ps : Wirral trams

I omitted the interior image of Liverpool 245 from the tram blog piece and some might find me churlish in not featuring an image of the Birkenhead tram in all its finery - so this is a correction. Below : the austere interior on 245 no frills here.

Birkenhead 20 with its impressive lining out and equally enormous fleet number on the dash panels - they didn't do anything by halves in those days when electric trams were the 'must have' technology for any self respecting town or city council.

Of course there is also a Blackpool tram somewhere in the Wirral. The cancellation of the laudable plans for a major waterfront development by Peel Holdings involving a heritage tramway through part of the proposed scheme meant that the batch of five Blackpool trams acquired by Merseytravel to operate on this extended line became redundant. We all know that most of them ended up in Wyre Dock, Fleetwood thanks to the initiative of a motivated enthusiast and with the help of the FHLT. Three of the quartet remain stored at Wyre Dock, while one of the two trailers has returned to its rightful home at Rigby Road Depot. The other is now in the care of the FHLT and due for a public 'airing' in Fleetwood next year.

However there is a fifth Blackpool tram which remains extant from this aborted Wirral Waters tramway scheme. Peel Holdings, or one of its many business units, opted to acquire the upgraded Brush car for its own purposes and has squirrelled? it away somewhere out of sight for the time being. The other two Brush cars from Merseytravel came to Wyre Dock where they are now in private ownership and restoration work has begun - even though it may not look like it from outside the fence line. Photos : John Woodman