TRAMTALK

During June the forthcoming new title 'Those Elusive Centre Entrance Double Deck Trams' now in the course of production, can be ordered at the pre-publication offer of £19.00 plus £1.80 post and packing - through our online Shop at tramtalk.co.uk. A saving of £5.00 on the retail price after publication date. Please visit the Shop page after June 1st to ensure your personal copy of this limited run title from Rigby Road Publishing. Pre-paid orders ensure your copy is mailed (or otherwise delivered in Blackpool) upon publication. The story of Blackpool's now iconic 'balloon cars' began on Broadway, New York in the formative years of the twentieth century. Surprisingly few transport oper

Here we go again. Another stab at chasing the dream ever elusive since 1966 when England last won the World Cup. This time the dream is being played out in Russia awarded (with Qatar) back to back competitions under the corrupted oversight of FIFA and a global footballing fiefdom managed by Sepp Blatter and varied cronies. Whether or not the English national team has a realistic chance of getting even close to the competition finals in Russia - at least the home nation (England) is sprouting its colours and emblems up and down the country with yet another quadrennial burst of commercialised fervour. Under previous management, Blackpool Transport Services. Ltd. took on itself to add its ow

Thanks to the ever travelling camera of Peter Watts, (he of destination blind fame) we are able to post three images from the Bavarian capital taken over the past few days. Munich is forever famous for beer served in 2 Litre glass steins, and trams (once upon a time) painted pale blue with cream relief. The Bavarian State's colours being that distinctive blue. The city's transport system was notable up to the millenium for equally distinctive designs and well proportioned tram types (the cars, not the enthusiasts or passengers). A coupled set of these once familiar units is on heritage service during the summer months complete with special roof board promotion and classic (and not obtrusi

Whilst Princess Street (and Blundell Street) are now bereft of trams for ever more with tracks truncated and redevelopment of this part of the Foxhall area well underway - a brief moment to look back at scenes which captivated enthusiasts not so long ago. Motor Unit traverses Rigby Road en route to Princess Street. Enthusiasts cluster to record the scene and fill the tram. No prizes for the promotional contribution. Balloon 700 in its green heritage condition peeks out from Princess Street on the curve into Blundell Street. Below : 147 looking far different almost at the end of the line on Princess Street (although the track connection on to the Promenade was very much still a workin

A small town in the US State of Colorado was famous for its all Birney streetcar fleet which traversed four sections with the individual cars meeting up together in the centre and passengers transferring, as necessary, to the car heading to their final destination. Operating up to 1951 many of the cars were acquired by various museums with one being retained by the municipality as a 'momento' along with its depot used for the replacement buses. Over the years both car 21 and its depot structure were returned to their earlier 'glory' and a resplendent cream and green livery of the trolley system before final and more simpler schemes were adopted. A section of one of the lines was reopened (

The roving camera of Colin MacLeod captures a further tram track section amid the total destruction of the roadway in Talbot Square. In this case a rail that probably was part of the linking line from the Marton tram terminus into Clifton Street - but one can't be certain. Looking up towards what was Yates Wine Lodge with Clifton Street to the right hand side - the urgency of clearing this entire area (aka Talbot Square) to allow the embedding of concrete platforms on which the new tram track curving in from the Promenade is self evident.

The unveiling and removal of the former Layton service tram track along Talbot Road is well and truly underway as the Contractor gets to work on the extension to North Station. This image taken by Colin MacLeod clearly focusses on the cut up lengths of street rail removed from the section between Abingdon Street and Talbot Square where the roadway has been completely cleared. The Layton tram service ran until September 1936 when new buses (built locally in Blackpool) transformed the town centre with modern streamlined vehicles. Central Drive's trams - a continuance of the original Marton tram route (almost a complete circle) also were withdrawn at the same time with through bus service

On absolutely manicured grass - the real thing not artificial turf Number 21 bowls along in its immaculate green and cream lined out livery on a special tour. Definitely not in Blackpool but where exactly? Image taken this morning.

A correction is necessary to the above Blog. The trolleycar in question is not from Rio or any other foreign part. Nor is it vintage. It was acquired new from the US retro streetcar builder GOMACO and is a replica 15 bench open car specifically built in 1977 for the 'Platte Valley Trolley' with an on-board diesel motor generator. Hence the smart roof extruding exhaust pipe in the view of the car which is parked on track of the then extant Denver and Intermountain line. After further due diligence it is recorded that a total of fourteen Rio de Janiero open cross bench cars were acquired as a bulk order on closure of that system. Coordinated by a trolleycar fan on behalf of several US muse

This new title will be published in July. Over 112 pages plus covers Softback A4 Portrait format. A run through of the centre entrance double deck trams for which Blackpool became most famous. With unusual views and background on this elusive breed from Manhattan to Bombay and Valparaiso to the UK. Advance orders can be accepted on our online Shop page from June 1st £22.00 post free from Tramtalk Shop - up to publication in July. The 2019 Calendar can be ordered online from next week price £8.90 plus £1.00 post and packing. The Theme is the ever more elusive English Electric Rail Coach of the 1930s. Rigby Road Publishing's next two titles will follow on with the special Blackpool

