It may be Spring but that doesn’t mean there isn’t time to fit in another Winter Gold operation in Blackpool over the weekend of 23rd and 24th March. The standard winter timetable will be in operation with six trams in service between Starr Gate and Fleetwood and once again a good variety of trams are set to make an appearance.
In total 12 different trams are due to run over the weekend with the two sets of six being completely different on each day and this should include a couple of Boats, a couple of Centenary Cars, a Standard, a Brush, a Railcoach and five Balloons!
The timetable sees eight full length journeys with each tram getting to do this once with tram “B” and “D” allocated to the Starr Gate-Fleetwood service twice in the day. First tram on each day remains at 0942 (Tower/North Pier to Little Bispham) with the final trip being a 1725 Cleveleys to Tower/North Pier. The full timetable can be viewed on the Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours Facebook page.
Allocations for each day are as follows:
Saturday 23rd March
A – Balloon 713
B – Boat 600
C – Standard 147
D – Centenary 648
E – Brush 621
F – Balloon 715
Sunday 24th March
A – Boat 227
B – Balloon 701
C – Balloon 718
D – Railcoach 680
E – Centenary 642
F – Balloon 723
As always all trams will appear subject to weather and availability. In addition to the above the Shop Tram will be stabled at Tower/North Pier throughout each day.
I am sorry if this has been answered before, but what is the method of working at Star Gate – do they use the crossover just short, or go round the loop?
There is no longer a loop for service cars, mikestone. The loop formation gives access to Starr Gate depot, via the washer. Heritage cars run from the southbound line onto the single line, as per Flexity trams, and then change direction to go over the facing connection to the northbound track.
Neither – Heritage trams make exactly the same manoeuvre as the LRTs – change ends and reverse using the sprung point to the south of the platforms where the lines merge to the single line depot south entrance.