Picture Galleries > Moving the tram to Middelton Part 2
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22-8-12 move 1.jpg
The Running gear was first rolled out of the middle garage then slid sideways using pinch bars till it lined up with the drive.
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22-8-12 move 2.jpg
It was then carefully lowered down the drive a short distance at a time using the temporary track panels and a block and tackle achored by a car.
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22-8-12 move 3.jpg
Halfway down the drive we ran out of ripe so it was carefully chocked and the car was reveresed slowly as adjusted the pulleys.
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22-8-12 move 4.jpg
After an hour and a half it reached the bottom of the drive safely.
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22-8-12 move 6.jpg
The crane lorry then started to hoist it.
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22-8-12 move 7.jpg
very quickly it was safely on the lorry.
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22-8-12 move 7a.jpg
At Middleton we unloaded it and weighed it at the same time. Reading the scale through binioculars it weighed 960Kg. Just under a long ton (2112 lbs).
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22-8-12 move 7b.jpg
The chassis was then shunted up to the top of the yard and negotiated it's first pointwork successfulyly and the rail mounted crane was positioned alongside it.
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22-8-12 move 8.jpg
The body was then brought out to meet it.
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22-8-12 move 9.jpg
The old cracked underframe which had served as a jig was then removed.
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22-8-12 move 10.jpg
The body was then lifted before we gently rolled the running gear underneath it.
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22-8-12 move 11.jpg
After a couple of hours of work the body was finally united with it's running gear and looked well..
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22-8-12 move 12.jpg
Another view of the work area before the tram, which we can now call it was carefully pushed back into the Engine House. It rolled very sweetly with hardly a sound. The team were very pleased and the suspension worked as designed, a real tribute to the late Bernard Donald who worked out the way that the suspension worked from partial remains on Chesterfield 8 at Crich and photographs.