Line 7 Metro Liveried Balloon 710 stabled at Tower, May 2005
On December 3rd 1884 Blackpool Corporation agreed to use Holroyd Smith's Plans for a tramway where the cars took their power from a slot in the ground. This system is the same kind that London Tramways used until its closure in 1952. It is known as a conduit system.
After much planning and preperation work, the first rail was laid in March 1885 at Cocker Street and work progressed quickly with the first test runs on the line were made on 29th June 1885.
The tramway was officially opened on 29th September 1885, and became the first electric street tramway in Britain (It is now the last traditional tramway in Britain). Due to the location of the line on the promenade, the sea was to cause many problems for the conduit system and as a result, the company had to use horses to pull trams when the track was flooded.
By 1892, the line ran from Cocker Street (Near to the North Pier) to Victoria (South) Pier, the track was mainly single line with many passing places. A small stretch of line was built from Manchester Square along Lytham Road.
The conduit system was to become the source of several major problems for the tramway over the next few years, including a reduction in voltage in the conduit slot as the trams travelled further from the power source (A Substation near the depot), meaning that the system wasnt energy and cost efficient and soon alterniative power sources were investigated including overhead lines and Gas power.
One of the original batch of Conduit Cars, (No 4) which was one the 10 small open topped double decker trams which ran on the day the system opened, survived scrapping through a series of coincidences and is now on display at the National Tramway Museum at Crich.
The survival of this tram is mainly due to a number of lucky decisions. After being withdrawn from service around 1914, the tram was earmarked as a works car but instead it was used as a bread transporter, bringing bread to the troops at the army barracks at Squires Gate during the First World War, with doors being cut into one side, After the war it was converted to an overhead line car. After it was withdrawn in 1930, It was stored in Bispham Depot and forgotten about for many years. Eventually, when the tramway was celebrating it's 75th anniversary in 1960, it was "rediscovered", driven back to Rigby Road under its own power and restored to near original condition, a further restoration in the 1980's saw it have its trolley pole removed and batteries fitted, giving the impression of conduit running when it returned to Blackpool for the Centenary of the tramway in 1985.
In 1898 The Blackpool and Fleetwood Electric Tramroad Company built and started running a tram service from Fleetwood to Blackpool North Railway Station with depots at Bold Street Fleetwood, Copse Road Fleetwood and Red Bank Road in Bispham. In contrast to the Corporation system, the Tramroad mainly operated on open track which was fenced in apart from the street sections at either end and all trams were single decked. Blackpool Corporation wanted to extend their system to Gynn Square, so the Blackpool and Fleetwood Electric Tramroad had to run their line along Dickson Road leaving the prom at Gynn Square to get to North Station. The two lines were not physically joined until 1920 when Blackpool Corporation bought the Tramroad and the two systems merged.
One of the original Tramroad trams is still in existance to this day. Fleetwood Rack 2, an open sided single decker tram, was one of the original trams to operate on the tramroad and saw use up until 1934, it was renumbered 126 when the Tramroad merged with the Corporation Tramway. When the tram was withdrawn from passenger service, it found a new use with the Permanent Way gang, being used to transfer workers to work sites. The tram was later restored to its original condition in 1960 in time for the 75th anniversary of the Corporation system and saw use for a while on promenade specials before moving to Crich where apart from a short spell back at Blackpool in 1998, it has remained there and still operates today.
In 1898 the Blackpool system converted their tram cars to operate from an overhead line as the conduit system was so unreliable and was uneconomical to run and by 1905 when the prom was widened, the tramway was relocated had its own section of prom to run on taking it off the road away from the traffic. This piece of foresight probably ensured that the tramway continued operating whilst all the others in the UK closed.
In 1901 the Marton Route was built from Talbot Square, round what at this time was farm land to Marton. The opening of this route brought controversy as many local cyclists blocked the tracks on the offical opening of the new route in protest that the grooved rail was a death trap for them and would cause many accidents. Further problems ensued as the depot fan at the newly built Marton Depot had to be rebuilt and modified as none of the trams could fit into the sheds due to tight clearances!!!!!
The Marton line was joined to the Lytham Road Route at Royal Oak and a short track was built from Lytham Road, down Station Road to the Victoria Pier (South Pier) and a junction with the prom was built at the same time. Meanwhile, a new route was built along Central Drive and a route built from Talbot Square to Layton and the Lytham Road Route extended to Squires Gate.
The Lytham St.Annes tramway company secured running rights into Blackpool, but initially not on the promenade, only running on the Lytham Road route as far as Station Road. Eventually they were granted running rights on the promenade allowing them to extend their services as far as Gynn Square.
In 1920, the Blackpool and Fleetwood company’s running rights expired and were taken over by Blackpool Corporation. Blackpool Corporation inherited the Company's 40 cars of various types including, box cars and toastracks, many of these cars being the originals from when the tramroad opened.
The corporation immediately made a number of improvements to the system, The first major job was to join the 2 systems at Gynn Square and to lay check rail as far as Bispham to allow the double deck trams from the Promenade and Lytham Road services to run here. Impressive new station buildings were built at Bispham, Little Bispham and Norbeck (all of which are still in use today) in most cases replacing small wooden or brick built shelters. The track layout was changed at Rossall to elimanate a sharp curve.
