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About the Tram of the Year

Conceived as a bit of fun at the end of the year the British Trams Online Tram of the Year originally sought to find the tramcar which had done something "special" over the previous 12 months. There has never been a full definition of what "special" actually means in this case but over the years tramcars which have won have had a repaint, entered service after a repaint or gone on loan away from their home tramway to name but there examples.

In 2012 the contest was expanded to include two new categories - Event of the Year and Tramway of the Year - and then in 2014 a fourth category was voted for the first time - Tram (Modern) of the Year. 2023 saw the Tramway of the Year category split with one for heritage/museums and one for modern operating systems.

At the start of December each year nominations are opened for a week to allow anyone to put forward suggestions for each of the categories before our "expert panel" (which is probably neither expert nor a panel!) convene to make a decision of what should be on the final shortlist, with each category normally having around five items to vote on. Voting takes place for approximately four weeks between December and January and we then name the lucky winners.


British Trams Online Tram of the Year 2024

Tram of the Year: And the winners are...

The East Anglia Transport Museum in Carlton Colville can celebrate after they walked away with three of the categories at the British Trams Online Tram of the Year 2024! They received the most votes from the public in all three categories they were nominated for, with the only categories they didn’t come out on top being the modern tram ones! Meanwhile, there was also cause for celebration for the Blackpool Tramway and Manchester Metrolink as they received the most votes in the remaining categories.

Once again, this year saw voting open for four weeks allowing the public to register their votes for their favourites and after the main “Tram (Heritage) of the Year” category was initially a close fought race, the Christmas period saw Blackpool Brush Railcoach 634 start to pull away and in the end over 50% of you decided that the Fylde Transport Trust single deck Railcoach had done the most to win the category.

2024 saw the tram return to passenger service at the East Anglia Transport Museum after several years of restoration, firstly by former owner Andy Ashton and then the Fylde Transport Trust when they took ownership. The work was then swiftly completed at the East Anglia Transport Museum once the tram arrived there in late 2023. It ended up entering service at a special event over Easter 2024 (more on that event a bit later!).

In a very strong year for contenders in this category, the stunning 10-year restoration of London County Council 1 came in second place (after it entered service in September 2024, running for the first time in 57 years!) whilst another tram returning to action at Crich, Newcastle 102, was the third tram on the shortlist (a mere 24 years since that tram last ran!).

The East Anglia Transport Museum also got just over 50% of the total votes in the “Event of the Year” category and it was the launch of Blackpool 634 which helped out there too. The Blackpool Tram Event took place over the Easter Weekend and the first day not only saw 634 enter service but also saw three other trams with a Blackpool connection run: Marton VAMBAC 11, Standard 159 and Sheffield 513.

Coming in second place for that category was the Manx Heritage Transport Festival which again pulled out all the stops for a packed programme of events. The opening of the North Station extension in Blackpool was third before two Crich events completed the shortlist: A Journey Through Time and Light and Tram Weekend.

Two third of those who voted in the “Tramway/Museum of the Year” category decided that once again the East Anglia Transport Museum deserved that accolade. With Blackpool 634 joining the tram operating fleet, work also continues on the development of the museum and work resumed on the big restoration of Glasgow 488. It was also the busiest year for visitor numbers in history for the museum which is continuing to go places!

The Crich Tramway Village was second in that category for a year which saw two long-term projects return to service (LCC 1 and Newcastle 102) to join the most varied operating fleet anywhere within the UK.

Moving onto modern tramways and the “Tram (Modern) of the Year” saw two nominees and led to Blackpool 018 getting the most votes. 018 was the first tram which carried passengers on the North Station extension when it ran the pre-opening specials and that saw 62% of you decide that deserved that award. The other nominee was South Yorkshire Supertram 105, which returned to service after accident damage repairs for the first time in over three years.

The final category was also by far the closest – “Tramway (Modern) of the Year”. With just a single voting separating them Manchester Metrolink is your winner, beating Edinburgh Trams into second place. Both networks had seen passenger numbers continue to increase and both had record-breaking days during the 12 months under review. South Yorkshire Supertram wasn’t too far behind as you celebrated its return to local authority control.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and those shortlisted in each of the categories. Thank you for everyone who took the time to vote. And don’t forget to keep your eye out for anything which may be deserving of a nomination for the 2025 Awards!


