Leeds 399 Turns 100 Years Old

Leeds City Transport No. 399 was built some time in 1925 (exact date unknown) and entered service in April 1926. The delay was possibly due to slight modifications to its equipment, compared with that of its predecessors. 399 spent 34 years in service with Leeds City Transport before being taken into preservation and transported to Crich in 1959. After spending 32 years on display at the museum, it was finally restored to operational condition and entered service at the Museum in 1991. Since then, it has spent another 34 years more or less continuously in service at Crich – coincidentally roughly the same time as it had spent in operation in Leeds, though far less intensively!

To mark this tram’s 100th birthday, we have put together a short photographic celebration of its years in service at Crich, many of them taken by visitors to the museum.

As shown in the above image, a crucial stage in a tramcar’s restoration is the joining of the upper and lower decks. For practical reasons, the two decks were traditionally constructed independently before being assembled together. The procedure needed space for the upper deck to be craned onto the lower, so it was always done in the open, with a crane hired for the purpose. During restoration at Crich, the operation had to take place where there were no overhead wires above the track, so the diesel shunter ‘GMJ’ was called into use. As additional safety precautions, the overhead was de-energised, and the lift conducted outside normal opening hours.

With thanks to Museum volunteer Jim Dignan for putting this blog together.

Image references:
All except image (2) reproduced from the copyright-free Wikimedia Commons website:
1) Alan Murray-Rust: geograph.org.uk
2) National Tramway Museum collection
3) G-Man: geograph.org.uk
4) Phil Sangwell
5) Phil Parker
6) Malcolm Neal
7) Alan Murray-Rust