A number of Standard Cars were built over the next few years, beginning with Standard 28 and ending with Standard 177 in 1928. (The standard trams were numbered inconsecutively). Most of the Standard cars were built by the Corporation (with a few built by Hurst Nelson in Motherwell, the company who also built the Kilmarnock bogie trams for Glasgow and a number of the original vehicles for the Glasgow Subway), Some of the Standard Cars were enclosed during the late 1930's making them suitable for all year round use. The Standard Cars operated on the Marton Route until 1954 when the Marton Vambacs took over the route, with many of the cars being withdrawn and scrapped at this time, They had also operated the Layton and Central Drive routes prior to closure and also the Lytham Road Route until 1934.
From 1954, the Standards were confined to specials on the Marton and Promenade routes. The number of Standards in service began to gradually decrease as they were withdrawn, scrapped or preserved, in fact the largest number of preserved trams from a particular class of Blackpool tram belong to the Standards, with 40, 48, 143 (which is currently being restored by the LTT), 144, 147 and 159 all being preserved. 143 was converted to an overhead line car for the works department in 1958 (later being renumbered 753) and remained in use in this form until 1990 when a fire caused serious damage and the tram was withdrawn from service and remained stored in depot for a number of years, the car is now being restored by the LTT and should be back in service in a few years time.
Standards 40 and 48 were the last two service trams to operate on the Marton Route in 1962, 40 was the first Standard car to visit Fleetwood, doing so in 1958 and was also the last open fronted Standard car to remain in service. 40 is now preserved at Crich and 48 is preserved in America. Standards 159 and 160 were fitted with external illuminations and ran during the illuminations along with the rocket and western train. Both trams were withdrawn around 1965 with 159 being preserved at Lowesoft and 160 being scrapped.
147 became the last Standard to operate in service in Blackpool in 1966 before moving to America, however it returned to Blackpool in 2000 and after undergoing a lengthy restoration job, returned to service in 2002.
By 1924 Bold Street Depot in Fleetwood was closed and a loop was built at Fleetwood taking the tramway right up to Fleetwood Ferry and retuning on to Lord Street by the shadows of the lighthouse.
Sidings were built at Thornton Gate to receive coal wagons devlivered by LNER. The coal wagons were hauled along the tramway by a small electric locomotive from a spur connecting the tramway to the railway line behind Copse Rd Depot in Fleetwood.
The Electric Loco was carried out this task until 1949 when the coal was delivered elsewhere, the loco then spent the next few years hauling the weedkiller truck and permanent way wagons up and down the line until 1963 when it was preserved. The electric Loco is now in use as a depot shunter at Crich Tramway Museum in Derbyshire.
10 Pantograph cars were built for the North Station Route and delivered in 1928. They operated between North Station and Fleetwood and also on short workings to Cleveleys all year round before being relegated to seasonal work upon the delivery of Railcoaches to operate the route in 1934.
These 10 Pantograph cars were unique in that they operated the route they were intended for when built and delivered, they only operated on the North Station Route (apart from the odd private hire or tour and also travelling to Rigby Road for repairs) until they were withdrawn from service in 1961.
Their pantographs which were the current collectors fitted to the tram, caused havoc for the overhead line team who not only had to top up the grease trays for these trams but also had to deal with problems caused by the grease being carried by other trams and ending up all over the system and even on the neighbouring Lytham St Annes Tramway. It wasnt a surprise that the pantographs were replaced as current collection on these trams by trolleys soon after entering service.
Another strange quirk was that they carried the standard 1930's style Green and Cream thoughout the 2nd World War whilst all other cars carried the Wartime Livery, then following the war, they received Wartime Livery whilst the other cars were being repainted into a much brighter and colourful green and cream livery. In the 1950's 176 was altered to allow an experiment in passenger flow. The conversion however was unsuccessful and 176 was later scrapped. 167 became a works car, however it only lasted in this form until 1962 when it was donated to Crich Tramway Museum for preservation. Sister car 170 replaced 167 as works car until 1965.
Following withdrawal from service, 3 pantograph cars were rebuilt to form the basis of illuminated trams. 170, which was by this time being used as a works car formed the basis of the Warship and entered service in this guise in 1965, 168 became the basis of the Rocket and 174 became the trailer for the famous Western train and its origins are the most clear of the three cars.
In the late 1920's, the tramline was extended past the Pleasure Beach, along the South Promenade to Starr Gate, thus Lytham Road and the Prom were now connected in a third place, by connecting the prom line at Clifton Drive (One stop before the present terminus - Starr Gate) where the a junction carried a branch line along Squires Gate Lane and also joined the Promenade line to the St Annes Track.
In 1933, Walter Luff replaced Charles Furness as Transport Manager and set out a five year plan in which there would be many far reaching improvements made to the tramway. He moved almost immediately to rejuvinate a system which had it been left, would have closed like many other similar systems.
The trackwork was improved by installing turning loops at Starr Gate, Pleasure Beach and Little Bispham allowing trams to be turned faster and without the need for the driver to change ends, the swingover seats and the trolley pole turned around.