Tram of the Year: The Results

Tram (Heritage) of the Year

Blackpool Brush Railcoach 634 – 225 votes (55.97%)
London County Council 1 – 126 votes (31.34%)
Newcastle 102 – 51 votes (12.69%)

17 votes removed due to multiple votes (caused no change to ranking)

Tram (Modern) of the Year

Blackpool 018 – 208 votes (62.09%)
South Yorkshire Supertram 105 – 127 votes (37.91%)

13 votes removed due to multiple votes (caused no change to ranking)

Tramway/Museum of the Year

East Anglia Transport Museum – 313 votes (66.88%)
Crich Tramway Village – 155 votes (33.12%)

18 votes removed due to multiple votes (caused no change to ranking)

Tramway of the Year (Modern)

Manchester Metrolink – 121 votes (35.17%)
Edinburgh Trams – 120 votes (34.88%)
South Yorkshire Supertram – 103 votes (29.94%)

14 votes removed due to multiple votes (caused no change to ranking)

Event of the Year

East Anglia Transport Museum: Blackpool Tram Event – 251 votes (50.81%)
Manx Heritage Transport Festival – 116 votes (23.48%)
Blackpool: Opening of North Station extension – 45 votes (9.11%)
Crich Tramway Village: A Journey Through Time and Light – 44 votes (8.91%)
Crich Tramway Village: Tram Weekend – 38 votes (7.69%)

19 votes removed due to multiple votes (caused no change to ranking)

Votes received from the same IP address are considered a multiple vote. In these cases the first set of votes are accepted with all subsequent votes removed from the final rankings.


Tram of the Year: The Shortlist

Tram (Heritage) of the Year

Blackpool Brush Railcoach 634
Launched into service at the East Anglia Transport Museum during a special event over the Easter Weekend, this Brush Railcoach has been used extensively throughout the year at the museum. Owned by the Fylde Transport Trust and on a five year loan at the museum, a lot of the work on its restoration was completed by former owner Andy Ashton and his family in the years following its original move from Blackpool. With a stunning interior restoration and an eye catching “The Terror Tram” livery is has quickly become a popular addition to the fleet at Carlton Colville.

London County Council 1
Ten years of work. Ł500,000 of funding. 67 years since it last ran in service. Those numbers alone are impressive enough to warrant a nomination on the shortlist. “Bluebird” was officially launched back into service on Friday 13th September (nothing unlucky about that day!) at Crich giving the public the first chance to see the high-quality restoration and to take a ride on the tram. It subsequently was used over Tram Weekend, proving to be very popular with visitors. Funding for the restoration came from the London County Council Tramways Trust and was worth every penny!

Newcastle 102
With thanks to the Tramcar Sponsorship Organisation, Newcastle 102 returned to service during the summer – the first time it has run in service since being withdrawn in 2000 after suffering a broken axle. It has undergone significant attention in the workshops at the Crich Tramway Village over the past few years and was finally ready to return to action. Although not enjoying its own launch event like the other two trams, it saw extensive use when the weather allowed on the demonstration tramway.

Tram (Modern) of the Year

Blackpool 018
After all the years of waiting, Blackpool Flexity2 018 had the honour of being the first tram to run onto the North Station extension with passengers when it was used for the various pre-opening special trips in the days leading up to the official opening.

South Yorkshire Supertram 105
105 returned to service for the first time in over three years in September 2024. The tram had been involved in a collision with a lorry at Hyde Park which saw it derailed and suffer significant damage on 23rd July 2021. It was sent away to Kilmarnock for repairs and returned to Sheffield in March 2022. After further work at Nunnery Depot it finally returned to service on 8th September 2024.

Tramway/Museum (Heritage) of the Year

Crich Tramway Village
A year which saw two trams join the operating fleet after not having been in use for some time (Newcastle 102) or ever (London County Council 1) helped the home of the National Tramway Museum to another good year. In total 18 different trams ran in passenger service during the year – the highest number of any UK based heritage tramway.

