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On 26 May 2014 Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) organised a special working to say farewell to the type T68 trams that had served Manchester since early 1992. T68s ceased operating in Manchester in early 2014, being replaced and augmented by a large fleet of type M5000 trams. Trams 1007 and 1016 ran from Piccadilly to Eccles, MediaCityUK, Bury, Altrincham then back to Piccadilly, this covering most of the routes they were first built for. The 180 special ticket holders enjoyed an excellent day, helped by the sunny Manchester weather.
Tram 1007 was the first Metrolink tram to work in passenger service through Manchester City Centre on 27 April 1992, 1007 also being the number of the last tram to operate in Manchester on 10 January 1949.
TfGM has arranged to transfer tram 1007 to preservation by the Manchester Transport Museum Society at Heaton Park Tramway, and a ceremonial handing-over of a driving key was made during the Special working at Heaton Park.
When I joined what was then GEC-ALSTHOM Traction in Trafford Park in late 1989, the first project I worked on was the design of some of the electronics in these T68 trams.