Fylde Borough Buses - Fleet List

The fleet of “Lytham St. Annes Corporation / Fylde Borough Transport / Blue Buses” - since 1994 part of Blackpool Transport Services - is featured here. Some fleet numbers have been used up to five times and complicated renumbering was common. All vehicles taken over by BT and integrated into the current Blackpool fleet numbering system are included in both listings.

• click here for the fleetlist

 

Blackpool Buses - Fleet List

As well as running trams Blackpool Corporation operated a large fleet of buses from as early as 1921, both double deck and single deck vehicles plus a few coaches. The bus fleet history is almost as complicated as the tramcar fleet and some fleet numbers were used up to three times. All buses ever operated by the Corporation and its successor are listed (incl. all ex-Fylde buses and coaches). Instead of listing the vehicles in fleet number order we have tried to sort by the “First in use” column. Thanks to Paul Turner for updating the list in June 2001 and latest corrections in May 2007 (after an error found by Derek Heptinstall). Comments/corrections (or additional info) always welcome! New vehicles have not been added to this list since 2002 - anyone wants to supply the data? Please email the webmaster.

• 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After being taken over by Blackpool Corporation on January 1st 1920 nothing much changed but the old rolling stock was withdrawn in the 1930s.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

 

North Pier Tramway

On September 2nd 1991 a narrow gauge (891mm) Pier Tramway opened on Blackpool’s Victorian North Pier. It was closed again after the 2004 season and the tram was removed from the pier for scrap - no replacement is planned.There were 3 cars which ran as a permanently coupled train. They were built by Harry Steer Engineering of Breaston, Derbyshire in 1991. The company is a specialist in designing, building and maintaining fairground equipment. The centre car was fitted with a diesel engine and the train could carry up to 56 passengers - about half of them standing. The Pier was opened in 1863 and after a major refurbishment in 1991 the tram was installed to offer the promenaders and theatre goers a save alternative to walking (the wooden boarding on the pier can be difficult to negotiate in bad weather).The Blackpool North Pier Tramway was the first entirely new pier railway built in Britain for over eighty years (in 2005 the Southport Pier tram was inaugurated). The driver collected the fares and was also responsible for the correct operation of the concertina doors (2 per car and all fitted to the north side). The line was so short that most visitors to the pier walked anyway (avoiding the fare)…

Some views of the “tram”

 

Blackpool Trams - Fleet List

The Blackpool Tramway always had a variety of rolling stock. With the introduction of the modern fleet (the 1930s streamliners) most of the older cars were scrapped. We have divided the fleet lists for the tramway into 4 sub-categories: Part I of the Passenger Cars deals with the pre-1930s fleet, Part II shows the modern fleet, the Illuminated Fleet and non-passenger cars are also listed and we have also provided a listing of all the trams that have visited Blackpool over the years. Click below for one of the fleetlists:

• Passenger Cars - Part I
• Passenger Cars - Part II
• Illuminated Cars
• Works Cars
• Visiting Cars

 

1935 Blackpool Corporation Street & Route Map - Download

Have you ever wondered where the trams used to go all those years ago? Well, here is your chance… We have scanned a 1935 Blackpool Corporation street/route map for you to download. Because of the large size of the map (we have tried to reduce the size as much as possible) we have split the map into three sections.

The following routes were operated in 1935:

Select a section of the map below (beware - long loading time if you don’t use broadband)

• Part 1 - Fleetwood to Norbreck
• Part 2 - Bispham to Talbot Square
• Part 3 - Central Station to Starr Gate

• click here to download a zipped TIF-file containing the cover of this map

 

explore our old website

Our old webpapges on www.fts-blackpool.org.uk are not lost. Webarchive.org keeps copies of many websites and below is a link to our previous pages (not all the photos are there but the text content is complete). Here you can find all articles and news stories that have not been integrated into this new website.

