & Co.
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
New in 1899 and one of the last two horse trams built for the operator.
It became redundant in 1905 when the Chesterfield system was electrified, sold off and converted into a garden summerhouse.
Rescued in the 1980s and restored coming to Crich in 1982.
