Introduction to the Tramways of Blackpool

Blackpool's Corporation Tramways

Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramroad Company

The Tram depots

B&F Tram Cars

Site 1

Site 2

Site 3

R.o.B Tramways

Blackpool's tram cars 

The Conduit cars: Cars 1&2 were double deck cars with conventional closed sides with open tops and verandas with 2+2 seating. Cars 3,4,5&6 were built by the Lancaster carriage and wagon Company in 1885 and had knifeboard seating. Cars 3&4 could hold 32 passengers and were the smallest in the fleet, in 1891 two trailer cars numbered 9&10 were built by Milnes supposedly for haulage by these two cars but due to the corporation not agreeing to the use of the trailers they were kept in store. Cars 7&8 had open sides and as with their predecessors had knife board seating. When the corporation took over operation of the tramway in 1892 they changed the trucks on car 4 along with the introduction of two new powered trams numbered 9&10 to replace the unused trailers. Also in 1904 4 large 'Palace' cars were introduced which could hold 82 passengers. With the introduction of larger cars on the promenade route in 1902 the ex-conduit cars were put on to the Leyton route with the only survivor now being number 1. Car number 4 is today preserved at Crich tramway museum though is now fitted with a trolley pole. It was initially powered by one motor to both axles by the use of chains. When the system was converted to overhead collection in 1899 car one not only got its trolley pole but also a new truck with two motors continuing in use until 1912 when it was withdrawn from passenger service and used as a snowplough and overhead inspection vehicle. It was purchased in 1960 from the Corporation along with three other ex-Blackpool cars, it was restored and even took part in the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Blackpool and Fleetwood tramway. Today it is based at the Crich Tramway museum.

The Dreadnaughts: 20 of these large cars were built by Milnes for use on the promenade route. The first cars to arrive were 15 and 16 arriving in 1898 with numbers 17-26 following in 1899, numbers 54-61 arriving in 1902. The cars had twin staircases and full width end steps and were a definite favourite with the company and Corporation due to their high loading capacity of 86 passengers, 37 in the saloon and 49 in the top deck, though were not necessarily favoured by the crews. The driver stood in the centre of the platform limiting his view especially when the cars were full. The cars had two 4 wheeled bogies and weighed a hefty 18tons. These cars were officially known as the 'Shrewsbury entrance' cars after their designer J.Shrewsbury who had designed them for quick loading and unloading of passengers and lasted on the promenade route until the arrival of the double deck streamliners. One car, no.59 was saved from being sent for scrap though only to be used as a tool room at Copse road depot where it remained until 1960 when it was purchased for preservation and returned to its original condition for the 75th anniversary of Blackpool's tramways. Today it is still at Blackpool and occasionally gets used in the summer for special trip workings.

The Blackpool standards: These cars originated in 1902 with the opening of the town routes and were designed for all year round operation. Cars 27-41 were four wheelers built by the Midland Railway carriage and Wagon Company for the Marton route, but gave a poor quality of ride. As the Corporation needed more trams Hurst Nelson of Motherwell, Scotland received an order for cars that had bogies and could be used anywhere on the system. Both types of tram had roofs for the top decks though cars 27-41 had open top verandahs while the driver's lower verandah was enclosed when they were converted to bogie cars. Before the First World War, 7 new cars were purchased and were numbered 62-68 from the Electric Car Company of Preston.

These new cars were very popular with passengers and staff as they were of such high quality. Cars 62-64 could hold 66 seated passengers. The other 4 cars seated 76 and had bogies. Car number 68 in 1912 was to become the first illuminated tram for the opening of the princess parade, the tram remaining illuminated until its withdrawal in 1934. After the First World War the Corporation knew it needed new trams to replace and bolster the older fleet which mostly consisted of Dreadnaughts and the toast-racks with some of the Conduit cars still in operation after their conversion to overhead current collection years earlier. When the Corporation bought the Blackpool and Fleetwood tramway in 1920 41 single deck trams were added to the fleet though these were of a varied sort and could only be used along the prom due to their width and length prohibiting them from using the town routes. During this time experimentation with rebuilding cars also took place though with little dramatic effect due to the confines of the Blundell street depot being too small. However with the opening of the Rigby road works a new design of tram was turned out numbered 33 which replaced the original 33 which was a Marton tram that had become a works car.