East Anglia Transport Museum
The year started with a bang as Blackpool Brush 634 entered service at an event over the Easter weekend and things just went from strength to strength there. Work on the restoration of Glasgow 488 also moved forward with the top deck moved into the main workshop.

Tramway (Modern) of the Year

Edinburgh Trams
With the Newhaven extension now fully embedded into the network having been open for almost 18 months, 2024 has been another record-breaking for the system. Helped in no small part by Taylor Swift, the system truly comes into its own when there are special events taking place although passenger numbers do also remain high throughout the year.

Manchester Metrolink
The system continues to bounce back from the Covid years with passenger loadings again reaching similar levels. There has been more of a change towards leisure travel with record-breaking numbers seen at weekends at times during the year.

South Yorkshire Supertram
The end of Stagecoach operations came in March, with a new company set up by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to take control. Major trackwork in the summer followed along with deep-cleaning and a piloting of a new timetable with extra services at peak times.

Event (Heritage/Modern) of the Year

Blackpool – Opening of North Station extension events
Yes, it was delayed by many years but June 2024 finally saw the short extension of the Blackpool Tramway up to North Station opened. Ahead of the official opening, there were a number of pre-opening specials for special ticket holders – and this include the first use of a heritage tram up to the station when Balloon 700 was in use.

Crich Tramway Village – Tram Weekend
The annual enthusiast event at Crich once again pulled out all the stops. With London County Council 1 making its first official public appearances, the weekend also saw fellow London County Council tramcar 106 return to service and Newcastle 102 was also in use. The weekend also saw numerous tram line-ups on the depot fan which included the rare sight of Leicester 76 out of the Exhibition Hall.

Crich Tramway Village – A Journey Through Light and Time
A brand new event for 2024 took place at Crich after the main season had ended, with special lighting added to the museum site as trams ran after dark. Leeds 399 also received external illuminations for the event which proved very popular with the visiting public.

East Anglia Transport Museum – Blackpool Tram Event
Starting the 2024 season of special events, the long Easter weekend saw a Blackpool Tram Event take place at the East Anglia Transport Museum. This included the launch into service of Blackpool Brush 634 but also saw all other operational trams with a Blackpool link in operation – Standard 159, Marton VAMBAC 11 and Sheffield 513.

Manx Heritage Transport Festival
The big event of the heritage transport calendar on the Isle of Man returned again in 2024 with six days of events across the various heritage lines on the island. This included the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway run various different trams at different times (including the first use of 1 since pre-pandemic) whilst the Manx Electric Railway again featured extensively, including various parallel runs, behind the scenes tours and special tours of the line.


Tram of the Year: Nominations now open!

As December arrives it can only mean one thing (well, it probably means quite a lot of things!) – its time to launch the British Trams Online Tram of the Year contest for 2024! Regular readers of this website will know exactly what that means, but for the rest of you read on to find out more. Once again this year we will be looking to name “Tram (Heritage)”, “Tram (Modern)”, “Tramway/Museum”, “Tramway (Modern)” and “Event” of the Year. The next seven days or so is your chance to put forward nominees to make the final shortlist ahead of voting in December/January.

The nomination period is open for only a week with the deadline for any nominations being Saturday 7th December 2024. Voting then opens on Sunday 8th December 2024 and will remain open for four weeks until the morning of Saturday 4th January 2025. The qualifying period for nominations is between the first weekend in December 2023 and the first weekend in December 2024 (i.e. it has to have already happened for it to qualify!).

We will be looking to find winners in the following categories (if there are no obvious contenders in any categories that may not go forward to the voting stage):

Tram (Heritage) of the Year
Last 3 Winners: Manx Electric Railway 19, Blackpool 159, Manx Electric Railway 2

This category looks to find the heritage tram which has done that something out of the ordinary in the past 12 months. It could be that its operated away from its home tramway, re-entered service after overhaul/restoration or even just been that stalwart of operation.

