Modern Electric Tramways. Car 23 - a photo on Flickriver

            The dream of Claude Lane, founder of Modern Electric Tramways, car 23 is a 15" (380mm) gauge miniature replica of the 1936 built English Electric Darwin car 23, which was known as Queen Mary in its Lancashire hometown.
Built between 1948 and 1949 at Lanes, Lancaster Electrical Co. works at Brookhill Road East Barnet and run on a circuit around the premises, it soon gained local attention and the innovative Lane made a portable layout for use at fetes etc, the first being on the 2nd June 1949 at Hadley House Barnet.
A great success, 23 was followed by a Blackpool Boat replica, 225 and a start was made on finding a permanent home which resulted on the opening in May 1951 of the line along St. Leonards Promenade Hastings. Unfortunately the tramway was not popular with local residents, resulting in a petition against the operation and a lease was taken out at the Voryd Amusement Park Rhyl. Operating from 1952  the line was extended in 1953. At the same time the company was looking to open a second line on the South coast  and a demonstration line was opened in September 1953 alongside Princess Park Eastbourne resulting in full operation, late 1954 and an official opening at Whitsun 1955.
The new line ran on a gauge of 2' (610mm)  and two cars from Rhyl were re-gauged (3 & 225) for operation at Eastbourne. Car 23 was unsuitable to be re-gauged and remained at Rhyl until the line closed in 1957. It was purchased by the tramway historian Ian L Cormack in 1959 and then the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society in 1984, who repainting it in 1986 with a  Liverpool Corporation tram style livery. The tram was displayed at a number of events around Liverpool and also ran in the garden of Denis Butler the main protagonist of its restoration in 1999 to car 23s 1950s condition.
Denis died in 2023 and it was his wish that car 23 return to Modern Electric Tramways, who by then had left Eastbourne (last season 1969) and had developed the Seaton & District Electric Tramway. The tram was put on display in September 2024 and is available for close inspection as seen here.
Although based on the Darwin streamline cars, 23 never ran in that towns livery but in the wartime colours of the Blackpool Balloon cars.
Minor restoration mistake. The car is displaying St. Leonards destinations but the car number is displayed on the green panels as operated from its time in Rhyl onwards. When built and at Hastings, the 23 was below the windscreen on the cream "V".
   

Taken in: UK / England / East Devon District / Seaton (show map)

Taken on: July 8, 2025

Tags:

TRAM

TRAMWAY

Modern Electric Tramways

Claude W Lane

Lancaster Electrical Company

Voryd Amusement Park

Rhyl

Eastbourne

Seaton

Darwin

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Sets appears in: • Seaton & District Electric Tramway • Devon

Groups appears in: • Trams.Trolleys.Cablecars • Great Britain more » • Trams All Over The World ! • Of a Bygone Age. (Retro Stuff) • Trams of: Seaton Tramway • Classic Transport • All Locomotives, Trains and Trams • Trams of: MTPS collection • British Trams Today • ANCIENT RELICS • (MONDE) Photos Historiques de Trams Bus et Trolleybus • UK Electric Trains and Trams « less

Camera: Sony ILCE-7M3, f/10.0, 1/100 sec, 24mm, ISO 1000 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Sony ILCE-7M3
Lens:	Sony FE 24-70mm F4.0 ZA OSS
Aperture:	f/10.0
Exposure Time:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Focal Length:	24mm
ISO:	1000
Exposure Bias:	-0.7 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	ILCE-7M3 v1.01
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