The new Standard trams were to the traditional style based on the Motherwell cars with 26 brand new trams following from 33 with another 8 using the top decks of the cars they were replacing. Hurst Nelson built another 7 cars to the same design bringing the total of new cars to 42. Originally the cars had open vestibules on upper and lower decks but in 1929 car 153 had its driving end enclosed to give it a more modern appearance followed by the rest of the fleet with the enclosing of the top deck starting in 1930. During the mid 1930's the Streamlined trams started to replace some of the standards even though they were only 10 years old, with the increase in the newer cars the Marton's were more and more relegated to the Marton route though by the end of World War 2 they had been replaced by Streamlined single deck trams. Though the last Standards to operate were in 1966 when they were used for busy periods. Cars 40 and 49 were saved for the Crich tramway museum but two others former 144 and 48 went to museums in America.

Blackpool Toast-racks: Not to be confused with the Fleetwood 'Racks' these cars were introduced in 1911 and were basically flat bedded bogie trams with seats placed in a crossbench style with a panel at the front to protect he driver and no roof. In the cent of the car was a pole and trolley mast. The first batch delivered was numbered 69-92 and were built by the united Electric car company of Preston between 1911 and 1914. In 1927 the Corporation built some of its own Toast-racks on standard car frames seating 64 passengers while the originals seated 69. 1936 saw a centre gangway put in splitting the seats in to a 2+2 formation. These were normally used on the Marton route as part of the Circular tour round to the prom via Talbot square. During the war the original cars were scrapped with the new ones never returning to service, though car 163 was rebuilt as the 'Blackpool Belle' illuminated car.

Pantograph cars: Between 1928 and 1929 English electric of Preston built 10 new trams for use on the North Station to Fleetwood route and were originally called 'Pullman cars'. Inside they were very spacious with 2+2 seating and upholstered seats. These cars were very much like the American 'interurban' cars and fit well on the tramway. They were the only type in this country. On introduction they were numbered 167-176 and were capable of high speed with their 2x50hp motors and air brakes. Due to their wider than normal width, there were some complications on the operations front with their being route restricted much like the ex-Fleetwood cars. As part of a refurbishment they were fitted in 1927 with Pantographs giving them the nickname of Pantograph cars. Due to problems that the pantographs made for the trolley cars the pans were removed in 1933 and trolleys were re-fitted. These cars remained in use until 1960-1961 when they were withdrawn for scrap. Fortunately car number 167 was rescued and was sent to Crich tramway museum in 1962 after a period as a works vehicle. Car number 174 was also retained for alternative use becoming the trailer for the illuminated 'Santa Fey train'. In the early 1930's a radical plan for the introduction of brand new up to date trams was footed and agreed as the other cars were passing their sell buy date even though the Standards were about 10 years old and other tram systems around the country were closing. Between 1933 and 1939 116 new cars were introduced with a totally new look even compared with other British Trams, their late dated introduction also made them some of the last standard design trams to be introduced to the Tramways of Britain. These cars are still in use today though some have and radical conversions to their original style to make them more up to date and appealing. The public transport manager at the time was Walter Luff who had a 5 year plan to keep the tramway alive though mostly as a coastal route. The idea was to raise tram and bus usage by introducing better service and ride quality with the introduction of a standard fleet with varying qualities for different uses, such as open top, open roof, double deck and single deck. There were eventually 4 distinct types of tram, The Railcoaches, Balloons, Boats and Marton Vambacs. The cars also had sliding sunshine roofs, clocks, heaters, textured roof and floor coverings and well up-holstered seats. When these entered service passengers would often let the older cars pass especially to travel on them, strangely people let the newer Blackpool trams pass to ride on these now!

The Railcoaches: The first car to be introduced was numbered 200 and was built by English Electric in 1933 and had seating for 54 people with 24 seats in each of the 2 saloons with 4 tip up seat in the door vestibule. The length of the car was 40ft and was powered by two 50hp motors in English Electric trucks each a length of 4 feet. This car was originally fitted with a pantograph though it was soon replaced by a trolley pole. The car was an immediate success and another 44 soon followed in to service numbered 201-244. 1935 saw numbers 264-283 introduced and in 1937 numbers 284-303 entered service though these were to an improved design built by Brush with EMB trucks. The cars were so versatile that they saw use on all of the Blackpool tramways and the Main line along the prom to Fleetwood. 1939 saw a further batch delivered by English Electric these becoming cars 10-21, and though they were of the same style as their predecessors they were for use during summer only as they had windows that were permanently half open, half height doors and wooden seats. These cars were to later form the initial batch of Marton Vambacs after the war. 10 of the 1935 cars were also modified to form towing cars and trailers. Sadly only three of the original cars are now in use the others of the fleet having been scrapped or used to form other trams.