Bypass lines were built at Tower, Talbot Square, Cabin and Bispham to avoid congestion when a tram was changing ends. At the same time the Central Drive and Layton lines were closed and replaced with buses. In the case of Central Drive it was too congested and was close to the Promenade and Marton routes anyway whilst Layton was mostly single track with passing places and was uneconomical to operate as patronage was poor and the line would have to be extended a further mile up the road to a new housing development to be profitable.
At the same time, the full Marton Route was relaid to include double track on the full length of the route.
Walter Luff also took a look at the fleet of trams he had inherited and was not happy, there were a large number of different types of tram running and many of these were antiquated, were fitted with various differing controllers and electrical equipment and were badly needing replaced, some of the cars in service were original examples from when both original tramways first opened in 1885 and 1898 respectively.
He approached English Electric about renewing the fleet and soon a prototype railcoach (200) was delivered to Blackpool. This car was a revelation, it was nothing like anything else that had ever ran on the tramway and was the height of luxury. Passengers even wiped their feet before boarding the tram, it was that popular!!!!! A further 24 of these cars were ordered. They were built, delivered and in service by 1934. A further 20 railcoaches were ordered, they were delivered and ready for service in 1935. 11 of these railcoaches are still in existance with 6 of them still in service today, abeit in a different guise. The railcoaches settled down to work on the Promenade Route, Lytham Road Route and North Station Route, later they would also work on the Marton Route beside the VAMBACS.
A sample open topped double decker was also ordered in 1934 along with an open topped single decker. A further 11 open top single deckers called luxury toastracks (now more fondly known as the boats) were ordered as were a further 12 open topped double deckers and 14 enclosed double deckers of the same type. These double deckers would later be known fondly as the balloon car. The Balloons took the place of the Dreadnought Double deckers which operated on the prom at the time. Walter Luff didnt like the Dreadnoughts as he saw them as being antiquated and dangerous, however the Blackpool public did like them and set up a petition for one example to be saved from scrap for future use. Dreadnought 59 was saved and saw use as a works car until restoration became a possibility for the 75th Anniversary celebrations in 1960.
In 1936, Lytham St Annes town council, voted to close their tramway, this caused problems for Walter Luff as he had hired tramcars from them for the busy illumination period. Had their tramway remained open Blackpool Corporation Transport had plans to take over the running rights of the Lytham St Annes tramway and make a promenade style reserved track all the way into St Annes and out to Lytham. (If this had happened that section of tramway would probably still have been open today.) With their system having closed and the resulting shortage of trams for the Illumination period, Walter Luff decided to order a further 20 railcoaches to help move the passengers during this period, however the man who designed his previous order of railcoaches, had moved from English Electric in Preston to Brush in Loughburgh. Thus the subsequent order 20 railcoaches came from Brush. The Brush Railcoaches were similar but were slightly different to the EE railcoaches in everyway due to patent and copyright. The Brush Railcoaches went on to give over 70 years of service and are thought of by many to be some of the most reliable and best trams that the tramway has ever and will ever have. Many of the Brush Cars still in existance today and five are still in service today.
The Brush Cars entered service in 1937 and started work on the Lytham Road Route. When the Brush Cars entered service, they had power doors which were operated by the drivers, one day a driver opened the wrong doors and a number of items of luggage fell off the platform onto the road and was subsequently crushed by a bus. They were transfered to Bispham Depot to operate the North Station Route in 1940. Following the closure of the North Station route, the Brush Cars were transferred to the main Starr Gate and Fleetwood service which they still operate on today.
In 1939, the delivery of new trams was complete following the arrival from English Electric of 12 Sun Saloon trams which had canvas covered roofs and windows half way up, and reused old controllers and equipment from withdrawn older cars, arrived and were used to operate journeys on the prom.
Many of the types of tram cars listed above make up the majority of today’s fleet. Examples of all these types still survive in some form, although very few are still in original condition and many carry advertising liveries.
During the Second World War, the Sun saloons found a new use, as troop carriers, they were used to transport troops from the barrcks at Squires Gate to the rifle range at Rossall.
The Sun Saloons were christened 'cattle trucks' by the soldiers as they were draughty and uncomfortable. Improvements were carried out to allow the soldiers a bit more comfort, including the fitting of full length windows, partitions between the drivers cab and the saloon and the fitting of a better roof quality sliding roof. Following several trams being held up by the sun saloons waiting for the soldiers to finish at the rifle range, a siding was built at Rossall to allow the trams to be stored there while waiting for the soldiers to return to take them back to barracks.
After the war, the Sun Saloons were converted to railcoach standard and fitted with VAMBAC equipment and used on the Marton Route, it was the most modern equipment of the time. Railcoach 208 and Brush 303 were also fitted with VAMBAC equipment with 208's conversion being successful, but unfortunately 303's conversion wasnt and the tram returned to Bispham depot and hardly used before being scrapped in 1963.
The introduction of the VAMBACS saw the end of timetabled service for the Standard cars, relegating them to specials on the prom and school specials on the Marton Route.
During 1942 the open topped balloons and the open topped and open balconied standard cars were enclosed making them suitable for all year round use, as there was no work for open topped vehicles during the war and there was a shortage of availiable enclosed double deckers.
