Wirral Transport Museum & Tramway

It has been announced that Merseytravel are to take over the Transport Museum, tramway & Pacific Road Theatre from Wirral Borough Council. This does show that Merseytravel can fund projects. 'Royal Iris' next !

Bob.

 

Is this the line they are taking over?

http://www.mtps.co.uk/

 

Yes, that's the one.

Bob.

 

Hold your horses - it's not a done deal !!

I quote from the Press Release :

Wirral Council's Director of Law, HR and Asset Management has been authorised to negotiate and conclude legal documentation to allow Merseyravel to take over Pacific Road Arts Centre and Wirral Transport Museum and Tramway ( my italics ! )

Whilst Merseytravel were the winning bidder in the tender process there's a lot be done before Merseytravel can take over. For example - IIRC - the current tramway operator has to employ Blackpool Corporation staff to train new drivers because at the time that legislation was enacted only Blackpool Corporation operated a tramway ( other tramways such as Manchester, Norttingham and Sheffielkd are legally defined as light railways thus come under different legislation ) and therefore all tramway responsibilities were ceded to Blackpool.

Granted the news is progress and should protect an interesting operation - and I suspect that the rationale is tied up with Merseytravel's desire to run a tram network on the Liverpool side of the river !

 

Just out of curiosity, what has happened to the ex-Hong Kong trams? They dont appear listed as part of the fleet now.

Thanks

 

Depends who you know !

Bob.

 

Renewed my acquaintance with the tramway over the weekend. If you haven't been, the tramway and museum are well worth a visit. Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society have worked wonders, putting together a lovely collection of perfectly restored trams and buses from the North West which look right at home on Birkenhead's streets (with Lisbon 730 bringing a bit of Portuguese exoticism). Woodside Ferry Terminal has a very good food hall in it now, and if the weather's good you can eat and drink on an outdoor terrace overlooking the Liverpool skyline (and u-boat U-534, which lives next door). Throw in the ferry and the Mersey Railway, and you have a very rich transport focussed day out with great public transport to get you there and home again, or good hotels if you'd like to make a weekend of it.







Honourable mention too to the Museum of Liverpool's extremely evocative Liverpool Overhead Railway exhibit. It's not obvious from my photos, but you can sit inside car No.3, and the museum sometimes has volunteers to tell visitors about the history of the Railway. Ted, who was handling the talks today, remembered riding on the railway and did a great job of bringing those memories to life: