New Trams

artist’s impression of the new Blackpool trams:

 

Link to Bombardier page

 

News – 125th Anniversary of Blackpool Trams (in 2010)

The following cars should appear in Blackpool during the big celebrations:

• Stockport 5

• Manchester 765

• Leeds 399

• Southampton 45

• Sheffield 513

• Liverpool 762

• Bolton 66

• Glasgow 22

• Blackpool 167

• Blackpool Marton Vambac 11

• Blackpool Standard 143

• Blackpool Brush 287

• Porto 273

The FTS reports about the planned schedule:

The official events will start on Friday 24th September, when some of the visiting tramcars will be operating on ‘Illuminations Tour’ duties. Saturday 25th will feature not one, but two processions along the promenade. Sunday 26th is the depot open day, which will give people a rare chance to see behind the scenes at Blackpool Transport, and on Wednesday 29th, the actual day of the anniversary, another short procession will lead to an Anniversary Dinner in the evening.

 

1950s BCT Transport Guide Cover – Download

click here to download a zipped TIF-file showing the front & back of a 1950s BCT transport map (one day we may scan the map as well…)

 

1950 Lytham St. Annes Timetable – Download

We have scanned a 1950 LSA timetable and made a pdf file out of it.

• click here to download the file

 

1934 Dick Kerr Sales Leaflet – Download

We offer you two zipped TIF-files that contain reduced scans (slightly restored) of an original sales brochure/leaflet advertising the new EE luxury tramcars. The original is folded twice.

• click here to download the file containing the inside pages
• click here to download the file containing the outside pages

 

1950s Advertising Portfolio – Download

Here you can download a zipped TIF-file of a montage showing 5 (2 tram/3 bus) black and white photos that have hand painted added-in colour advertising panels (stuck onto the original photos) to show potential customers where adverts could be placed on the BCT buses and trams. This is what one today would probably call a portfolio. 

 

• click here to download the file

 

Tram Liveries

Advertising is a prominent feature of the Blackpool trams. Tramcars with all over advertising were introduced in 1975. Most of those liveries are quite nice to look at and they do generate additional income for the company. More recent contracts use so-called “contra vision” adhesive film that covers everything including the passenger windows (there are small holes in the film that allow a restricted view out when you sit by the window). We usually list the dates of the contract/operating season (this means some cars may run around in the “expired” livery for some more weeks/months awaiting a repaint).

Select a page below to see the various liveries carried by the trams:

• Fleet Liveries
• Advertising Trams – Balloon Cars
• Advertising Trams – Centenary Cars
• Advertising Trams – Railcoaches
• Advertising Trams – all other cars

 

Birkenhead Trams

Not on the Fylde Coast but for a time operated by Blackpool Transport this standard gauge (1435mm) Birkenhead Heritage Tramway museum line was opened at the end of 1994. Two brand new trams were purchased from Hong Kong to run from Woodside Ferry through the old dock estate along Shore Road to Pacific Road where the first depot and a small transport museum was located (now closed and under conversion into offices). The line was extended from Pacific Road to Egerton Bridge in 1996 and later further to the new depot in Taylor Street. The Hong Kong cars and the line are owned by the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. The track and the two HK trams were leased by Blackpool Transport Services Ltd. for 7 years. This lease expired in April 2002 but was extended and in September the licence and the staff transferred to Wirral Borough Council. We will continue to report about this little tramway, even though the Blackpool connection no longer exists. Visit the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society website for further details & operating hours. 

• click here for the fleetlist

 

Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramroad Company

An interurban standard gauge (1435mm) tramway was opened in 1888 connecting Fleetwood with North Station, Blackpool. From the start it used the conventional overhead wire method. The single deck cars in service closely resembled the ones used on the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man. Street running sections were to be found in Fleetwood and Gynn Square to North Station (via Dickson Road) only. After being taken over by Blackpool Corporation on January 1st 1920 nothing much changed but the old rolling stock was withdrawn in the 1930s. After closure of the Dickson Road route the Tramroad is now an important part of the remaining Starr Gate to Fleetwood service operated by Blackpool Transport Services Limited.

• click here for the fleetlist

 

Lytham St. Annes Tramway

Until 1937 a third standard gauge (1435mm) tramway could be found on the Fylde Coast. It was owned by the Blackpool, St. Annes and Lytham Tramways Company and ran from Lytham East Beach to Squires Gate. A depot was situated in Squires Gate Lane. In 1920 the line it was purchased by the St. Annes Urban District Council which amalgamated with the Lytham UDC in 1922. The cars were then operated by Lytham St. Annes Corporation. Over the years through-running into Blackpool was exercised but cars from Blackpool seldom ventured South beyond Squires Gate. Blackpool Corporation was interested in purchasing the line to St. Annes Square but the tramway was abandoned. Interestingly, Blackpool Transport Services at last acquired the bus operations of the by now called Fylde Transport undertaking in 1994. The fleet, still housed in the old tram depot near Starr Gate, was fully integrated into the Blackpool fleet in 1996.

• click here for the fleetlist