Car 869 is a "Bogie Streamliner" with EMB (Electro Mechanical Brake Company) "heavyweight" trucks rather than the newer EMB "lightweight" design. 869 was part of the first batch of 12 bogie streamliners built in 1936. This design of bogie was also known as a "Joburg", the name coming from a supply of this unit to Johannesburg in South Africa. The bogie streamliners were 39' 9' long over their fenders and 7' 4" wide. They had a total capacity of 84 persons including 6 standing and 44 seats upstairs. Due to the increased power being too much for a conventional hand controller, these cars also had a low voltage drivers controller with an electro-pneumatic slave controller to handle the full line voltage for power and braking. The electro-pneumatic slave panel was installed under one of the cars staircases. This made the drivers master controller much easier to operate.
Car 869 operated in Liveprool until the mid 1950s when tram route closures provide an opportunity for LCPT to sell surplus cars to other cities. 869 was then sold to Glasgow who's tram system operated until 1962. In March 1960 a tour of the Glasgow tram system was organized by the Liverpool University Public Transport Society. The tour used ex Liverpool car 869 (re-numbered car 1055 in Glasgow) which was one of a number of "green goddesses" that had been sold to Glasgow during the run down of the Liverpool system. During that tour the idea of preserving car 869 came about.
After many years at Leeds and Crich, 869 was eventually returned to Liverpool in 1967 were space was made available for it in Green Lane Depot. After 12 years of fund raising and hard work by the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society (MTPS), 869 was finally restored and in 1979 was returned to Crich Museum where it operates today.
