Actually, this is strictly for people of a certain age from Glasgow – those who remember the tramcar, that beloved public transit vehicle.  Tramcars, or trolleys, are still in wide use across the globe.  But in the UK, they were deemed old fashioned and inefficient and in 1962, Glasgow’s fleet of over one thousand trams was the last system to be taken ‘offline’ in the country.  (Now, trams are making a comeback in  Edinburgh , at enormous expense.  Which just goes to show………)

Anyway, this is a bit of verse recollecting some of my own memories of that splendid ship of the lines, the Glasgow tramcar (with apologies for the misbehaving verse lines).

POINTS 

                                              Decimal points,             

                                                     Ration book points,

                                                     Are all very well for the file and the rank.

                                                     But the points loved best

                                              On the trams going west,

                                                     Switched them to Woodlands and Bank

                                                     Hand-changed points,

                                                     Automatic points,

                                                     It made no difference.  You see  

                                                     Just let the driver take a bearing

                                                     For the right turn at Charing,

                                                     From Sauchie and the Art Gallery.

                                               Viewpoints,

                                                      Needlepoints.

                                                      All have their place in the firmament.

                                                      But the screech of the wheels

                                                      On the turns explains, Neil’s

                                                      Memories of points run to sentiment.

                                                      Neil MacCormick

                                                      c.  1980