Last year, Derek and Allan visited the Stuttgart tram museum.  They met a young helper there, Alexander, and promised to contact each other in 2025.  We were going to visit the museum on the Monday, but Alexander offered a visit on Friday evening, complete with a tram ride.  We jumped at that!  Originally eight or nine were going to join the visit, but in the end it was just the three of us who drove into Stuttgart – a surprisingly easy run at the end of the evening rush hour.

Entering the tram museum, there’s an impressive array of vehicles ahead of you.  Most are metre gauge.  The Stuttgart SBB tram/LRT system is now standard gauge, but two metre gauge lines have been preserved as dual gauge for running the old preserved vehicles.

A selection of the many trams on show.  Our guide Alexander knew all about all of them!

We then boarded the Christmas tram and were taken twice round the block.  A short trip, but fun to do.  Our drivers were Stuttgart SSB drivers, who had come in specially for our little trip.  I suspect they just like driving the old trams.  Unfortunately the mugs on the table didn’t have gluvine in them.

The ‘live’ section of the museum is on a higher level, and we were able to look around the trams not normally seen by the public.

And finally, a view of the (in)famous Party-Wagen.  Not used for at least 20 years (as the interior colours resemble a 1930’s decor), there would certainly still be a demand for it, partying along the line and bopping on the rather small dance floor.  I can’t say I’ve done anything like that, unless carol singing on the top deck of an open top Hong Kong tram in 1991 counts?