Standard 48 Lives On

John Woodman

Blackpool Corporation Standard Tramcar lives on some 7000 miles from its original home - at the Oregon Trolley Museum in Brooks, near Portland Oregon.

The writer in his souvenir shirt from the Oregon museum courtesy of his daughter and son in law who made a point of visiting the tram on their recent vacation in Vancouver and Portland area. Courtesy of Mark Kavanagh, a leading member of the Museum group who arranged for 48 to be placed at the front of the depot (it was raining heavily at the time) the visitors were able to inspect the tram to record its condition. Number 48 features prominently in the publicity for the museum alongside a similar exile from another far flung system in Sydney, Australia.

Of course this Standard car is famous for being the very last tram to travel to Royal Oak on the final night of the Marton tram service in 1962. The writer, together with fellow enthusiast Colin MacLeod, were allowed to affix a small wreath and posters on the west facing end of the tram for its last journey to Royal Oak (and back to Marton Depot). In the final dispersal of the handful of remaining Standard cars in 1962 number 48 travelled to the Pacific coast to join the Oregon museum collection and was put to work on an extensive riverside line for several years, before being retired to static display. Below : the top deck interior with polished cleaned ceiling panel and seating. The rudimentary ventilators on the interior bulkheads have received a polish as well.

Below : Steve and Jessica Meyer-Rassow stand proudly? in front of 48 with its destination set to 'Powerland' - the branding name given to the Brooks site which has several themed museums including the tram/trolley collection (complete with working line). Photos and visit earlier this year.