It was in August 2015 that I had been researching whether a website or smartphone app was available for Tram Spotters which allowed users keep a record of trams that they had seen or ridden on. I couldn't find anything. This is when I had the idea to create my own website. I bounced the idea off a good friend (and fellow enthusiast) of mine and the rest, as they say, is history.
The first version of the website was very basic and only included Manchester's Metrolink Trams, but as I had been visiting Blackpool quite regularly and travelling on their tramway, it soon occured to me that the website app could be adapted for other networks not only in the UK but possibly worldwide. A more complex version of the website evolved which we have been developing and testing over the last 12 months. As of May 2019 there are 108 networks from 36 countries programmed in. I am adding other networks as time permits, at the current count there are over 280 tramway networks over 30 countries in Europe, so quite a mammoth task ahead.
I had considered whether to write this program as a smartphone app or as a website. I decided on the website approach as this was a programming language that I was familiar with, and it would also offer greater availabilty to the user as the same code would work on both Computers and Smartphones.
Hopefully what I have created will appeal to many tram enthusiasts around the world. I am open to questions about how the website works and if anyone has any suggestions as possible additions or improvements, please send me a message through the Ask a Question link or via the Facebook Page.
The spotting website is subscription based, costing just under £10 per year (less than 20 pence per week). As well as the ability to record "Spots" and "Rides", I am adding content to the public side of the website which is free to any website visitors. This includes a central resource for Network Maps for all the tramway systems featured in the website, as well as tips for good Spotting / Photographing Locations, Depot locations, and a new feature we are currently working on: The Real Ale Trail of Trams.
The website is a work-in-progress, and I would like to make it into a good "one-stop" resource for all Tram enthusiasts to which everyone can contribute to with spotting tips, photographs and other information which might be useful for others who are visiting a new network. I plan to visit all of the UK networks over the coming months, but obviously time and money will be my biggest hurdle in visiting the European Networks, so I will be reliant on a lot of this information coming from others.
I am based in Stalybridge (just to the east of Manchester) and I used to regularly ride the original Manchester T68 Metrolink Trams since they were introduced in 1992. Although not an avid enthusiast at the time, I have since been bitten by the bug, probably due to my father who has been a keen tram enthusiast for as long as I can remember.
Phil Steels
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The first version of the website was very basic and only included Manchester's Metrolink Trams, but as I had been visiting Blackpool quite regularly and travelling on their tramway, it soon occured to me that the website app could be adapted for other networks not only in the UK but possibly worldwide. A more complex version of the website evolved which we have been developing and testing over the last 12 months. As of May 2019 there are 108 networks from 36 countries programmed in. I am adding other networks as time permits, at the current count there are over 280 tramway networks over 30 countries in Europe, so quite a mammoth task ahead.
I had considered whether to write this program as a smartphone app or as a website. I decided on the website approach as this was a programming language that I was familiar with, and it would also offer greater availabilty to the user as the same code would work on both Computers and Smartphones.
Hopefully what I have created will appeal to many tram enthusiasts around the world. I am open to questions about how the website works and if anyone has any suggestions as possible additions or improvements, please send me a message through the Ask a Question link or via the Facebook Page.
The spotting website is subscription based, costing just under £10 per year (less than 20 pence per week). As well as the ability to record "Spots" and "Rides", I am adding content to the public side of the website which is free to any website visitors. This includes a central resource for Network Maps for all the tramway systems featured in the website, as well as tips for good Spotting / Photographing Locations, Depot locations, and a new feature we are currently working on: The Real Ale Trail of Trams.
The website is a work-in-progress, and I would like to make it into a good "one-stop" resource for all Tram enthusiasts to which everyone can contribute to with spotting tips, photographs and other information which might be useful for others who are visiting a new network. I plan to visit all of the UK networks over the coming months, but obviously time and money will be my biggest hurdle in visiting the European Networks, so I will be reliant on a lot of this information coming from others.
I am based in Stalybridge (just to the east of Manchester) and I used to regularly ride the original Manchester T68 Metrolink Trams since they were introduced in 1992. Although not an avid enthusiast at the time, I have since been bitten by the bug, probably due to my father who has been a keen tram enthusiast for as long as I can remember.
Phil Steels
Website Screenshots
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Mobile Screenshots
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Please click here to read the terms & conditions and privacy statement