Tram Talk

Road resurfacing ongoing together with new sidewalk edging in a schedule which requires completion in the next three days. Lines of contractor trucks and vans on Talbot Road today The scenes on Talbot Road around the important junction with Dickson Road and Topping Street provide views of frenzied contractor activity in an effort to complete the road surfacing before next Monday. This will allow traffic flow to the south and west of the by now infamous Wilko property whilst

Whilst Blackpool's transport system never operated trolleybuses (although there were credible proposals considered by the Transport Department in the 1940s) the town did in fact supply four UK systems in the postwar period. Naturally the builder was HV Burlingham on Preston New Road. The first contract came from Portsmouth who received a delivery of double deck vehicles with bodywork styling similar to the buses then being delivered to Blackpool in the early 1950s. Altho

Blackpool Council's roadside electronic information boards give warning of the closure of the promenade from November 5th for thirteen weeks. This will allow work on installing the track connection from the promenade at North Station linking the existing pointwork from the 2011 upgrade to the new line up Talbot Road. Demolition of the 'Sands Venue' on the former Palatine Building site is also ongoing and traffic closure on the promenade will facilitate completion of the rem

The gentle curving tracks emerging from Talbot Road and crossing the junction with Dickson Road and Topping Street (left hand side) have been laid as far as possible up to the entranceway in front of the soon to be demolished Wilko structure. Now long overdue. Will no one rid us of this concrete blot in Blackpool's town centre renewal?

News just in from Sheffield on a significant road incident involving one of the much heralded tramtrain units on the inaugural day of the new Rotherham and Sheffield service adds further woes to the overall scheme. After extensive delays and enormous cost overruns the initial tram train operation introduced on heavy rail and light rail lines of the Sheffield/South Yorkshire system - has publicity of the wrong kind on the first day of their service. Reports from the scene s

The last time I took a tram to the airport involved trundling along Lytham Road in a noisome rail coach as far as Squires Gate Lane. Blackpool was possibly the only place in Britain which had 'Airport' as a destination on its tram indicator blinds. The Airport itself was a modest affair consisting of some wartime structures repainted and given a modest makeover to double as check in desks and information area for the handful of flights (mostly to the Isle of Man) which pro

The latest title from Rigby Road Publishing - Broadway to Blackpool - the story of centre entrance double deck tramcars - is now available at Blackpool Visitor Centre, Toys2Save at Cleveleys and Brooks Collectables shop on Waterloo Road next to the Promenade. A profusely illustrated 120 pages book with especial focus on the Hedley - Doyle design for Manhattan's New York Railways company just before World War 1 - is a unique storyline on how Blackpool came to be the last opera

Three Managing Directors of Blackpool Transport Services since 2001 to the present time. All three putting their personality and individual style on to Blackpool's buses. Starting with Steve Burd who rebranded the bus fleet and operation as well as introducing the 'Trident' double deck bus design which has lasted right through to 2018 although now in sharp decline numbers wise. Steve's focus was on individual route identification with distinctive themed colours for each ser

A brief encounter at the Heritage Tour tram stop near North Pier with James Millington fortuitously provided advance notice of the rare outing of Birkenhead open top car 20 on a private tour to Bispham today. James and colleague were crewing immaculate Boat Car 225 aka 600 on what has been a brilliant sunny day in Blackpool. Some images of James's dextrous? handling and driving skills are seen below. The traditional bamboo pole is held ceremonially (so it would seem)

Almost sixty years have passed since the town's principal civic space saw trams traversing in front of the Town Hall. Work on reversing these decades is now advancing rapidly with groundwork ongoing in Talbot Square where trams once terminated to and from Layton. More tram rail is being prepared for installation which brings the new tram extension into the Square from Talbot Road, whilst excavation of the area which will require the track connection onto the promenade roadwa