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PRESS INFORMATION: NEW BOGIES FOR HISTORIC TRAM | ||||
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Issue Date: 25 July 2001 Ref: MKM01/02 A £500 grant from the national Transport Trust will help Milton Keynes Museum to build new bogies for the Number 2 tramcar of the historic Wolverton & Stony Stratford Tram as the final stage of a three year restoration project. The cheque was handed to Ray Bellchambers, President of the Museum, Stan King, restoration project leader, and Pat Seymour, Mayor of Milton Keynes by John Butler and John Robinson of The Transport Trust at a special ceremony at the Museum on Wednesday 27 June. “This grant will help us complete the restoration of this important exhibit,” says Bill Griffiths, Museum Director at Milton Keynes Museum. “The tramcar has local and national significance and will attract interest from far and wide.” The Wolverton & Stony Stratford Tram ran between the two towns from 1872 and 1926 and was the last steam hauled tram in the UK. The tramcars are believed to be the largest ever built in this country. The Number 2 tramcar has undergone a major restoration in the last three years. A team of Museum volunteers led by Stan King, a retired Wolverton Works carriage maker, has rebuilt the 44ft (13.5m) car to its original condition using traditional materials, tools and skills.
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The construction of the bogies (wheels) for the tramcar will complete the restoration project. The Museum will display the completed tramcar on original track inside its Hall of Transport where it will be one of the major features. The tramcar was spilt into two sections when it was taken out of service in 1926. The separate sections were used as garden sheds in local villages before being salvaged by the Museum some years ago. The first stage of the restoration involved joining the two sections of the lower deck together. This was followed by the construction of a completely new upper deck using original plans supplied by the National Railway Museum in York. The Transport Trust is a national charity dedicated to preserving Britain’s transport heritage. It supports museums and other organisations by providing financial assistance and advice. Milton Keynes Museum is dedicated to the story of the Milton Keynes area from 1800 to the present day. Its artefacts and displays illustrate the lives of the people and the social, domestic, agricultural and industrial development of the area. The Museum has created a special website (www.mkheritage.co.uk/mkm) about the tram as part of the Jewels of Milton Keynes project. Additional information about the Museum can be found at www.mkmuseum.org.uk For further press information, please contact:
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