American Trams in Manchester
 

When the Commonwealth games were in Manchester they brought in some trams from San Francisco. I've noticed a few weeks ago that there is still at least one at the Metrolink depot north of Manchester Victoria. Did anyone actually go on one? and can anyone remember how they got to the City of Manchester stadium?

http://www.google.com/search?as_q=ma...s=&safe=images

http://www.britishtramsonline.co.uk/metrolink.html

SAN FRANCISCO 1326 SCRAPPED IN MANCHESTER
Manchester Metrolink – Sunday 6th January 2008
San Francisco 1326 - one of the two trams bought over from America for possible use on Manchester Metrolink – has been scrapped on site of the Queens Road Depot at the start of September. The tram had been stored at the depot since it was decided the trams were not suitable for operation in Manchester. A second tram - 1226 - remains in Derby where its future is also up in the air.
Source: Chris Allen

Mike M.

I don't even think they entered service did thety because i was looking for a ride on one once but never came accross one.

I rember them being announced on North West Tonight a while ago i didnt realise that hey were quite old but the Museum Of Transport should preserve on surley !

When the Commonwealth Games were under way I remember a woman phoning up a Manchester based radio station to complain about how much she hates the American trams. I don't know if she had travelled on them reguarly or just once. It could have been that they did just one run out at peak times or were kept as backup in case one of the usual trams broke down.

San Francisco is one American city I'd love to visit. The trams and cable cars vary greatly in style and size. Although I love the Manchester Metrolink the trams do look a bit plain in comparison.

If I remember the story correctly, the San Francisco trams were brought over to supplement services because the Manchester trams were slow in delivery. When they reached Manchester they were found to be too wide and wrong gauge (5' 3") and were impossible to rectify. They were meant to go to Blackpool after the Games but the same problems were inherant and they were stored or scrapped.

I remember one of the american trams de-railed,whilst going round the sharp curve in victoria,it was driver training-i never saw one with passengers on though.