Tram named in honour of light rail industry giant
A Midland Metro tram was today (Thursday July 2) named after Birmingham-born Geoffrey Claydon, the man who played a pivotal role in bringing tramways back to many of the UK’s biggest cities.
Friends and former colleagues gathered at the Edgbaston Village stop in the city centre to pay tribute and see the tram officially unveiled.
After a highly distinguished civil service legal career – for which he earned the Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1990 – Geoffrey spearheaded action to kickstart the modern renaissance of tram and light rail systems in the UK.
He drafted the visionary Transport and Works Act of 1992, which removed a series of bureaucratic hurdles buried in century-old legislation, making it much easier to gain approvals for new routes. This paved the way for a wave of modern tram networks developed during the 1990s and now operating across the country, including West Midlands Metro.
Earlier in his career, Geoffrey made an impression on dramatist Dennis Potter, spending his national service working alongside the writer in Military Intelligence.
The character Hopper in Potter’s BBC TV play ‘Lipstick on Your Collar’, was based on Geoffrey and portrayed by Ewan McGregor – complete with Brummie accent. The actor even sent him a birthday card on his 80th birthday which was read out to stunned guests at his party.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Without Geoffrey’s crucial work on the Transport and Works Act, this tram – or indeed the whole tram network – may never have existed.
“His influence goes way beyond legislation. He was a lifelong champion of light rail and tramway heritage. He is a true giant of this industry, and it’s only fitting that one of our trams bears his name.”
Geoffrey’s life-long passion for trams and tramways started as a child when he travelled on the region’s original 20th-century tram network to visit family in Wednesbury.
As a teenager he joined the precursor to the Light Rail Transit Association and played an active and leading role in the organisation until his death last year aged 94.
He also played leading roles in the Tramway Museum Society and the Heritage Railway Association. In recent years, living in Derbyshire, he maintained a close and active role in the National Tramway Museum at Crich.
Geoffrey passed away in June last year but even in his final days he was working with Lord Faulkner on improvements in legislation to secure the status of young volunteers in heritage rail.
Lord Faulkner was among those who attended the naming ceremony. Also present was Colin Robey, President of UK Tram, and previously head of operations rail and rapid transit at the region’s former transport authority Centro.
Colin said: “Geoffrey was a wonderful man and a gentleman. He was the only person I’ve ever known in this industry that you could say was truly irreplaceable.
“His depth of knowledge was incredible, but he was also a tram enthusiast and his contribution to this industry was second to none.”
This is the latest tram to be named in honour of distinguished people from the West Midlands – others include rock star Ozzy Osbourne, TV and filmmaker Steven Knight, comedian Jasper Carrott, pioneering footballer Cyrille Regis, businessmen Roy and Don Richardson and Birmingham’s first female council leader Teresa Stewart.