Manchester 173

Manchester 173 is a 4-wheel double deck tram built by Brush and entering service at Queens Road Depot in 1901

MTMS Statement – 25th March 2025

With the upcoming 125th anniversary of electric trams operating in Manchester in 2026, the Manchester Transport Museum Society is pleased to announce the restoration of tram Manchester 173 to active service, for the first time in nearly a century.

The sole survivor of 81 similar trams built for the city by Brush of Loughborough in 1901, 173 is one of only three surviving Manchester Corporation trams, all of which are under the care of the MTMS. Two (award winning Eades horse tram L53 of 1880 and electric tram 765 of 1914) have previously been restored to active use at Heaton Park Tramway, which operates on the only surviving operating section of the original Manchester tramway route. After having a top deck fitted in c1907, Car 173 operated in the city until 1931, with the lower deck bodywork then sold for use as a garden shed, until being discovered by society members in the 1970s.

A cosmetic overhaul was completed and a suitable underframe ‘truck’ sourced, but the car was never electrically completed and instead put on static display.

With both the temporary closure of the Heaton Park Tramway and the completion of the restoration of Blackpool tram 619 to active service, No.173 has been moved into the workshops at Heaton Park and restoration has recommenced. After many years of display, the bodywork is once again in need of renovation, and this is being carried out alongside a full reassessment of the chassis, with potential suitable motors recently sourced from Lisbon 711. The intention is to restore 173 to as original a condition as possible, with its open top deck and flip-over seating. The tram will be regularly used at the Heaton Park Tramway with the opportunity to visit other heritage tramways in the UK.

Work has already started on the car with refurbishment of the saloon interior, upstairs seating, controllers and handrails well underway.It is hoped that 173 will return to active service in the next few years, and we invite any new volunteers and/or donations to help make this a reality. Please drop us a message below or directly via Facebook messenger if you’d like to join us.

Restoration has previously taken place at several locations, with the truck salvaged from a Oporto Coal tram.

Having spent many years on display, cosmetically restored at the Greater Manchester Museum of Transport at Boyle Street (link here), 173 was moved to Heaton Park in December 2013. Aswell as being displayed during events at the tramway 173 has also been displayed in Leeds in August 2014 and at Manchester Victoria Station in October 2019