Summer 2026 Update

Hi everybody, with time moving on, I would like to update you as to where the Society finds itself today, being July 2026. 

First, the tram saloon is now more or less complete, just a couple of minor things to finish. The Top Deck is prepared and ready for completion, but due to the height of the workshop and Trees down the lane, moving out from the workshop with the trees in the lane would damage the top deck if assembled.  We have to wait until we can secure a period of time in a temporary workshop, which we have negotiations underway. The underneath Truck containing the wheels, motors, and brakes, etc is ready to be sent to a railway engineering company for restoration at a cost of approximately £100k. Raising the funds for the truck is now underway.

Tomorrow, Thursday 23 July 2026, our Chairman is giving a presentation to a full Brighton & Hove City Council meeting on our proposal for a Tramway, Workshop and Museum at Stanmer for the use of two currently open barns with a track laid down at road level in the park. This is our second presentation, the first being to a committee, which resulted in a lukewarm acceptance. Now, having formerly put in a request for the use of Home Farm Stanmer Park, the council has put the Farm and its buildings on the open market for sale. The farm was closed down in the early seventies, and no new tenant has been found to date. We think there will be no takers this time, accepting our proposal, which should attract other businesses to the Farm. With our proposal being accepted, we pitch again but this time to a full Council.

This petition is doing well for us in publicity, but we would like to get over 2000 signatures. Would you mind spreading the petition as early as tonight before tomorrow's Council meeting? Whatever you can do is greatly appreciated by all in the Society.

Thank you.

Hope to meet you all in the Park next summer.

Allan

Secretary Brighton Tram 53 Society