The Crich Tramway Village

 

The Derwent Valley is a curious place. For someone looking out from one of the farms in the Valley just south of Cromford might be slightly surprised to see a city centre double deck tram car making its way along a ledge half the way up the steep sides of the valley. What may be more surprising is the fact that this tram has Glasgow Corporation Transport on the side.

Luckily this is not an illusion but one of the many coincidences of the heritage world.

Crich tramway museum is based on the site of a narrow gauge railway that was laid by George Stevenson, the father of the railways, to supply limestone for building his North Midland Railway. This railway continued in operation until the 1960’s when a group of the Talyllyn Railway volunteers came to the site to acquire some track. With them was someone from a group of tram enthusiasts who had bought a number of trams from 1948.  Seeing the potential of this site history was made as they say.

To make it look authentic they decided to build a typical Victorian village around the depot and tramway and what you see today is the result.

Riding on a Victorian electric tram can give you a great idea of how public transport in cities should be done. No park and ride, no busses, instead trams and until the 60’s trams were a common things on the streets of our cities. Trams are also the future and they are coming back.

The museum has on display about 60 trams in two massive depot buildings connected by a traverser. It then has an additional collection of maintenance vehicles and many vehicles in store, undergoing restoration and on loan to other museums across the country. This is may be the largest collection of trams in the world and they even have a snowplough tram.

The village itself is full of buildings that have all been moved here to create the scene as well as the award wining cast iron urinals there are many interesting buildings to have a look around and of course there is a Victorian sweet shop and two excellent places to have a bite to eat.

Lastly there is the workshop where the trams are restored and looked after. The gallery of this is definitely worth a visit.

Up the line is the massive bridge that crosses the tramway and heading northwards there is a collection of items and wooden sculptures that might prove interesting.

Crich is a fantastic place that wins a Pewter Medal award for its wonderfully restored trams.

 

Sorry got to go, I’ve go a tram to catch….

 

GHGF 2009