The fleet emerged from the war neglected but intact as most of the trams were reasonably new. The only trams which were scrapped during this era were surplus Toastracks which had been withdrawn in 1939 and Standard 50, which blew over in gale force winds and was severely damaged in 1940.
The illuminations restarted in 1949 having been postponed during the war and to celebrate, all railcoaches and boats had strings of lights strung from their trolley towers.
In 1953 the Coronation tram car came into service, and became the most luxurious tramcars ever built for Blackpool. However the cars and their VAMBAC equipment caused many problems and most were converted to use conventional equipment and all examples of this type of tram bar one (660), which was kept for special occasions, were all withdrawn by 1976, The crippling loans and cost to run these trams almost bankrupted the Transport Department. Three examples of the Coronation Cars survive today with two now being in service in Blackpool.
1958 saw the introduction of the Twin Car, The first set was a combination of two series two railcoaches (276+275)which were refurbished and their traditional pointed front ends were removed and they were given flat fronts instead, 275 became a trailer for a time. The twin Cars are a high capacity trailer set which can carry 120 people. These trams were built from 10 series 2 railcoaches (272 - 281) and 10 trailers (T1 - T10) built by Metro Cammell between 1960 and 1962, the motors and trailers on 7 sets (671+681 - 677+687)were permenantly coupled in the early 1970's with control equipment being situated on the outside ends of the motor coaches and trailers, the remaining 3 trailers (688 - 690)were withdrawn and following only 12 years of service, were scrapped, whilst the 3 motor coaches (678 - 680)continued to run as ordinary railcoaches. Seven of the trailers survive in Blackpool today with 5 Twin car sets still in use today (671+681 - 675+685)and one of the ex-towing railcoaches is also still in service (680).
1958 also saw double deckers running to Fleetwood and to North Station for the first time. This happened following the laying of check rail between Cleveleys and Fleetwood. Around this time, plans were afoot for the celebrations of the tramways 75th birthday. They looked at some of their old works trams and decided to convert them back to their original form, this included the restoration Conduit Car 4 (which was disguised as no1, the first ever car), Blackpool and Fleetwood 2, Fleetwood box 40 and Dreadnought 59.
That same year it was also announced that the Squires Gate route (Lytham Road) which was in dire need of track relaying at the time would close in October 1961 with buses replacing trams between Squires Gate and Manchester Square.
The North Station Route was cut back to outside the Odeon Cinema on Dickson Road and a Trolley Reverser was fitted at the terminus. 1961 also saw the end for the Pantograph Cars on the North Station Route when displaced railcoaches from the Squires Gate route took over them. The closure of the Squires Gate route also meant that the circular tours, which had only been reintroduced in 1957, and the service from Marton which travelled along Station Road came to an end. The balloon cars lost their timetabled duties to Squires Gate and were now confined to promenade, Fleetwood market and also took over school specials on the Marton Route. This move saw the drastic reduction in the number of Standard Cars used on Specials as the Balloons took over many of their duties, leaving only 6 standards (40, 48, 147, 158, 159 and 160) remaining during 1962.
The Marton Route had now became fragmented with the closure of Lytham Road's track having been cut back to Royal Oak, the writing was on the wall for this route and it closed in October 1962 with the final journeys operated by Standards 40 from Tablbot Square and 48 from Royal Oak. (Vambacs 11 and 13 provided the last VAMBAC operated journeys on the route)
The closure of this route meant that a number of trams became surplus to requirements, all but one of the Marton VAMBACs and a number of series 1 Railcoaches were scrapped.
However not all trams that were withdrawn were scrapped, some went to museums for restoration, some found use as works trams and some were rebuilt into illuminated trams. The elderly fleet of illuminated trams were all reaching the end of their useful lives and were practically live when it rained. The new fleet built between 1960 and 1965 consisted of a paddle steamer - The Blackpool Belle, The Rocket, the Western Train, the Hovertram and the Warship. All these trams made their debut in the early 60's and with the exception of the Blackpool Belle which was withdrawn and sold to America in the 70's, gave 30 years service until the late 90's early 2000's.
The depot at Marton remained in use for a time until 1963 however when Blundell Street reopened to trams and all cars remaining at Marton that were to be kept were either transfered to Rigby Road, Blundell Street or Bispham Depot. The track and overhead wires remained in place as far as Marton Depot for a few months after the Depot was closed, this cause alot of intrigue at the time, however it was later revealed that this was to allow the Western train to travel up the line carrying officials and guests for the opening of the ABC Cinema in Church Street in 1963.
In October 1963 it was realised that 2 routes to Fleetwood werent needed anymore as there wasnt the passenger numbers anymore and as the North Station Route was the quieter of the 2 routes, it was closed as far as Gynn Square and Bispham Depot closed leaving the Promenade route by its self.
With these routes gone there was not the same need for as many trams so a number of older trams were scrapped this included most of the pantograph cars, standard cars, the remaining first series railcoaches except for 3 of them and all bar 1 Marton Vambac. as well a few non standard trams, such as Brush Car 303 which was fitted with VAMBAC equipment.