The Brush cars: With the closure of the Lytham tramway the Corporation saw a shortfall in trams for its illuminations traffic having previously borrowed cars from the Lytham system. To remedy the problem 20 new cars were ordered in 1937 with a virtually identical design to the English Electric Railcoaches. When delivered they worked with the Baloons on the Lytham road route though in 1940 moved to the Fleetwood to North Station route running out of Bispham depot where they remained until the closure of the depot and North station route in 1963. They were refurbished and set to work on the prom route running from Starr gate to Fleetwood alongside the remainder of the railcoaches and other trams a role they still fulfil today though mostly in summer and when needed to replace centenary cars.

Car 611: This car started life in 1965 as one of the newly delivered rail coaches and was given the number 264. In 1965 after 30 years of operation the car returned to the workshop where it remained until early 1966 when it was re-released in to traffic in a totally different form. The car appeared with a flat front end and rounded roof, very similar to the Coronation cars, and with a body 18 inches longer. The sliding roof had been replaced by a fixed roof with curving roof light windows. It was hoped that the design and improvements would keep it going for may years more.

The boats: Though these were essentially rail coaches with no roof or windows they had a character of their own and certainly looked like boats with their low sides and raised ends. They were constructed as replacements for the toast-racks that used to operate during the summer on sightseeing tours. 12 were built by English Electric and were numbered 225-236 on introduction between 1934 and 1935. They operated of English Electric trucks with one motor to each truck, inside they had seating for 56 passengers with the ever present on new trams centre entry and exit with the gantry for the trolley tower and pole straddling the entrance ways. Between 1958 and 1959 they were fitted with windscreens to protect the driver from the elements to some degree, 8 of these cars remained in use up to 1968 and beyond. Four cars were allocated to Rigby road depot for prom services while the remaining 8 were allocated to Marton depot for use on the Circular and coastal tours until the closure of the latter when they were moved to Bispham then on to Blundell street when that closed. Sadly the cars were gradually reduced either forming parts for other trams or been sold to museums though 5 of these cars are still at Blackpool today though mothballed out of use.

The Blackpool Baloons: Between 1934 and 1935 double deck trams with body design based on that of the rail coaches were introduced from English Electric, for use on the Squires gate run. Internally they had 4 staircases with centre doors which were unusual in British tramcar design. There were two types of body though similar design the seaside model having open roofs. Their official name was 'luxury dreadnought' but soon became known as Baloons a name that they are referred to today. The original cars had the open top deck and were numbered 237-249 and were intended to replace the aging Dreadnaughts. These cars could hold 40 on the lower deck and 54 on the upper. In bad weather the upper deck could be enclosed from the lower by shutters at the top of the stairwells. During the second world war they had their roofs enclosed to make them available for all year round operation becoming very similar in appearance to cars 250-263 which were the later all enclosed cars which held 84 passengers. The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay electric railway also operated cars of the latter design that they had purchased from Darwen Corporation though these cars were narrower and ran on 4 foot gauge with 2+1 seating inside. Sunderland Corporation was also another tramway that also used similar design English electric cars. Though the Blackpool models initially operated along the Lytham road where they were very popular with crew and passengers they moved to special runs to Fleetwood after 1958 when a check rail was laid between Bispham and Fleetwood to allow these larger heavier vehicles, the Fleetwood route having been a haven for single deck cars since its opening, they were even seen running to and from North station. In 2003 the cars could not pass Cleveley's due to the poor condition of the track but by 2004 and completion of track renewals the cars can now be seen back in Fleetwood and seem to be as popular as ever! With some of the trams rebuilt as 'Millenium cars'.

The twin sets: British tramcars have normally been of the double decker variety as have many of Britain's buses, while continental Europe and other countries have tended to use single decker vehicles. If a tramway did use single deck cars then it would be a single car rather than multiple cars coupled together. Do not get confused with today's modern British trams that, though articulated, are mostly classed a as single tram car, though I am sure there will be some debate on that. In 1958 the Corporation wanted to develop a way of increasing capacity on its trams while minimising weight. To do this it adapted two of the 1935 railcoaches in to a master and slave unit the slave having no motors while the master did all the work. Air brakes and electrical connections were fitted to the two cars which also had automatic couplings, the front ends of the railcoaches being flattened to look very much like the single decker version of what the millennium cars do now. The end result was a tram set 80 feet long that could carry 96 seated passengers and was used on a limited stop service on the coastal route to and from Fleetwood. The tram, if necessary turned at loops along the route at Little Bispham and Pleasure Beach with Starr gate and Fleetwood already having turning loops. The scheme was so successful that 8 more conversions took place with 10 trailers ordered from Metro Cammel the units becoming known as the 'Twin cars'. The converted railcoaches being numbers 264-283 being introduced in their new guise from 1960 being given the numbers T1-T10 though they were again renumbered in 1968 when the whole tram fleet underwent a number change to follow on from the buses. The new trailers were mounted on Maley and Taunton trucks with a body length of 43 feet 10 inches and a width of 7 feet 6 inches. So that the weight would be minimal saving track wear and minimal power use they were built using aluminium and fibreglass on steel frames. Each trailer could hold 66 passengers. These units though now reduced to 7 still operate on the tramway after some substantial refurbishment since they were kept in bad condition with little maintenance for many years and when the Thornton gate to Fleetwood section was closed to double decker cars, in 2003, they came in very useful. These sets had undergone some modifications in the late 1970's with the trailer cars fitted with control equipment and the two units being permanently coupled together.