With thanks to contributor David Gore whose roving eye captured some familiar objects in the middle of Talbot Road today. Yes, its the tramtrack of the former Layton service exposed on Talbot Road as contractors begin to prepare the roadbed and foundations for the second generation tram service along this throughfare in Blackpool town centre. The location is approaching Talbot Road junction with Abingdon Street (where there was originally a single track curving connection) Abingdon Street can be seen top left in the upper image and we are looking eastward. One exposed rail of the eastbound track can just be seen far left on the image. Both Images : David Gore These tracks are on the w

Not a headline to raise any speculation. Actually a referral to better times in British tramway history when the late 1920's and early 1930s saw a renaissance of new tram design and construction for diverse systems up and down the country. The more 'modern' cars elbowing out first generation electric rolling stock of the traditional open top or balcony double deck variety so beloved of preservationists these days. Single deck trams were very much the exception to the rule in Britain - with double deck cars predominant in most systems. And new single deck cars after 1920 were certainly limited to seaside open types or oddities like the Dearne & District Tramway which started late and end

By good fortune my daughter and son in law are now tourists in Colorado. This assures this Blog of images from a part of the United States I never got to visit and hence very much an unknown as far as trams and streetcars are concerned. I do however have some books covering the region's transport history and am aware that Denver's former streetcar system went by the name of 'Denver Tramways' - itself something of a rarity in North America. The 'tram' as we know it in the US is either a cableway car or one of those replica motorised tourist trains masquerading as a streetcar but on rubber tires. This has to be a somewhat wretched misuse of the British nomenclature..... Having already sa

In an era when prefabricated modules coupled together with synethic material interiors lacking any character or empathy with the localities they are destined to serve - are very much now part of the urban transit scene in many countries - and I am talking about railed traction here - it is worth just a passing thought at the greatest era of tramcar development, the 1930s. Not just in Britain but throughout europe and the americas - manufacturers were embracing if not chasing the trend setting fashionistas of the moment to develop breakthrough designs appealing to their patrons and customers. Most tram operations at the time were municipal enterprises where the sway and opinions of the loc

Work is ongoing to complete the next Rigby Road title now literally in the works. As I have an enforced spell of recuperation the silver lining is extra time it now gives me to focus on the forthcoming 'Those Elusive Centre Entrance Double Deck Trams' book. There are surprisingly a small number of entrants on the stage in this story from beginning to end - which naturally finishes up in Blackpool (but starts on Broadway). A missing piece in the sequence of centre entrance double deck tram design which I am trying to fill is the section on Bombay - now Mumbai. The British managed transport company (BEST) had a prediliction for double deck vehicles both buses and trams - in contrast to i

Some readers of this blog may be wondering where I disappeared to over the past week and I have to explain that the absence of random utterances have been entirely due to my being given due care and attention at Victoria Hospital. A sudden and most debilitating condition required hospitalisation from which I emerged today albeit under licence. Hopefully a prognosis will allow the blog to return to a more predictable output in the very near future. But in the meantime having endured the admissions portal of a&e and being witness to the daily stresses and strains on NHS staff at all levels, from ambulance and emergency workers, to nurses, doctors and specialists - I have nothing but admira

A fascinating story of the more exotic of tram design species will be recounted in a new title now 'in the works' for publication later in the summer - 'From Broadway to Blackpool'. The book records the story of centre entrance double deck trams which found their epitome on Blackpool promenade, with the first example appearing as the famous 'Broadway Battleship' in Manhattan in 1911. Only a handful of UK tramways engaged in centre entrance tram development, and even fewer operated double deck examples. Most, if not all, are well known to enthusiasts and transport historians specialising in this rare topic. The survival of the now iconic 'Balloon' cars appearing on Blackpool promenade in

Blackpool promenade stayed busy through the three day Bank Holiday weekend. Monday saw the 'Young Farmers' head back to the hills and dales around the country having exhausted themselves consuming vast amounts of alcoholic beverage in the multitude of licensed bars and clubs in the town centre. Bringing a lot of youthful exuberance and colour to the otherwise predictable extended weekend. Tram and transport enthusiasts also enjoyed their fill of the town's attractions which were on display conveying visitors far beyond the normal shuttle between North Pier and Pleasure Beach. In fact the shuttle tour was dispensed with as eclectic trams ran to Fleetwood, Bispham, Little Bispham and Cabin

After the extended grip of a prolonged winter and desultory Easter the country finally succumbed to glorious sunshine and warm temperatures in time for the first of two Bank Holiday weekends this month. The result for Blackpool was a crowded town full of exuberant young farmers (or those engaged in work on the land). They were joined by more earnest tram enthusiasts lured by sunshine (possibly), or more likely the extra workings of diverse traditional and classic trams from the extended fleet at Rigby Road Depot. While the 'young farmer' contingents relaxed and enjoyed themselves in throngs around the many town centre drinking establishments, and along the promenade; enthusiasts provid

Trains are now running to and from Blackpool North (and South) but on a limited basis with Northern (the Operator) needing to assure train crews are familiar with new signalling and track conditions introduced as part of the winter upgrade work (still to be finally completed). A sample ride to Manchester this past week was certainly reassuringly fast all the way to Preston with one stop at Poulton. The nasty 'Pacers' were nowhere to be seen, but neither were electric trains either. Blackpool Transport's now embedded rail replacement bus service from Blackpool North Station to Preston Station with the two routes (one via Poulton and Kirkham - and not forgetting Layton) and the other direct