We’re going back to the red and white years for the Croydon (London) Tramlink system over the next few weeks in “Picture in Time”.
The photos in this series were all taken on the Beckenham Junction and Elmers End lines and depict several of the original Bombardier built trams which were ready for the opening of the network in phases in 2000. Constructed in Austria the trams – classified as CR4000s – are a member of the Flexity Swift class of which examples could be seen across Europe, Australia and the United States of America.
In this image we see 2537 which was the eighth of the trams to be delivered to Therapia Lane on 18th January 1999 (at this stage trams were being delivered once a week). As with all the trams it was originally outshopped in the red and white fleet livery which was how the trams would look until 2008/9 when the new house colours would come. 2537 has some adverts applied over its fleet livery here as it waits at Beckenham Junction with a service to West Croydon.
Photograph by Chris Allsop-Buckler, 9th August 2008