Tram Talk

Few regrets will be shed at the passing of 2019 and turning the page to a new decade. Quite apart from the demoralising antics of the House of Commons and retreading the Tory Party tyres with new and more robust management, the country at large is glad to see the back of this year. Of course many of the same faces with predictable soundbites will appear to grace our television and tablet screens from tomorrow - but at least there is a new storyline providing badly needed hea

In this century the sight of Blackpool's 1930s double deck trams is confined to the handful of preserved examples able to operate on heritage and special tour service along the the Promenade. For those of us with long memories it was a far more engaging experience to traverse the almost dead straight tram journey along Lytham Road to its junction with Squires Gate Lane - on the upper deck of one of these cars in season. Whilst devoid of the sinuous curves along the Marton

The Trust has spent nearly eight years placing proposals for regeneration of Fleetwood's Wyre Dock to its current owners, Associated British Ports. Foremost in the proposals has been initiatives aimed at creating a rail connection into Fleetwood's former rail and port land with the moribund railway line leading to Poulton. An important element within several submissions has been establishment of a heritage transport visitor attraction using old trams acquired for this pur

The headlines post December 12th show a change of emphasis towards the northern tier of England by the new Government. Given the importance of parliamentary seats formerly in the vicelike grip of the Labour Party and now freshly adorned with new faces of Conservative MPs there is now the issue of delivery of campaign commitments going forward. Already the days of business as usual by Whitehall mandarins and their lackeys is being consigned to the skips outside government d

The changing face of Abingdon Street - as new bus stances are positioned from Clifton Street junction (where the white van is on the corner) up to close to Talbot Road. The GPO imposing frontage continues to dominate this part of Blackpool (thankfully). New Traffic signs embedded on Talbot Road junction with Abingdon Street. Typical street corner high class outlet adding to the quality retail offer. A neat comparison of BTS styling with the horrendous Wilko store and rarel

The annual calendar has proved to be a sustained success so much so that we have run out of copies of the 2020 edition which became available in May this year. Regretfully we can accept no more orders through the Shop Page. We are planning for TWO calendars for 2021 in recognition of the Centenary of Blackpool's Bus Operations which began with a short shuttle service linking Thornton's Railway Station with the Tramroad Station on Victoria Road in Cleveleys centre. Using t

Blackpool is unique in operating both a tram and bus network. It is one of the few remaining local authorities in Britain to retain ownership of its public transport system. This is thanks to the determination of successive Councils to hold on to this important community infrastructural asset - when most other authorities sold off their bus operations to a few private sector companies seeing sustained profits from control of local transport services. Long lived municipal l

As the country thankfully edges close to the national election this week when finally some sort of ending emerges from three years of thankless political and parliamentary mind-games over the 2016 EU referendum result - we are being treated to endless pledges from nearly all of the competing Parties. Of especial note, after the NHS, is recognition of the need for a change of tack on the way this country's railway system is owned, managed and operated. Labour has nailed its c

The Fylde is alive with rail expansion initiatives. In addition to the sustained efforts of Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust aiming at creating a permanent themed visitor attraction within the planned waterfront redevelopment of Associated British Ports - with added potential of a reopening of the railway line running as far as Poulton Junction - there is now yet a further initiative on the other side of the River Wyre. This time the purpose is to linkup Knott End with inte

As we near the General Election on December 12, all of us intending to vote need to step back just a little from the incessant blitz of social media hustle now going on to tablets, phones and laptops - intending to influence our thinking in favour of X Y or Z Party. Perhaps more so in this election than ever before because of pervasive intrusiveness through information technology media. What confounds the professional pundits and 'experts' is the individual nature of local i