TRAMTALK

Talbot Square has gained an impressive new structure to replace the lost Yates Wine Lodge anchor building. Nearing completion is a hotel of dramatic proportions (for the town centre) which faces onto the promenade and the Town Hall (behind the photographer). Talbot Road tram service will incorporate an inbound station platform stop to the left of the oncoming bus. Work on this important element of the Talbot Gateway regeneration will begin within a week but final completion after several phases of construction at the former Wilko Store site needs almost two years of development work involving new offices, another hotel, tram terminus and underpass from the terminus connecting with the ra

Combination of the UK's removing its policies and laws from oversight of the European Union (legally on 31 December 2020) and resonating impact of Corona Virus on business and society at large (at all levels) have raised fundamental questions on our way of living. Warnings from the scientific community at expert level tell us that the current viral infection, whilst minimalised through the many restrictions and future innoculations of the population is not going to go away entirely. Long term the country (and indeed the rest of the world) is going to have to live with its consequences - changing fundamentally much that we have taken for granted forever. A further factor affecting significa

Amid today's media interviews on recent the private journeys of the Prime Minister's Senior Advisor - an obviously strained Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport (who is actually doing a good job) has endorsed plans to reopen two of the many branch railway lines closed under edicts of the unlamented Home Counties accountant Dr Beeching. These decisions are forerunners of further closed railway connections being brought back to life. Grant's Department has now signed off on two funded schemes for a branch line in the north east - and presumably as balancing act, the dormant rail link which ran from Poulton to Fleetwood. Having now gained Government endorsement for a reopened rail se

It is hard to recall the quietly distinctive treelined avenue to the east of Blackpool's town centre. Complete with winding tramway tracks and accompanying sleek trams following their ordained path from the front of the Town Hall to the bustling commercial junction at the corner of Lytham Road and Waterloo Road - the Marton tram service had a character all of its own. Divorced from the seaside and its thronging crowds of visiting families intent on a savouring a week away from the humdrum life of industrial Lancashire and further afield - Marton's trams retained an aloof distinction serving the town's residents - right up to the end of service in 1962. At that point Marton's character mor

Once familiar scenes - this time in May 2013 with 'Trevor Roberts' styled branding across the bus fleet. Not a 'Palladium' in sight. The smart turnout of all the vehicles does the company proud. All Images : John Woodman

Blackpool residents grew accustomed to a startling new yellow and black themed brand on their buses by the end of the 1990s. A new manager, Trevor Roberts came from the publicly owned Newport system taking over from Steve Burd and was quick to phase out the multi coloured 'Lines' favoured in Steve's years in charge of Blackpool Transport Instead a simple yellow and black livery was adopted - with a distinctive silver and red 'swoop' - most noticeable on the double deck fleet. This new look kept pace with the changing face of the town centre and presented a more forceful corporate image for Blackpool Transport Services Ltd. Regrettably this did not extend to the new tram fleet which arrive

Amid the daily online and media coverage of the viral infection affecting everyone there is an image on SkyNews website of streetcleaning in Istanbul along a tramline with a once typical tramcar in the background. In fact this is close to the terminus of the heritage tram service running to Taksim Square which I visited last year. The service is held down by a single car traversing the almost deadstraight track from the incline station at Tunel to the important public space at Taksim Square and adjoining park. A fenced off track adjoining the Square and terminus of the service serves as the depot (area) being completely open but overseen by a watchman 24/7. The tram is one of several of

Prototype rail coach 208 in its modified Vambac condition heads out of Talbot Square passing both the Town Hall (right) and the classic 'Yates Lodge' structure which so eminently provided stature to the civic district. Now both the structure and tram have long gone - Blackpool's great loss. Photo Copyright : John Woodman The seal had been already embedded on London Transport Board's decision to replace its tram system with buses (and briefly with trolleybuses in the pre-war period) when efforts to revise this policy included proposals to fund delivery of Blackpool's prototype VAMBAC railcoach (208) to London in 1950. At the time just three trams were using American derived technology

