Road Vehicle Memories
Trams and Trolleybuses (EATM) Crich Tramway Village Midland Metro
The Sinclair C5 (A personal transport dream that became a nightmare)
Trams and Trolleybuses
at the East Anglia Transport Museum
large towns in the first half of the 20th century, were replaced in many places by
trolleybuses, sometimes dubbed 'whispering death' because people could not hear
them coming, which sometimes caused personal injury or fatality.
privately or in museums around the country. I took these photographs at the East
Anglia Transport Museum at Carlton Colville near Lowestoft, where other attractions
include a fleet of buses, cars and commercial vehicles and a narrow-gauge railway.
For opening times and travel directions, see their website, http://www.eatm.org.uk/
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ABOVE: A former Blackpool tram and a trolleybus from Manchester. Blackpool is the one |
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ABOVE Trams from London (left), Blackpool (centre) and Amsterdam at the EATM.
BELOW (left-to-right) Interior of the Blackpool double-decker; driver's controls, and a
road sign warning other road users that trams come close to the kerb at this point.
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All photographs copyright © 2005, Arthur Loosley
Comments, photographs and new material for publiction here are invited. You may contact me by personal e-mail or post your comments directly to our discussion group, Wordsweb Forum.
Crich Tramway Village, Derbyshire
The National Tramway Museum
| Operating in a former quarry at Crich, in the Derbyshire Peak District, the museum has an impressive fleet of trams from UK and overseas, and a street scene, rebuilt from |
redundant buildings elsewhere in the county |
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ABOVE: the gift and souvenir shop, and a restored fairgound organ ... a lovely sound!
Also see the official website: http://www.tramway.co.uk
Midland Metro - A Modern Tramway
Birmingham to Wolverhampton
A Metro Tram and dedicated trams-only bridge over a busy road
junction photographed in Wolverhampton on 27 August 2006
© 2006 Arthur Loosley
The 12.7-mile (20.1km) Midland Metro light rail system links England's second largest city, Birmingham, with Wolverhampton, a growing city in the north of the West Midlands Region.
It opened in 1999 after protracted delays caused by difficulties in accepting the Ansaldo-built trams, as well as infrastructure issues.
The scheme originally planned a network of routes, but cost concerns led to just one line being initially built. Passenger loadings are approaching 5 million per year, but these are far less than expected. However, they are steadily rising, and the system has the support of local government across the West Midlands. (Text from: http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/midland/)
The Sinclair C5
A Dream that became a Nightmare
| The subject of massive publicity hailing it as environmentally friendly, cheap to buy and exempt from road tax and insurance, the Sinclair C5, seen here at the East Anglia Transport Museum, was the brainchild of electronics genius and risk-taking entrepreneur Clive (later Sir Clive) Sinclair. It was a commercial flop when launched on January 10, 1985. |  |
Critics, notably the road safety organisations, warned that driving this lightweight
plastic-bodied open-to-the-weather battery-powered tricycle (described as a car but
never seriously recognized as such) would be a frightening experience if used for
the purpose for which it was said to have been designed - getting around busy city
streets, with the ability to park anywhere.
The lead-acid battery accounted for one third of the total weight, grossly inefficient
as so much energy was used just to carry itself, and the eight-hour charging time
and limited driving time made it just too much of a nuisance to use. Sinclair advised
that the electric motor should be powered only in short bursts to conserve energy,
allowing the vehicle to coast under its own momentum. Pedals were provided to
assist it when travelling uphill and to assist starting from standstill.
Designed and marketed by Sinclair and manufactured by the Hoover washing
machine company, the vehicle was launched at a basic price of £399 plus £29
delivery by mail order, although it was hoped also to offer it for sale in high street
electrical stores alongside washing machines and refrigerators, and in Woolworths.
The quoted price tag was somewhat misleading as by the time a few ‘extras’ such
as mirrors, indicators, a horn and a ‘high visibility mast’ were added the overall cost
was closer to £600. Very few were sold and what ‘seemed like a good idea at the
time’ is now seen as the greatest ever flop in UK transport history, but it became
something of a cult icon and provided a bit of fun for those who had private grounds
where they could ride it without putting their lives at risk.
ã
Arthur Loosley, 2005
Comments, photographs and new material for publiction here are invited. You may contact me by personal