Pictures from the past

The days when hand painting of sponsored trams faded very quickly with the onset of vinyl coatings - making the application of all over designs far easier. One Brush car (in private ownership) and stored with the Trust's trams at Wyre Dock uniquely retains a classic example of handpainted advertising carried out at Rigby Road for what was then Council-Owned Blackpool Zoo.

Now very much the worse for wear but deserving of preservation as an art form in its own right from a previous era of advertising.

A great day out carried by Brush Car 637 - with a mix of paintwork and early vinyl add-on - probably do well in the hands of Tate Modern alongside some of the more elemental displays which attract oohs and aahs from art world cogniscenti. All Images John Woodman