The Tramway Village people at Crich in Derbyshire hold a number of special themed events during the year and their Beetle Drive has become a firm favourite in the calendar. The 2010 event was held on 5th September. I wonder how much longer it will be known as the Beetle Drive because, as in previous years, the interpretation seems quite liberal. I guess the “New Beetle” is a Beetle in many people’s eyes (I regard it as a Golf in fancy dress) and the Type 2 Transporter in its various incarnations has always been closely associated, but allowing plain old water-cooled Golfs to join in just doesn’t seem right! Here are a few pictures I took of the event, but definitely no Golfs!
As in previous years, I was parked on the fan in front of the tram sheds. This silver Karmann Ghia in the foreground looked simply stunning.
Some cars are always parked up along the main street. The blue Beetle nearest the camera carried an Austrian registration.
The fan of trackwork in the yard in front of the sheds usually plays car park to a large number of cars. This year, however, maintenance work interrupted play, there were two very modern rail vehicles and a shipping container taking up space, and the fan was strangely half empty.
It did, however, enable them to stable the single-deck tram in the shed early since that track was kept clear.
And finally ... a couple of oddities ...
A tram with a British Railways Unicycling Lion?
And the smallest tramway tug you ever will see ...
I’m not sure how literally the instruction to Report All Noises or Rattles on Trams was to be taken ...
As in previous years, each participant received a small brass plaque to commemorate the occasion.
More details of the Crich Tramway Village can be found here.
This page published 5th September 2010 © J S Rastall