Glasgow Corporation Transport No. 1282

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Glasgow 1282

Photo: Jim Dignan.

Glasgow during the 1930s was still in the grip of the great depression but in 1938 was due to host the Empire Exhibition, an international exposition that was intended to showcase the city and its accomplishments while providing a welcome boost to its economic prospects. Since there was already felt to be a need for additional tramcars, the decision was taken in 1936 to commission a new class of tramcars that would not only provide additional capacity but also help to demonstrate the city’s potential while ferrying visitors to and from the exhibition.

Since the tramcars were intended to serve as ambassadors for the city they were built to the highest level of specification and are considered to be among the most luxurious of tramcars ever to have entered public service. While other operators were introducing rather futuristic streamlined designs, Glasgow Corporation’s somewhat conservative Transport Department opted instead for a more restrained design incorporating tapered ends that allowed a longer tram to negotiate the city’s sharp curves (dictated by the gridiron layout of the streets) without interfering with the operation of other trams.

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Sister car 1280 in Paisley. J.H. Venn, September 1956.

Specification

Type of tram
Double deck, fully enclosed bogie electric tramcar
Livery
Orange, cream & green
Seating capacity
64 (26 down, 38 up)
Date built
1940
Date entered service
5/3/40
Manufacturer of body
Glasgow Corporation (under-frame and lower deck framework built by English Electric)
Manufacturer of truck
EMB equal wheel 'Lightweight’
Gauge
Original: 4’ 7¾” Current: 4’ 8½”
Motor
BTH 109AW 4 x 35hp
Controller
BTH Electropneumatic
Current collector
Fischer Bow Collector
Modification

Removal of driver’s opening windows and the half drop window at each end together with the ventilator hood over the driver’s cab and the interior cab doors after the war.
Art deco lighting removed from lower saloon in the 1950s.

Withdrawn from service

6/9/62

Subsequent history

Sold into preservation for a couple of hundred pounds in 1962.

Restoration history

Much work was lavished on it by volunteers in the early days at Crich, but it underwent a thorough restoration programme with the aid of government funding in 1977-8.
Although part of the operational fleet between 1978 and 2003 it was withdrawn as a result of suspected underframe and bodywork problems.

Current status
Restored but not currently operational
Date started operating at Crich
1978 for 25 years
Total mileage covered at Crich
14,926
Current location
Depots
Future plans

The Scottish Tramway and Transport Society has launched an appeal fund to restore Glasgow 1282 and return it to operational service

Timeline
  • 1940 – 1962Operational on original tramway
  • 1962 – 1977In storage
  • 1977 – 1978Undergoing restoration
  • 1978 – 2003Operational at Crich
  • 2003 –On display

Crich Tramway Village is a brand name for the National Tramway Museum (Accredited with Arts Council England), solely owned and operated by The Tramway Museum Society, incorporated in England with liability by guarantee (no. 744229). Registered charity number 313615. Our ICO number is Z6700136.