East Anglia Transport Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
East Anglia Transport Museum

Preserved former London (first generation) tram and trolleybus at the East Anglia Transport Museum
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Established	1965
Location	Carlton Colville, Lowestoft, Suffolk
Type	Heritage centre

Former Bournemouth Corporation open-top trolleybus No. 202. Seen at the East Anglia Transport Museum, summer 2006. In the background is the rear of former Solingen, Germany trolleybus No. 1.

The East Anglia Transport Museum is a special outdoor museum. It shows many old public transport vehicles. Lots of them still work! The museum is in Carlton Colville, near Lowestoft, Suffolk. It's the only museum in the UK where you can ride on buses, trams, and trolleybuses. You can also ride a small narrow-gauge railway here.

History of the Museum

The museum started in 1965 in Carlton Colville. It began when four people saved an old Lowestoft tram in 1962. This tram (number 14) had been used as a summerhouse for many years. The land for the museum was a field. It was given by Albert Bird, who started the museum society.

Building the Museum

The first buildings were put up in 1966. The museum first opened to visitors on May 28, 1972. Tram and trolleybus rides began in 1981. This was after a proper road was built for them.

The museum also has a small railway. It is called the East Suffolk Light Railway. This railway opened in 1973. It was about 274 meters (300 yards) long. The track was 61 centimeters (2 feet) wide. Materials for the track came from old quarries and railways.

Growing Bigger

In 2016, the museum got more land next to its main site. The local council agreed to the expansion. They knew the museum helped the local area. The plan was to make the tramway, trolleybus route, and railway longer. This would almost double the museum's size. It was estimated to cost one million pounds.

A new building was planned for exhibits. It would focus on Eastern Coach Works. This company built many bus and train bodies in nearby Lowestoft. It closed in 1987. New depots for trams and trolleybuses were also planned. Twenty vehicles stored elsewhere would move to the museum. This way, more people could see them.

The East Suffolk Light Railway was extended first. It now crosses over the tramway. In April 2023, a new tram depot opened. It can hold six tramcars.

What You Can See and Ride

The museum has many different vehicles. These range from a 1904 Lowestoft tram to a 1985 Sinclair C5. You can ride trams on a route that passes the trolleybus depot. It goes up to a stop called Woodside.

The trolleybus route used to go to the trolleybus depot. There, you could switch to the small railway. This railway goes to Chapel Road, which is the other end of the tram route. Or, you could stay on the trolleybus. It would turn around and go back to the museum entrance.

A dirt path was paved and named Herting Street. This was thanks to a kind donor. On July 12, 2008, a new loop for the trolleybuses opened. This was Britain's first trolleybus route extension in many years.

One special exhibit is trolleybus No. 1521. This was the last trolleybus to run in London. London used to have the world's largest trolleybus network. This trolleybus was built in 1940. It made its very last trip on May 8, 1962.

Here are some of the vehicles you can see:

Trams

Blackpool Standard No. 159 and Amsterdam single decker No. 474 trams in service at the museum in 2009

• Blackpool Corporation VAMBAC single-decker No. 11 (1939). It is working.
• Lowestoft Corporation Tramways open-top No. 14 (1904). It is being fixed up.
• Blackpool Corporation Standard Class double-decker No. 159 (1927). It is working.
• Amsterdam Tramways single-decker No. 474 (1929). It is working.
• Glasgow Corporation Tramways double-decker No. 488 (1903). It is being fixed up.
• Sheffield Corporation double-decker No. 513 (1950). It is working. It is on loan from Beamish Museum.
• London Transport HR2 No. 1858 (1930). It is working.
• Blackpool Corporation Double Deck Streamliner “Balloon” No. 726 (1935). It is waiting to be fixed up.
• Blackpool Corporation Brush Car No. 627 (1935). It is being fixed up.
• Blackpool Corporation Brush Car No. 625 (1935). It is not working.

Trolleybuses

• 1 Henschel Solingen (private owner)
• 5 Garrett 1926 Copenhagen
• 34 Sunbeam 1947 Hastings Corporation
• 52 BUT 9611T 1953 Maidstone Corporation Transport
• 87 BUT 9612T 1956 Ashton-Under-Lyne Corporation
• 202 Sunbeam 1935 Bournemouth Corporation
• 224 Sunbeam 1953 Derby Corporation (away for repairs)
• 237 Sunbeam 1960 Derby Corporation (private owner)
• 246 Sunbeam 1958 Belfast Corporation
• 260 AEC 1936 London Transport
• 286 Sunbeam 1959 Bournemouth Corporation
• 313 BUT 1951 Portsmouth Corporation
• 628 BUT 1950 Newcastle Corporation
• 1201 Leyland 1938 London Transport
• 1521 Chassisless Construction by Metro-Cammell using AEC parts 1940 London Transport
• 578 Nottingham City Transport built in 1951.
• 105 Ipswich Corporation built in 1948. (On loan from Ipswich Transport Museum)

Motorbuses

• 21 AEC Regent II 1947 Lowestoft Corporation
• LL408 Bristol 1948 Eastern Counties
• LFL57 Bristol Lodekka 1962 Eastern Counties
• 4 AEC Swift 1969 Lowestoft corporation
• 85 AEC Reliance 1964 Great Yarmouth
• VR385 Bristol VR 1972 Eastern Counties
• 13 Mercedes-Benz 608D 1987 Lincolnshire Road Car
• 66 Leyland PD2/1 1949 Great Yarmouth Corporation
• 62 Dennis Dart 1995 Great Yarmouth Transport
• 8 AEC Regent V 1963 Lowestoft Corporation
• RTL 1163 1946 London Transport
• RT 3125 1950 London Country

Locomotives

There are four small trains that run on the 61 centimeter (2 foot) wide East Suffolk Light Railway. All of them have four wheels. They use diesel engines and mechanical gears. One was made by Ruston & Hornsby and three by Motor Rail. The parts of a fourth Motor Rail train were used to make a brakevan.

See also

• List of transport museums
• List of trolleybus systems in the United Kingdom
• The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft
• Black Country Living Museum - also with trolleybuses and trams

Gallery

• 

  K1 Telephone Box, Lowestoft Transport Museum

• 

  RAC roadside Telephonebox