Tram 711, went into service in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon in 1936, and was taken out of service and, along with a number of stablemates, rescued by an enthusiast in the UK who was determined to give them a new life.
We were able to help with that, and thanks to funding of almost £11,500 from the SSE Keadby Wind Farm, bring this one to the Isle.
Its chassis was built in Wolverhampton by a company called Maley & Taunton. They also built iconic Blackpool trams, and others for the Isle of Man. The tram body was built in Portugal by Carris, Lisbon’s tram operator.
The trams were painted in bold advertising liveries for Agfa, Dewar’s Whisky, Apple Computers, and National.
All had to be specially modified to run safely on the city’s hilly routes, with not one but three separate braking systems.
