A much-loved member of the Crich Tramway Village fleet is celebrating its hundredth birthday – though sadly without a telegram from the Queen!
Leeds 345 entered service with the city’s tramways fleet on 27 March 1921. The body was built in-house on a Hurst Nelson 21E truck.
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In 1939, the tram was rebuilt by Leeds City Transport, being converted from open balcony configuration, with fully enclosed platform doors and vestibules added. The upper deck bulkheads were removed, and seats upholstered. New motors meant Leeds 345 could also go faster.
The tramcar was withdrawn from service on 17 September 1948, and converted into a joiners’ shop for use at Swinegate Depot. It was saved from the scrapyard after being bought by Leeds Transport Historical Society in 1959, and transported to Crich.
Original plans were to restore the tram to original state but in 1978 it was decided to go for the post 1939 conversion specification instead. After a period in off-site storage, the tram returned to Crich in 2002 and entered service in 2006 after a full restoration in the museum’s own workshops.
Malcolm Wright, Volunteer at the tramway museum since 1964 and Tramway Museum Board Member said: “It is a delightful tram for visitors to enjoy a journey, just as the citizens of Leeds did in the 1939s.”
Subject to inspection, Leeds 345 is planned to be in operation during the 2021 season.
In line with current government guidelines, Crich Tramway Village will open outside areas with limited tram rides from 12 April to 16 May, and then internal areas from 17 May with Covid-19 measures in place.
tramway.co.uk
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