Dundee opens £25k 'all or nothing' fundraiser for city's last trams

Published: 13/09/2025

On Saturday 20 October 1956, Dundee’s last tram made its final journey from Maryfield to Lochee, drawing a crowd of over 5,000 spectators.
 
Accompanied by the poignant strains of We’re no awa’ tae bide awa’ and 'Will ye no come back again', passengers onboard Car No 23 ripped and tore the interior of the tram in their quest for a souvenir. 
 
As soon as the trams had completed their last run, they were unceremoniously set on fire in a field in Marchbanks, leaving little trace of their eight-decade history.
 
Now, as the 70th anniversary of their destruction approaches, Dundee Transport Museum is on a quest to capture and celebrate the cultural and historical significance of this much-loved era in the city’s transport history.
 
It wants to create a new exhibition, to be installed first at its Market Mews premises, but ultimately to be integrated into the permanent displays at Maryfield Tram Depot. The exhibition seeks to capture the stories and memories of those who worked and travelled on Dundee’s trams.
 
Staff, trustees and volunteers have already begun to gather tram-related artefacts and to reach out to local people who remember the trams to capture their memories before they are lost forever.
 
"We’d love your support to help raise £25,000 to bring these together in a major exhibition that will see Dundee’s trams celebrated in a lasting legacy," says the museum.

"To this end, we have launched an all-or-nothing Crowdfunder campaign with exclusive rewards for donors. We must raise the full amount by 16 October or risk losing all the pledges.
 
"Please support our Crowdfunder campaign if you can. Every donation - big or small - will help us bring this exciting exhibition to life.
 
Donate today and be part of our journey: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/a-reminiscence-of-dundees-trams