Some sources have contained a remarkable story from 1963, the Marton and Lytham Road Routes had been closed in the 2 previous years and the North station route was doomed to follow. One day in September, Railcoach 201 was on the Fleetwood - North Station route, approaching Bispham the tram was stopped and the crew and passengers were transferred over to Brush Car 300. 300 continued on to North Station whilst 201 crossed over to the northbound track and was driven to Thornton Gate where it was subsequently scrapped the same day!!!!!!
After the closure of the North Station Route in October 1963, most of the tramway closed for the winter and was replaced by buses. The only section of the Tramway that remained open was the Cleveleys to Fleetwood section.
During this time, the works took the opportunity to catch up on some essential maintenance. The Brush cars were re-equipped with controllers from the scrapped railcoaches and had their sliding roofs removed.
The Tramway reopened as normal at Easter 1964, with some changes including, the coronation trams being relegated to seasonal journeys and the remaining railcoaches and brush cars taking over the winter timetable. The North Station Service was replaced with a new service operating between Fleetwood and Tower, giving Fleetwood the same headway as had operated the previous year.
1965 saw the scrapping of the first Coronation car 313 which had been stripped to provide spares for the remaining cars and stored at Bispham Depot. In fact it would become the last tram to leave Bispham Depot. The scrapping of 313 began a process which would be seen many times as the Coronation fleet was reduced from 25 to 3 in a matter of 10 years.
1966 saw the final Standard car being withdrawn, 147 operated a final tour of the system prior to being shipped to America for preservation. It would later make a return to Blackpool.
1968 saw the scrapping of 4 of the 12 boat trams, which had been surplus to requirements and had been held in store since 1963. That same year the renumbering of all the remaining trams occured, they were numbered as follows,
single deckers being in the 600 range
and double deckers and illuminated trams in the 700 range.
628 became the first tram post renumbering to be scrapped following a serious collision with Balloon 726 in Fleetwood, 628 later became the basis of railcrane 260.
Due to the rising costs of running the tramway and the increasing wages bill, the Transport department decided that One Man Operation was the way ahead to cut the costs of running the tramway in the winter and spring. The first experiment with convering trams began to take place. Brush Car 638 was converted for One Man Operation with the addition of front doors and a swivel seat in the drivers cab. The experiment was not successful for many reasons and the car was later converted back to a crew operated Brush car.
The next experiment was to alter Railcoach 611. Its appearance changed and now it looked like a twin car towing coach and was fitted with plastic panels.
Railcoach 618 was next, it was extended and was fitted with tapered ends to carry 56 passengers instead of 48.
From 1972 a fleet of 13 One Man Operated cars were built from the remaining EE railcoaches, with the exception of the Ex towing railcoaches. These trams were to operate the majority of the milage operated until 1985 when the Centenary cars arrived. The Brush Cars were also considered but were deemed unsuitable for conversion. The first few conversions took place using withdrawn, accident damaged or works cars, to allow as many railcoaches as possible to remain in service until there was enough OMO cars availiable for service. At the same time, Brush Car 624 became a permanent way car as it was in need of an overhaul to remain in passenger service.
The final railcoaches to be withdrawn were 615, the last railcoach to remain in its original form, which became OMO 11, plastic tram 611 became 12 and 618 became 13 in 1976.
Most of the OMO's were withdrawn with structural faults or when they reached a certain milage, with many of the trams developing severe droops in the bodywork, possibly caused by the bogies not being far enough out from the centre of the tram and remedial work had to be carried out fairly often. Withdrawals began with OMO 13, which ironically was the youngest of the fleet after only 8 years in 1984 (OMO 13 had previously had its body extended when it was still railcoach 618 and it is thought that not many changes were carried out to this tram with the exception on a new entrance door at the cab ends and new cab layouts). OMO's 2,3 and 4 followed soon after with the underframes of 3 and 4 being stored at Thornton Gate yard for possible use, however this is now very unlikely to happen. OMO's 6 and 9 and were scrapped soon afterwards, but a few OMO's did last in service until the final withdrawal of the last member in 1993.
Today OMO 5 is at Clay Cross stores in Derbyshire awaiting restoration at the National Tram Museum at Crich, OMO 7 was converted to a replica Vanguard tram (619). However, this tram looks nothing like a Vanguard, it features a railcoach pantograph tower, pantograph and also for a time featured plastic sides, before these were replaced with more authentic looking iron railings. This tram was created using the underframe and parts from OMO 7, then gained its old railcoach number. The tram ran for about 15 years in this guise before being mothballed in 2004 and making a dramatic, unexpected yet welcome return to service in 2008.
OMO 8 is currently undergoing restoration by the LTT, at the moment it is just going to be a cosmetic restoration for display in the workshops, it is hoped that in the future that it will receive a mechanical overhaul allowing it to make a return to the prom. OMO 10 became a static Coffee shop in Reading for a number of years but has now been scrapped after the building it was housed in was renevated. The tram did however donate parts to OMO 8 for restoration before it was scrapped. OMO 11 became the final OMO in service in 1993 and following withdrawal became a test tram for equipment for use with the Trampower project. Following the end of the project, 11 was stripped of many parts and remained in store in a derelict state until it was scrapped in 2000. OMO 1 had met its end after it's compressor caught fire in 1989, whilst stopped overnight on the prom awaiting entry to depot following a derailment on the depot fan. The decision was taken not to repair the tram as a number of serious faults were found with the body and electrics making repairs uneconomical and the car was stored resting on sleepers on track 1 of the depot. OMO's 1 and 12 which was also withdrawn in 1989 were both scrapped during 1993 as they were both surplus to requirements .
