Tram Talk

With sunshine now banishing the greyness of March and threat of warming temperature - thoughts turn to Easter and a whole new visitor season kicking off. Continuing work along Talbot Road and in Talbot Square is focussed on the completion of roadway and pavement infrastructure with need for clearing the detrius of contractors and materials by the onset of Easter holiday week. Enlarged pavements around Talbot Square with distinctive paving now in place is a definite enhanceme

An evocative scene at Bispham Tram Station on Sunday captured by Ian MacLeod. The pristine 'red' boat car freshly launched in service stands out against looming rain clouds heading from the west. A not altogether unknown experience on the Fylde coast. Heritage Tours operated two open cars despite bitter cold winds which had been forecast over the weekend. Whilst few hardy folk chanced their health during Sunday before clouds amassed to deter even the bravest 'tourists' -

Now that public support is gathering (finally) for improvements to the rail links serving the south Fylde coast towns and communities - it is worth recalling the efforts made by Blackpool's Transport Manager to realise a joined up tram service along the Fylde coast. Whilst Blackpool Corporation Tramways (and the Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramroad Company) enjoyed heady returns on their investment and tram service operating costs; the line operating south from Blackpool's boroug

Municipal Transport Rationalisation - Blackpool Buses and Trams in the 1960s : The forthcoming title from Rigby Road Publishing : Photo John Woodman This busy scene captures Talbot Square in front of the Town Hall at the beginning of the decade. Foremost is experimental Vambac rail coach 208 leaving the terminus and entering the short single track leading into Clifton Street. Alongside is one of the new 'prestige' fibreglass bus stop signs erected at s

For readers needing to go back in time to catch flavours of how Blackpool's buses and trams traversed the town in the 1950s and 60s - we plan to release two titles together in the autumn. 'Municipal Transport Heyday' published last year covering the 1950s - and now sold out, will be reprinted alongside the sequel 'Municipal Transport Rationalisation' which continues our coverage through the following decade. Both titles include massive changes in both bus and tram service

Today's news headlines covering the shootings in Utrecht are of particular concern given this latest murderous rampage took place on or at a tram travelling to Neuwegein in The Netherlands. Some years back I worked closely with a Dutch client in that town and became very familiar with what (at that time) was a new light rail operation linking the university town of Utrecht with a burgeoning business centre. Trams are very much part of life in European towns and cities - and

The UK wide national referendum on whether or not the country should remain a Member of the European Union, or leave the EU took place on 23 June 2016. Nationally 46,500, 000 (rounded total) voted; representing 72.2% of registered voters. The result saw 17,410,000 (rounded total) voted LEAVE and 16,141,000 vote REMAIN In the northwest an overwhelming vote LEAVE was registered in local areas as follows : BLACKPOOL 27,000 REMAIN (32%) 45,000 (rounded totals) LEAVE (

One of the remarkable aspects of Blackpool's former fleet is the longevity of a large number of survivors from the 1937 class of rail cars built in Loughborough by the Brush Engineering Company. A total of twenty examples were built for Blackpool representing the very last tram order of this famous British company. A handful of modern cars (for the time) from Sunderland and South Shields saw the company endeavouring to keep its place in tram design and construction but the

Two Gentlemen From Verona - err actually from Blackpool, pose beside their favourite tram Brush Car 290 which remains stored at Rigby Road Depot courtesy of BTS. Carrying out an inspection of the car to check on its condition for the FHLT Trust. 290 is one of several surviving trams of this type still very much with us after eighty years..... In the background sister car 288 in private care and undergoing painstaking restoration with panelling removed to expose the worn t

A chance encounter on Market Street captured bus 552 with its BTS silver logo under the windscreen - and a reflection of the real thing.