Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company L53
Encyclopedia
Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company L53 is the only surviving complete Eades horse tram. It was built in 1877 for the Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company
.
, and is often loaned out to other museums. In 2009 it was loaned to Beamish Museum
., and in May 2010 to Bury Transport Museum.
Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company
The Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company was incorporated in 1880, the result of a merger of the Manchester Suburban Tramways Company and the Manchester Carriage Company, to provide horse-drawn tram services throughout Manchester and Salford, England, and surrounding districts...
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Design
It is one of over 500 designed by John Eades in 1877 and operated in and around the Manchester area until 1903. Built by the company to the Eades patent Reversible type, the tram is unique among all surviving trams in that it uses the horses' own power to turn the body of the tram round on its underframe when reaching the end of the tracks. Prior to this invention most horse trams were double-ended. On reaching a terminus the horse needed to be uncoupled and taken to the other end. Eades' design saved time. Also only one staircase was needed thus increasing the capacity and reducing the weight.Restoration
Rescued from a retirement near Glossop Derbyshire, that included use as a hairdresser's and a fish and chip shop, the tram was restored over a 25-year period by a team of skilled volunteers which included most of the side frames being made by one of the team as part of an 'A' Level woodwork exam.Operation
L53 is one of the main trams operated by the Heaton Park TramwayHeaton Park Tramway
The Heaton Park Tramway is a heritage tramway running old trams as a visitor attaction in Heaton Park, Manchester.The tramway was briefly closed after thieves stole overhead cables on 17 October 2011, engineers worked flat out to get the tramway fully operational again, within a week.- History...
, and is often loaned out to other museums. In 2009 it was loaned to Beamish Museum
Beamish Museum
Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum is an open-air museum located at Beamish, near the town of Stanley, County Durham, England. The museum's guiding principle is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England at the climax of industrialisation in the early...
., and in May 2010 to Bury Transport Museum.