Express & Star

Old tram lines get new life at museum

Old tram lines discovered as part of ongoing Midland Metro works have been donated to the Black Country Living Museum to be included as part of their vintage tram display.

Published
Some of the track being delivered to the museum.

Around 100 metres of tram track have been removed as part of the works which are continuing along the A41 Bilston Road.

They have been donated by company Midland Metro Alliance to the museum to enhance its Forging Ahead project. It will be installed as part of 1930's inspired street.

The donation was made after workers discovered that the rail in Wolverhampton was compatible with the track of the vintage tramway at the tourist attraction in Dudley.

Paul Brown, Midland Metro Alliance project director for the Bilston Road tram track replacement project, said: “Whilst the track along Bilston Road was reaching the end of its operational life for such a busy route, there was still enough life in the track for a smaller vintage tramline.

"The Midland Metro Alliance puts sustainability at the heart of everything that it does and we are pleased the old track being removed from Bilston Road will be recycled at such a popular West Midlands venue for the enjoyment of all.”

Black Country Living Museum announced its expansion plans earlier in the summer upon gaining significant financial support from the National Lottery.

The major development project, BCLM: Forging Ahead, will see the museum create a historic town focused on the1940s to 1960s.

The donated track will now be cleaned-up by the team at the museum before being used in maintenance and expansion projects.

Tim Shields, curator for industry and transport at BCLM, said: “We’re really grateful to the Midland Metro Alliance for this very generous donation of track.

"An important part of our major new development project ‘BCLM: Forging Ahead’ is the extension of our visitor tramway and we hope to use this particular track to create a turning radii to take historic trams along our 1930s street.

"We are especially pleased that it has been saved from its previous location in Bilston and will be put to good use at the museum for years to come.”

The Museum in Dudley, which attracted more than 300,000 visitors last year, will ultimately be accessible by tram too, when the proposed Wednesbury to Brierley Hill tram extension opens in 2023.

More information on the work of the Midland Metro Alliance can be found by visiting metroalliance.co.uk. For more information on the Black Country Living Museum, visit bclm.co.uk/.