In 1979 2 derelict balloon cars 714 and 725 which were withdrawn in 1971 in need of a total rebuild, were rebuilt and converted to one man operation receiving longer bodies, flat fronts and pantographs, 725 re-entered service in 1979 as 761. This car has a front entrance and exit door, and no centre exit doors which unfortunately makes the car slow in loading / unloading. 714 returned to service as 762 in 1982, it was built with centre doors as well as the front entrance doors to aid passenger flow. Both cars were later christened the Jubilee Cars.
One new feature of the 1970's which continues to this day, was the development of all over advertising, cars had began to carry between deck adverts and advert boxes fitted to the roofs, the First balloon to receive an overall advert was 707 with an advert for the Empire pools, whilst 622 became the first Brush Car to receive an all over advert, receiving the famous Tigeriffic advert for Blackpool Zoo (a new CORGI model of this tram was released during 2007), plans are afoot for this livery to be recreated and hopefully this advert will make a comeback on a Brush Car in the future.
At first all over advert cars were seen as a novelty and people would go out of their way to see them and travel on them, even as late as 1998 most of the Balloons were still in fleet livery, however today most of the servicable fleet carry all over adverts with only 600,604,605, 623, 700,702,703,706,712, 717 and 723 as well as the vintage cars carrying green and cream heritage liveries.
In 1980 a serious collision caused by a set of incorrectly set points took place between Balloons 705 and 706 at Pleasure Beach which resulted in 705 being scrapped after being stored in Blundell Street Depot for 2 years. Due to the demolition of Blundell Street depot, which had became unsafe following damage caused by gale forced winds, there was less space and all surplus and derelict vehicles had to go. 706 almost suffered the same fate as 705 but received a last minute reprieve, the tram had been towed out into the bus yard for scrapping when somebody suggested restoring it as an open topper. This quick thinking saved this tram and as a result it was converted back to an open topper in time for the centenary in 1985, 706 became the first tram to be named, it was named Princess Alice after a relation of the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II, who officially unveiled the new tram at the Centenary parade back in 1985.
1984 saw the scrapping of Brush Car 638, this car had been deemed surplus to requirements and was scrapped in the bus yard, 637 spent 2 years as a dedicated driver training car before getting an overhaul and returning to service as an ordinary member of the fleet in 1990.
For the centenary of the tramway in 1985, a number of trams came to Blackpool from museums all over Britain, these included Pantograph 167, Standard 40, Conduit 4, Sheffield 513, Glasgow 1297, Edinburgh 35 and Manchester 765.
In 1985, the Centenary trams numbered 641 - 647 began to appear in service, also the GEC test tram 651 which was similar to the other Centenary trams but with different equipment also made regular appearances. It was later renumbered 648 and converted to a standard centenary car with the same electrical and control equipment.
1989 saw 710 enter legendary status when it 'knocked down and killed' Alan Bradley in an episode of Coronation Street.
1990 saw 753 the overhead line car catch fire when its diesel engine burst into flames, resulting in the withdrawal of the tram, it would lie in the depot for over 10 years before the LTT took it away to their workshops for a conversion back to Standard 143 in its original style with open ends. The tram had originally been rebuilt into an overhead car in 1958 and was fitted with an inspection platform, it was originally based at Bispham Depot before moving to Rigby Road in 1963, from here it operated until its fire in 1990. It would be 2 years later before it's replacement in the form of 754 would arrive from East Lanacashire Coachbuilders to take over its duties, it too has a bus engine and an inspection gantry. There was another overhead line car which was rebuilt from Marton 31 (also numbered 754) which saw use on the tramway for over 40 years until withdrawal and transfer to Beamish Museum and subsequent restoration back to 1901 condition as Marton 31 in the early 80's
In the late 80’s – early 90’s many of the fleet underwent overhauls, these included
1992 saw one of the most remarkable run aways in the history of the tramway when 647's brakes and emergency brake froze in the off position on an icy day, and with the driver helpless to stop it, the tram rolled from the North Prom, onto the street track at the Metropole where it collided with cars and then ending up coming to a stop at the Tower.
In 1994 and 1995, the tramway's electrical infrastructure was renewed between Starr Gate and Thornton Gate leading to the electrical wires and the support spans and poles being renewed in this section.
The Fleetwood Tramroad celebrated its centenary in 1998 and in recognition of this, old favourites, Marton 31, Toastrack 2 and Pantograph 167 arrived from various museums to take part in the celebrations.
The most surprising development of the 90's happened in 1998 with the introduction of the first "Millennium" tram (707) at Tram Sunday 1998. The design of the tram its self was controversial as it is basically a rebuild of a balloon tram with flat ends and still requires a crew of 3 to operate it, the tram retains the same interior layout as a balloon and carries the same number of people (It looks more like a double deck ex towing railcoach or even Sheffield 513). Four Balloons have been rebuilt in this style (707, 709, 718 and 724). To many people they should have been rebuilt in its original style or like 711 and 723 whilst others felt that if had to be rebuilt it should have been rebuilt into a Jubilee Car like 761 and 762 to allow for one man operation.
