Here is an exciting press release from the Tramway Museum Society…

We are excited to announce in our 50^th year of running electric trams at Crich, the loan of Newcastle 114 from Beamish Open Air Museum.

No 114 is one of twenty four-wheel open-top short-canopied ‘A- Class’ tramcars built in 1901 by Hurst Nelson and Co. Ltd., Motherwell, for Newcastle Corporation Tramways.

Newcastle 114 will play an integral part in the Electric 50 celebrations in September and will illustrate an electric un-canopied open top car mounted on a four wheel truck which the Museum currently is unable to demonstrate from our collection.

Colin Heaton, the Chairman of The Tramway Museum Society said “Crich Tramway Village and Beamish, the Living Museum of the North have a long, friendly and fruitful relationship.  I am delighted that in connection with our very special anniversary we are to host our first visiting tram from another heritage tramway.  Newcastle 114 will be a welcome representative of it’s Museum at our celebrations and provides an opportunity to experience a type of tram not yet present in the collection at Crich.”

Paul Jarman said: “ I’m delighted that Beamish and the TMS are working together again, and that this time we are able to send one of our trams to Crich for a working visit.  It further strengthens our relationship and is the fruition of a great deal of behind the scenes hard work by the staff and volunteers at Crich to put together an imaginative programme for the September event – I for one am greatly looking forward to being there and seeing the fruits of all their work!”

Newcastle 114 is the second tram car to be accepted on loan at the National Tramway Museum this year following the arrival of Blackpool 711 in April of this year which is on loan from Blackpool Transport Services.

No 114 will be one of the unique attractions in our 25 tramcar cavalcades at our ‘Electric 50’ event in September. We also hope to display it with our own Newcastle ‘F – Class’ tramcar No 102 also dating from 1901 on one of the days.