The Coronations: Between 1952 and 1954 the Corporation returned to purchasing single deck tram cars and since they first arrived in the Coronation year of Queen Elizabeth the second they were known as the Coronation cars. 25, 50 feet long by 8 feet wide making them the largest cars in the country though carrying 56 passengers, the 1930's track relaying allowing these wider vehicles to operate over the routes that remained open though they remained mostly on the prom route. They were built by Roberts of Wakefield to Railway standards possibly due to Roberts being a railway wagon builder. The control equipment was the same type as the Marton Vambacs though there were many problems with the equipment when fitted to these cars such as fires in the control equipment and the cars failing to stop when in brake mode. The cars had centre sliding doorways and fluorescent lighting. The cars were numbered 304-328. The trucks were Maley and Taunton HS44 design with the wheels having a rubber insert between the tyre and the wheel proper creating a much smoother quieter ride. This principle is in use today on modern trams! Other problems ensued with the cars such as leaking windows and their high power consumption soon saw them as being very disliked by management and crews with final withdrawal in 1975 three of them going to preservation. An edition of Salvage squad on television sometime ago saw the restoration of one of the vehicles and its return to service on the Blackpool tramway.

The 1970's: With the closure of the Bispham and Marton depots in the 1960's a lot of the railcoaches were scrapped with 2 being converted in to illuminated cars. In 1970 the council set up a committee to discuss the future of the tramway which was in need of major investment. One solution to the problem was to reduce operation costs and to do this the idea of One Person Operation (OPO) was sounded based on bus practice. At the time the department of transport was offering a 50% grant for conversion of buses across Britain to OPO. The council managed to convince the government of its need seeing 13 of the railcoaches converted to (OPO) though with a European style body. These were a new idea for Blackpool and saw the conversion take place between 1971 and 1977 the new cars were 49 feet long with tapered ends and front and centre doors, the driver issuing tickets. The first rebuilt car was numbered 1 and painted in Crimson and yellow to identify it as different to the other cars and worked during the winter a practice that is now followed with newer Centenary OPO cars. One of the problems that led to their replacement by the Centenary cars was the extra length to the original frame causing sagging to either end of the tram. Sadly these cars followed the path of many before them and were scrapped or converted for other uses though 3 still seem to be kicking around though awaiting restoration the last of the cars having been withdrawn in 1993.

The Centenary Cars: 7 of these cars were introduced from 1984 and are 50 feet long and 8 feet wide with front entrance and middle exit doors. The first of which to arrive was numbered 641 with a second prototype car numbered 651 following soon after though it had GEC motors. Their designers and builders were the Lancashire coach builders of Blackburn that had also designed and built the corporations Atlantean buses and these cars really do look like buses. They were essentially the saviours of the tramway as they reduced operating costs and were of a lighter weight to the older cars thus saving wear on the track. From 1999 a refurbishment programme for these cars took place ironing out some of the many problems that they had due to un-explainable reasons.

Jubilee and Millenium cars: Though both types of tram are former Baloons they have been rebuilt and redesigned to improve their looks and also as experiments for future design changes. In 1979 Blackpool car 725 originally a Baloon car had a total design change receiving a new outer body design and conversion to OP operation with front and middle doors and a flatter front. It had previously been at Blundell street depot in store out of use. The bogies and power brake controller were also altered giving the tram the look very similar to the buses that the corporation operated. The resultant change to the car and car 714 saw the introduction of what became known as the Jubilee cars, though only the two have been built to this design. Another design change to the balloons has been the introduction in 1998 of what are now called the millennium cars. As with the other modifications made to its trams the Corporation used cars that had previously been withdrawn from service due to their run down condition and the first of the millennium cars was no exception. Car 703 had been withdrawn from service in 1993 but reappeared as the first of the millennium cars with rounded corners and bus style interior seating though still requiring a crew rather than OPO like its Jubilee predecessors. The controls, motors and other equipment are still balloon based however so this could be seen to be more of a cosmetic change though it does have new heating systems. There are 5 of these cars in service.