Tram (Modern) of the Year
Last 3 Winners: Edinburgh Trams 258, Blackpool 011, Manchester Metrolink 1023

Has there been a modern tram which has done something special in 2023? It could have received a new livery or a special advert which gave that wow factor or maybe it was the first tram to run on a new line? Or did it even run in service for the very first time?

Tramway/Museum (Heritage) of the Year
Last 3 Winners: Manx Electric Railway, East Anglia Transport Museum, Crich Tramway Village

This category is looking for which heritage tramways/museums has had a special year over the past 12 months. What that something special may be is entirely up to – just remember to give reasons why!

Tramway (Modern) of the Year
Last Winner: Edinburgh Trams

For the first time in 2023 we separated this category to allow modern operating systems to have their chance to shine as well. We are looking for a modern tramway which has had a good year – whether that’s a new service introduced or just a system which continues to prove its popularity its up to you!

Event of the Year
Last 3 Winners: Isle of Man Year of the Railways Transport Festival, Blackpool Jubilee Tram Parade, Isle of Man Winter Heritage Transport Festival

A category which can cover both heritage and modern tramways (although has been heavily dominated by heritage lines in the past!). It could be a special event on a heritage tramway but could equally be the opening of a new line or an improved service on one of the modern operating tramways across the British Isles.

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Previous Contests


2023

Tramcar - Manx Electric Railway 19
LRV - Edinburgh Trams 258
Tramway/Museum - Manx Electric Railway
Tramway (Modern) - Edinburgh Trams
Event - Isle of Man: Year of the Railways Transport Festival

2022

Tramcar - Blackpool 159
LRV - Blackpool 011
Tramway/Museum - East Anglia Transport Museum
Event - Blackpool: Jubilee Tram Parade

2021

Tramcar - Manx Electric Railway 2
LRV - Manchester Metrolink 1023
Tramway - Crich Tramway Village
Event - Isle of Man: Winter Heritage Transport Festival


2020

Tramcar - Stockport 5
LRV - Manchester Metrolink 3073
Tramway - Seaton Tramway
Event - Seaton Tramway: 50th anniversary event

2019

Tramcar - Manx Electric Railway 54
LRV - Blackpool Tramway 001 & Manchester Metrolink 3006
Tramway - Heaton Park Tramway
Event - Manx Heritage Transport Festival

2018

Tramcar - Manx Electric Railway 14
LRV - Stagecoach Supertram 399 203
Tramway - Manx Electric Railway
Event - Manx Electric Railway 125th anniversary


2017

Tramcar - Douglas Bay Horse Tramway 36
LRV - Stagecoach Supertram 399 202
Tramway - Statfold Barn Railway
Event - Statfold Barn Railway: Burton & Ashby 14 launch

2016

Tramcar - Blackpool Marton 31
LRV - Manchester Metrolink 3120
Tramway - Douglas Bay Horse Tramway
Event - Douglas Bay Horse Tramway: 140th Anniversary

2015

Tramcar - Liverpool 245
LRV - Manchester Metrolink 3100
Tramway - Blackpool Tramway
Event - Blackpool Tramway: 130th Anniversary


2014

Tramcar - Blackpool Pantograph 167
LRV - Manchester Metrolink 1007
Tramway - Crich Tramway Village
Event - Crich Tramway Village: Electric 50

2013

Tramcar - Blackpool Boat 227
Tramway - Heaton Park Tramway
Event - Rejuvenation of Blackpool Heritage Service

2012

Tramcar - Blackpool Brush 623
Tramway - Blackpool
Event - Glasgow 50 at Crich


2011

Tramcar - Blackpool Marton VAMBAC 11

2010

Tramcar - Liverpool 762

2009

Tramcar - Blackpool Western Train 733+734

2008

Tramcar - Blackpool Balloon 717

2007

Tramcar - Blackpool Brush 623

2006

Tramcar - Leeds 345

2005

Tramcar - Trampower Tram

2004

Tramcar - Blackpool Illuminated Frigate 736 & Nottingham Express Transit 203 (joint winners)

2003

Tramcar - Leeds 602

This page was last updated on Sunday 5th January 2025


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