MANCHESTER TRANSPORT MUSEUM SOCIETY
The Manchester Transport Museum Society Ltd is a registered charity whose aim is the preservation of documents and artifacts relating to public transport in the Manchester region. It began life in the early 1960s as the Manchester Transport Historical Collection, a group of enthusiasts dedicated to restoring Manchester single deck California car 765.The car had been rescued from the moors above Huddersfield and taken to the Tramway Museum at Crich Derbyshire. After some work it moved to Manchester where over the next 20 years or so restoration was completed and the car was exhibited at a number of venues on the back of a low loader. Eventually 765 returned to Crich where it operated for 2 or 3 years before coming home to Manchester in 1979 to run in Heaton Park.
(Photo MTMS archive)
765 prior to its rescue from the moors above Huddersfield
(Photo MTMS archive)
Restoration work underway at Crich.
(Photo MTMS archive)
765 with restoration partly complete.
(Photo MTMS archive)
The finished product on display
During the 1970s the Society started to try to interest Manchester City Council in reopening the former siding in Heaton Park in order to operate 765 in its home city. Although interested the council initially did not feel able to take the scheme forward, but eventually in 1978 a start was made and by late 1979 progress was sufficient to allow 765 to start operations. To administer the Tramway the Society and City Council set up a jointly owned company, The Manchester Tramway Company Ltd., with a formal constitution. The tramway was formally opened by the Lord Mayor of Manchester at Easter 1980 and 2005 sees the 25th anniversary of the operation.
The Society has over the years published a number of books on transport related matters in the region in order to raise funds for it's restoration projects and many of these are available from the Bookshop in the Museum at Heaton Park. We also maintain an extensive collection of photographs and negatives of Manchester and surrounding tramways and in order to maintain this collection we have constructed an archive store. The collection of negatives has been digitised and the whole collection is in the process of being catalogued electronically.
The Society is always looking to expand its group of volunteers who maintain and operate the Tramway and Museum and take part in restoration and many other activities associated with our aims such as tramcar maintenance or track maintenance. Membership of the Society brings free ridership at Heaton Park, two copies of the Society Journal annually and reciprocal arrangements with other bodies including the Greater Manchester Museum of Transport. No particular skills are needed other than a little enthusiasm. Where needed training will be available to allow members to take on their chosen field of work. The pictures below show some of the activities undertaken by members.
(photo R.Dunning)
Track-laying Christmas 1989
Tram crew
(photo S.G.Hyde)
Tramcar washing
Join the MTMS and support the Tramway!
Anyone interested in joining can contact us by paying the Museum a visit any Sunday or Bank Holiday between Easter and October when the Museum will be open between 1:00pm and 5:00pm, or by telephoning us on 0161 740 1919 at the Museum where a 24 hour telephone answering machine operates when nobody is available. Alternatively you can E-mail us for details or download a copy of our membership form.
MANCHESTER TRANSPORT MUSEUM SOCIETY