At the time the rebuild of 707 caused alot of adverse comment, especially when it was discovered that it has many unneccesary features such as air conditioning units and no opening window in the drivers cab, and even worse was to follow when 709 came into service, it had to get its air conditioning unit topped up with water by a fitter with a watering can at Manchester Square twice a day!!!!!! Needless to say, opening cab windows were installed soon afterwards. The trams have now settled in to use and are giving sterling performances on the tramway now.
Blackpool Transport seem to have reversed their policy of rebuilds and reverted back to refurbishing their balloons in the style of 711 and 723, with 713 emerging with this shape which keeps more in line with its original shape and 720 due to be rebuilt the same way during 2008 closly followed by 708, 717 is also being restored back to 1935 condition with a few modern consessions being made meaning it will also retain its distinctive stramlined shape and returned to service in 2008.
1998 also saw the refurbishment of balloon 721, which was also controversial, not because it received hopper windows which made the tram like a sauna in the warm weather or the bus seats fitted in the lower deck, it even kept its distinctive balloon shape, roof windows and swingover seats on the top deck, however the advert it carried (for Mitchellin tyres) was controversial as not only did it use controvision, but windows were also filled in and large areas of the upper deck had no view out, the passengers couldnt see out many of the windows (it also didnt help that the tram was used during the illuminations and even on illumination tours and most people couldnt see them). After numerous complaints the windows were restored in 2001 and the advert was finally removed in winter 2004.
Centenary 642 was withdrawn for a major refurbishment in 1998 and later made a return to service with a new shape, the next 8 years would see the remaining centenary cars treated the same way, however some of the faults still remain such as howling motors and numerous breakdowns.
1999 saw a severe derailment in which the track collapsed under balloon 710, causing it to derail between Cabin and St Stephens Avenue, the tram remained here for 5 days before it was removed and the track repaired. In the same year, cracks were discovered in the bogies of some of the One Man Trams, All 10 Centenary / Jubilee trams were kept off service for a week at the start of the winter timetable to allow for repairs to take place, resulting in Brush Cars 625, 626, 627, 630 and 631 and Railcoaches 679 and 680 operating the full service for a full week by themselves (they managed this without a single breakdown).
In 2000 Sheffield 513 arrived in Blackpool on Long term loan and Standard 147, which had moved to America in 1966, was returned home for restoration, with Boat 606 going the opposite way. The tram was fully restored to original condition with many parts being salvaged from Engineering car 753. 147 finally returned to service in 2002. 2000 also saw the first 'Tramless Sunday' as the staff of Blackpool Transport were all on strike on that day.
Between 2000 and 2001, the 'Rocket', the 'Western Train', the 'Hovertram' and the'Frigate' were all withdrawn in need of rewiring and overhauls, meaning there was no illuminated trams availiable for service. Brush Railcoach 633 was withdrawn from traffic in 1998 as it was in poor condition and in need on an overhaul. After being stripped and stored in the depot for two years, 633 was selected to become an illuminated tram and was rebuilt into the shape of an illuminated trawler. However it retained its original motors, controllers , bogies and the centre entrance doors, the car had dual use, it could be used as an ordinary service car all through the year as it had been fitted with heaters and high visability headlights. In 2004, the illuminated Frigate also made a return to service following an almost complete rebuild, in fact the only remaining part of the original Frigate was the bow. Both trams are now confined to use at the illuminations period only. Funding has been received for the restoration of the Western Train, this work has commenced in 2007 with both engine and trailer stripped to a shell and should be complete for Summer 2009.
In Summer 2001, Coronation 304 returned to Blackpool for restoration for the Channel 4 program 'Salvage Squad', following 6 months of extensive work which included rebuilding 304's VAMBAC control gear, 304 made its first appearance on the prom since 1970 in January 2002.
Also in July 2001, 722, whilst on its way back to depot after midnight, hit a sand drift on the prom during gale force winds. This caused the tram to derail and the front half colliding with an overhead mast and landing on the promenade road, smashing a window and damaging some of the panelling in the process. The tram was repaired and returned to service by the start of the illuminations.
From October 2002 and April 2004 double deck trams were banned from travelling further north than Thornton Gate due to deteriorating trackwork between Thornton Gate and Ash Street and speed restrictions including 4 mile per hour limits were enforced in the worst affected areas, this resulted in the 1960 built twin cars, Centenary Cars, the Brush Cars and Railcoaches operating the bulk of the summer service and Fleetwood Market specials. Severe late running at times on the main Fleetwood Service was common.
The first day of the double decker ban saw all 7 twin cars and 2 Brush cars operated the Fleetwood service, for the twins it was their first time (apart from covering for breakdowns) where they had operated on timetabled service as their use was usually confined to specials, the first day of the double decker ban was the first and last time that all 7 twin sets ran on the Fleetwood Service at the one time. Winter 2002 saw the tidy up and repaint of 3 twin sets (671 +681, 672+682 and 674+684) with a further 2 being repainted during 2003 and 2004. The twin cars became the first trams to appear in the new Metro Coastlines livery's, which were being painted on the buses at the same time.
