Tucked away in a countryside barn, engineers have been tinkering with one of the most important missing pieces of Brighton's transport history.

Between 1901 and 1939, Brighton was home to a bustling network of electric trams, transporting thousands across the then-town every day. But at the outbreak of World War Two, the tram bells fell silent and all 116 cars were scrapped for the war effort - or so it was thought.

In 2010, Tram 53 was found rotting on a pig farm. And now, after 15 years of hard work, it could soon return to service.



After the shock discovery, Guy Hall set up the Brighton Tram 53 Society, got a team together and moved the tram to a barn in Steyning. "The tram was in pretty poor condition," he said. "It's been hard work. The worst part was when we stripped it down and it looked like a pile of matchwood.  It was difficult to keep positive but we did."



Tram 53 has now been restored to its original specifications - gorgeous varnished woodwork on the inside and the signature deep red and cream on the exterior.

Among those working on the project is Roger Sharman, whose grandfather Horace was a conductor and later a driver, or motorman, for Brighton Corporation Tramways.



"He was very proud to work on the trams," Roger explained. "It was a very well-disciplined and well organised system. Without the trams, Brighton could never have expanded at the rate it did."

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