Blackpool's tramway began with double deck cars - ten in all - configured to conduit current collection and with open tops on two axle trucks (or trunnions). Thereafter the fleet grew in number exponentially. After takeover by Blackpool Corporation from the Blackpool Electric Tramways Company and conversion of the existing service to overhead wire collection - the system expanded further to cover inland parts of the borough. Services to Layton Cemetery along the 'New Road' directly east from the town centre; around the eastern edge of the town in a semi circular curving route along what became Whitegate Drive and Waterloo Road as far as St Annes Road - thence turning north bound to the

Blackpool's continuance with operating single deck trams is now the norm in today's light rail world where modular designs with fanciful frontal styling and even more garish external colour schemes are accepted practise. In truth some of the light rail branding styles are most becoming - the new West Midlands colour scheme and application being an apt example. Manchester Metrolink's all over yellow doesn't quite work for an entire metropolitan area particularly given the size of the tram fleet all to a standard design. Double deck trams today are very much the exception globally with only Hong Kong and Alexandria in Egypt running this once prevalent approach in public service. Blackpool

The latest outpouring of government edicts on what one can and cannot do across the nation impacts us all whatever our condition. Advice on avoiding public transport wherever and whenever possible has already had a massive affect on passenger numbers on all modes and regions. Blackpool's buses (like most other operating systems) has sparse loadings whilst its trams no longer run at all - giving way to the promenade bus service as alternative option. All this may of course have a long term consequence for the trams in particular - but for the moment the hope and expectation is that the service will reemerge eventually. Social distancing requirements and spacing needs between passengers

Forever a lingering remnant from the 1960s with its connecting single line track as far as the Promenade from the town's first tram depot - Blundell Street has morphed into a new housing development. Encompassing both the former gas and electricity power stations the site is now destined to become one more bland 'estate' with little if no recognition of its former importance in Blackpool's late 19th century transformation. Familiar to old transport enthusiasts for its infrequent special tram tours traversing past the red brick tram depot on to Princess Street and crossing over the Promenade - this part of the town's tramway heritage is fast disappearing. Once seen as a critical alternativ

After six years of bloody conflict in Europe and Britain's sustained efforts to defeat Nazi Germany and its Axis Allies, Italy and Japan - finally on May 8th Germany surrendered to Allied Armies in Europe. The official and unconditional surrender resulted in an outpouring of celebration across finally freed from conflict . The UK saw street parties across the country amid myriad spontaneous events. Several towns and cities hurried to put together mobile displays utilising buses with all manner of patriotic symbols affixed to their sides. Those still running trams managed to produce more substantial special feature cars. Manchester being a good example but the daddy of them all was of c

The Daily Telegraph for May 2nd carries a feature article on axed railway lines under the infamous Beeching cuts and announcement by the present Government of intention to provide £500 Million towards reopening costs of several. The article reviews in brief a 'wish list' of closed lines that could/should qualify for this funding. Early on in the published article is 'Poulton-Le-Fylde - Fleetwood' with positive description and historical background to the original railway line. A big fillip to the work of the Local Authority and joined up efforts of economic development groups with aims of strengthening rail based infrastructure in the Fylde. The FHLT support actions that enables Fleetw

This weekend Blackpool's town centre has been a shadow of its former self resulting from continuance of Government guideline on social restrictions while the current virus infection impacts on the country. Blackpool's streets were doused in continual sunlight as April gave way to May and impending visitor traffic (in normal times). Blackpool Transport has placed its appeal/application for Government funding towards the town's light rail service which is presently halted completely. This is part of a recently announced grant to light rail operators in England to help offset stark falls in farebox revenue. A decision to close the tram service down was taken over two weeks ago partly beca

One of the most interesting British manufactured tram exports with affinity to Blackpool saw the Wakefield firm of Charles Roberts fulfill a British Government backed order from the capital of The Sudan in the early 1950s. This country was under the jurisdiction of Britain resulting from military intervention in the late 1800s when an expeditionary force headed by General Kitchener was sent to the aid of Europeans in Khartoum. The city had been overrun by a religious inspired native force led by the Mahdi. After an inspired cavalry engagement outside Khartoum at Omdurman - the city was retaken but not before the European garrison and its leader - General Gordon had been killed. Revulsi