During 2003, the Brush Cars and railcoaches operated the main Fleetwood service for much of the early season before 4 twins, 2 centenary and 2 brush cars took over for the summer months.
In 2003, there was hardly any use for the double deck trams as the use of single decker trams was priority, so apart from those with valid adverts there was very limited use for the rest, the 2003 season was also the last in service for 704, 716 and 717. 716 and 717 were withdrawn with underframe defects and 704 was withdrawn after the season ended with roof problems.
Unfortunately the future doesnt look good for either 704 or 716. 704 has had most of its interior stripped out for parts for other trams, however 704 would be the most likely of the two balloons to be restored, it could be a perfect candidate for a 706 style rebuild back to its original 1934 condition as it is the roof section which is causing the problems for this particular tram. 716 is now being used as a store for spare parts including seats, roof panels and windows and is extremely unlikely to ever appear in service again.
717 is the lucky one as it will soon be gracing the prom again with it's 1930's style restoration job which came as the result of a donation left in the will of an enthusiast.
A severe staff shortage resulted in few specials running during 2003 and most nights there were no specials out after 8pm and no Cleveleys service either meaning that only the 8 cars on Fleetwood service were out and many passengers were left behind by packed to capacity trams running at 20 minute intervals resulting in many complaints from unhappy passengers and holidaymakers.
With the lack of use of the Double Deckers, the opportunity was taken during summer 2003 to repaint a number of Balloons and to carry out much needed repairs, this included
Track replacement took place of over the winters of 2002 and 2003 which saw closure of the line North of Thornton Gate between January and March in both years. Double deckers returned to Fleetwood in 2004 with 726 being the first Balloon through to Fleetwood on Specials (701 was the last double decker to travel to Fletwood prior to the ban) and 679 became the first service tram over the fully relaid track.
In 2004 the 70th Anniversary of the EE Fleet took place, celebrations included a depot open day and a procession of trams, the procession line up was
At the end of the 2004 season, following the 3rd extermely poor season in a row, it was realised that there was more trams availiable for service than was actually needed and a mass withdrawal or mothballing of trams took place.
Withdrawn were:
Since then however the situation has changed. With some trams being reinstated to service:
Since 2004, the trams have all been split into operating pools.
The pools are as follows, there is a pool for the
During the winter and early season of 2005, trams had to use the rarely used historic Foxhall track for entry and exit from the depot to the prom due to replacement of the junction at Manchester Square. The track was thought to be the original track from when the system opened and was in poor condition.
2005 also saw the return to service of 713 following its major overhaul.
2006 saw the final appearance of two trams, 678 was withdrawn in need of a major overhaul and stored, whilst 720 saw its final journeys as an unrefurbished balloon after withdrawal for a major refurbishment in September 2006. 719 saw its final use as the Walls Ice Cream Tram and has been restored to a normal refurbished balloon for use during 2007. The Western Train restoration project finally received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and work finally began on it during early 2007.
Between Winter 2006 and Easter 2007, the tramway was closed between Manchester Square and Starr Gate to renew the track between Manchester Square and South Pier.
2007 saw the return to service of old favourite, 623 in a recreation of the Wartime livery carried by the tram in the 1940's in recognition of the 70th anniversary of the Brush Cars entering service.
During Winter 2007 the full tramway was closed whilst major trackwork was carried out between Manchester Square and Central Pier. This also involved the fitting of new cross overs and a new north/south link to Blundell Street at the Foxhall. The Gynn Square crossover was removed as was the Manchester Square Crossover. The Cabin Loop was also removed as was the crossover at Pleasure Beach and the rarely used spurs at Pleasure Beach and Little Bispham. The layout of the Pleasure Beach loops was also altered.
On 1st February 2008, it was announced that funding was availiable for the purchase on 16 brand new low floor trams and to complete the replacement of the old poles and wire on the tramway from north of Thornton Gate to Fleetwood. The remainder of the track still to be renewed will also be replaced in the next few years. This work is expected to be complete by 2012 and the new trams in service by 2014. The arrival of the new trams will signal the end for some of the existing fleet. It is expected that the Centenary trams, unrefurbished balloons, unrefurbished brush cars and twin cars will be the trams to go. It is not known whether they will be saved for preservation or scrapped although the first option would be better. I think that it is time for Blackpool to bite the bullet and set up a tram museum for at least some of the trams which are likely to go as there is far too much history there to be scrapped.
Back to the present time and 2008 has seen the return of 717 in 1930's condition. The tramway reopened for 2008 on 21st March although only operating between Cabin and Starr Gate with the remainder reopening on 26th April.
September 08 saw the return to service of Replica Vanguard 619 for use during the illuminations period. This tram was a popular car and saw use on most days during the illuminations both on specials and on illumination tours. Railgrinder 752 was donated to Heaton Park Tramway in Manchester for preservation during November and 679 was donated to the LTT who are currently restoring it as EE railcoach 279 with pointed ends, swingover seats and half drop windows. The tram is expected to be complete and return to Blackpool during 2010.
Balloon cars Brush Cars Boat Cars Twin Cars
Railcoaches Centenary Cars Jubilee Cars Millenium Cars
OMO Cars Vambac Cars Standard Cars Illuminated Cars
Coronation Cars Pantograph Cars other cars