• www.tramway.com/fts (1998-2006)
• www.webtramways.com/fts (2006-2007)

 

Blackpool Trams - History

Opened on 29th September 1885 this standard gauge (1435mm) tramway started life as a conduit line on Blackpool Promenade between Cocker Street (just north of Talbot Square) and Dean Street (near South Pier). The Depot was situated in Blundell Street. The Blackpool Electric Tramway Company operated the line until 1892 when it was taken over by Blackpool Corporation after expiry of the lease. In 1895 an extension was built from Manchester Square along Lytham Road to South Shore Station where it met the Lytham St. Annes system (see below). Another extension from Station Road to Squires Gate was operated by a horse-drawn car. Still in 1895 the tracks to South Pier were extended slightly to Victoria (South Pier) and a line along Station Road connected Lytham Road with the Promenade in 1897. 1899 saw the conduit system being replaced by the conventional overhead wire method. In 1900 the line was extended north to Gynn Square where it met the Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramroad (see below). The Marton loop opened in 1901. It connected Talbot Square and Central Station (near the Tower) via Church Street, Devonshire Square, Whitegate Drive, Waterloo Road and Central Drive. A new depot was built on Whitegate Drive, Marton. Layton was reached in 1902 by a line from Talbot Square via Talbot Road and Royal Oak via Middle Lane (Central Drive). The Promenade line was running on a double track paved reservation by 1905 and had reached Pleasure Beach in 1903. Blackpool Corporation took over the Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramroad Company in 1920 and the system thus gained another eight route miles of track (with six on private reservation), two depots in Fleetwood and one in Bispham. The small Bold Street Depot in Fleetwood was soon closed and a loop constructed at Fleetwood Ferry (between Rossall and Broadwater a more direct diversion was also later built in 1925). The original Blundell Street Depot eventually became too small and a larger site was developed across the road in Rigby Road from 1920. The final tramway extension came in 1926 when the line was extended along the new South Promenade from Pleasure Beach to Clifton Drive (today known as Starr Gate) where a connection was built to the Lytham St. Annes tracks. The present day depot at Rigby Road was erected in 1935. 1936 saw the first route closures, the Central Drive and Layton routes. More followed: 1961 Lytham Road, 1962 Marton and finally 1963 Dickson Road (old Tramroad line to North Station). Marton and Copse Road (Fleetwood) Depots closed in 1963 and Bispham in 1966. Today only the Starr Gate to Fleetwood service remains. Blackpool Borough Council transferred the operation of the tramway and buses to Blackpool Transport Services Limited in 1986 but still owns and maintains the tramway tracks. The new company has not yet been privatised and at the end of 2000 transfer of the Council’s permanent way department to Blackpool Transport Services was under serious discussion. To strengthen the company it purchased competing bus company Fylde Transport (which can trace it’s history back to the Blackpool, St. Annes and Lytham Tramways Company - later Lytham St. Annes Corporation) from it’s management buy-out team in 1994. Most trams have been converted from trolley pole to pantograph operation but some cars remain using the old method of current collection (including all preserved cars, the Works Cars, the Open Boats and the original Illuminated Cars).

The Tram Stops:

• Starr Gate
• Abercorn Place
• Harrow Place
• Harrowside
• Burlington Road
• Star Hotel
• Pleasure Beach/Sandcastle
• South Pier
• Waterloo Road
• Alexandra Road
• St Chad’s Road
• Barton Avenue
• Manchester Square
• Foxhall Square
• Central Pier
• Tower
• Victoria Street
• North Pier for Town Centre (Talbot Square)
• Cocker Street
• Pleasant Street
• Imperial Hotel
• Wilton Parade
• Warley Road
• Gynn Square
• Cliffs Hotel
• Cabin
• St Stephens’ Avenue
• Lowther Avenue
• Miners’ Home
• Cavendish Road
• Bispham
• Madison Avenue
• Leyburn Avenue
• Norbreck
• Norbreck North
• Norkeed Road
• Little Bispham
• Melton Place
• Anchorsholme Lane
• Lauderdale Avenue
• Cleveleys
• West Drive
• Beach Road
• Thornton Gate
• Westmoreland Avenue
• Rossall Beach
• Westbourne Road
• Rossall School
• Rossall Square
• Broadwater
• Southfleet Avenue
• Heathfield Road
• Lingfield Road
• Lindel Road
• Stanley Road
• Fisherman’s Walk (Ash Street)
• Preston Street
• Church Street
• Victoria Street for Fleetwood Market
• Pharos Street
• Fleetwood Ferry

The tramway as seen from the top of Blackpool Tower