Every T69 Tram And The Midland Metro

The Midland Metro re-uses much of the Birmingham Snow Hill - Wolverhampton (Low Level) section of the former Great Western Railway main line between London Paddington and Birkenhead Woodside, plus some newly built street tramway trackage.

Opening in 1999, services were provided by 16 Italian AnsaldoBreda T69 light rail tramcars.

Included in the distinctive aesthetic features of the system are the circle-based logo that is used on signage, fence post supports, fence posts and the trams; glass etchings of local features on the tram stop shelter glazing; and the blue coloured overhead wire support poles - complete with red finials, except where the pole also hosts a street light.

There is also a landmark structure at the Wolverhampton end of the line. Known as the Wishbone Bridge this is located above a landscaped footpath in the middle of a busy traffic roundabout.

This film includes a feature showing every T69 tram - including Nos 1 and 2, which were withdrawn in circa 2006. Fortunately they were photographed in 2000!

The footage in this film dates from 2000, 2010, 2013 and 2018. SD and HD video.

2018 footage briefly shows the CAF Urbos 3 trams which replaced the T69s, and that what is now the West Midlands Metro is being extended.

Credits:

Wishbone Bridge
© Roger Kidd https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/145...
(CC BY-SA 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

© L S Wilson https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/186...
(CC BY-SA 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Music:
Amazing Plan by Kevin MacLeod CC-BY-3.0
https://incompetech.com/music/royalty...

Samba Isobel by Kevin MacLeod CC-BY-3.0
https://incompetech.com/music/royalty...