The much-discussed alleged deadline for the removal of sold Blackpool tramcars from the Rigby Road depot of Blackpool Transport Services Ltd. has now passed by with a shockingly high number of trams that are considered surplus to requirements by the company still on site. It was reported over a month ago that new tram owners had been given a deadline of November 30th by which the vehicles had to be collected, or else they would risk seeing their acquisitions re-sold or possibly even scrapped.
There is now further doubt over the present situation following the revelation that the Lancastrian Transport Trust would be allowed to store all of their trams at Rigby Road for a further twelve months, although a weekly rent fee of £100 per tram may be requested. It was stated that the local Council had granted the LTT this extra time – but recent revelations appear to indicate that this had been mooted many months ago. If this is the case then it is possible that the ruling may also apply to other organisations and private
owners, although if all of the affected trams stay at Rigby Road for even another few months and the rent is collected, then BTS could end up earning more from charging rent to tram owners than they have been taking in tram fares!
With all of the above in mind, it is most surprising that since the end of the 2011 season in Blackpool, just four trams have departed: these being Balloons 708 and 726, and the Jubilee cars, 761 and 762. The only other sold car to leave in the whole of 2011 so far has been Balloon 710 which moved to outside storage at Fleetwood back in July. Three other trams did depart this year, but these were all loanee cars which had never actually been owned by Blackpool Transport – these being Stockport 5, Sheffield 513 and Manchester 765. Even including these, eight departures is not all that many considering
how many redundant trams have been purchased.
It has never really been confirmed exactly which trams would be retained by Blackpool Transport, and likewise the new owners of some trams remain unconfirmed. However, it was stated some time ago that all surplus trams apart from a few Centenary cars had been sold or at least reserved for sale upon withdrawal, and although some of the buyers may have reconsidered, it is also well known that a long waiting list existed, meaning that all sold trams should, in theory, have a home to go to. Using information which is available in the public domain, alongside other information which we have been given in good faith by sources which we believe to be reliable, British Trams Online is able to provide the following list of sold vehicles which remain at Rigby Road awaiting collection by their new owners:
Lancastrian Transport Trust: 8, 143*, 259, 304, 605, 632, 637, 676+686, 687,
704, 715 & 732. Total = 12.
Friends of Fleetwood Trams: 621, 627, 641, 646 & 678. Total = 5.
Tramway Museum Society: 607* & 630*. Total = 2.
Manchester Transport Museum Society: 680. Total = 1.
Other Owners: 625, 644, 671+681, 673+683, 674+684, 675+685 & 721. Total =
7.
OVERALL TOTAL = 27.
Both TMS-owned cars, 607 and 630, are currently undergoing workshop attention and so will presumably not be affected by any deadlines. Standard 143 may also be retained as a
heritage car for use on the upgraded tramway, pending completion of its protracted restoration, although this is by no means a certainty. Two trams which are currently on loan to Blackpool, Fleetwood Box 40 and Bolton 66, are not listed as both are expected to remain in Blackpool for the foreseeable future.
The above statistics speak for themselves and present a very fragile situation. Of the ‘unknowns’, it has been reported elsewhere that Brush car 625 and Twin Set 671+681 have been bought by Merseytravel for future use at Birkenhead, although this has never been confirmed or denied by the organisation themselves. It is also strongly believed that Centenary 644 has been purchased by its advertiser, Farmer Parr’s Animal World, for re-use as a cafe, although again this is still unconfirmed. There may also be even more trams that have been sold – conflicting rumours surround Boat cars 602 and 604 with some claiming that they will stay put as reserve cars, and others suggesting that both have already been sold. There has also been doubt expressed as to whether ‘Princess Alice’ 706 will be part of the retained fleet as it is believed to be in a poor structural condition. Twin Set 672+682‘s future is also unclear following its rejection by the TMS, although hopefully it may have found an alternative buyer. This could well mean that as many as 30 trams are still waiting to be claimed, and as six of those are Twin cars, that could mean an awful lot of work for Scott’s Heavy Haulage!
It will certainly be interesting to see what lies ahead in the coming weeks and months, especially in light of BTS Managing Director Trevor Roberts’ threat to scrap any unclaimed trams if new owners could not be found. It could also be interesting to see whether any buyers decide to back out of purchasing trams if they are invoiced for storage costs, which BTS would be well within their rights to do, having given plenty of notice that the trams needed to be moved. This is definitely a scary time for fans of Blackpool’s traditional tram fleet and hopefully enthusiasts will be able to help each other in the fight to ensure that a good selection of classic trams survive into preservation, before this opportunity is lost forever.
Report by Andrew Waddington