The Lancastrian Transport Trust have revealed that their Blackpool Brush Railcoach 622 is to take on a new life as a static classroom at the Anchorsholme Primary School. Some minor refurbishment work is to be undertaken on the tram, which will very surprisingly be repainted in a livery inspred its famous ‘Tigerrific’ Blackpool Zoo advert livery first applied in 1975!
Some time ago rumours surfaced that discussions were taking place regarding a project involving the use of a Blackpool tram at the school near Cleveleys, with local Conservative Group leader Tony Williams at the forefront of the scheme. At that time the identity of the tram was kept a secret, but it has now been confirmed that 622 is the chosen one. This car last operated in 2009, and shortly afterwards it was purchased by a business closely connected with the LTT, to provide various parts for some of their other vehicles, most notably the bogies which were swapped with those under sister car 632 which was restored to service for the 125th anniversary of the tramway in 2010. 622 later moved to the LTT depot at Brinwell Road for storage, and despite not officially being considered part of the Trust’s collection, it has remained there ever since.
Tying in with the LTT’s plans to thin down its collection and minimise duplication of vehicle types, 622 has been sold on and will soon move to a new permanent home at Anchorsholme. Most of its swing-over seats will be retained although four seats at the ends are to be taken out and replaced by a desk to suit its new role as a very unusual classroom. Other alterations will involve the installation of improved interior lighting and under-floor heating. Work is expected to commence later this month and it is possible that 622 may move to this new location during the Easter school holidays.
The decision to repaint the tram in its ‘Tigerrific’ advert livery is a complete surprise and although many enthusiasts have wanted this design, often hailed as one of the best all-over adverts ever painted on a tram, to make a comeback, it would undoubtedly have been much better if the tram was displayed in a museum rather than in the grounds of a school. Presumably school staff are unlikely to welcome hoardes of camera-whielding tram enthusiasts onto a site where the welfare of young children is the primary concern! It should be stressed that the repaint will not be an authentic recreation of the former advert livery, and to enhance its appeal to children, images of other animals may be added to the bodysides.
Whilst it is pleasing that 622 will live on, the long-term prospects of the tram could still be questioned. As the car is known to be in a fairly poor structural condition, it remains to be seen how well it will stand up to the elements if it is to stand in the open air for the remainder of its life. Other unrefurbished Brush cars have been known to suffer badly from water ingress – considerable work has been undertaken on car 623 to prevent it from leaking since its arrival at Heaton Park late in 2011, and this tram is considered to be in a much better condition. It must be hoped that considerable work will be carried out on the roof of 622 to ensure that it is fully watertight to ensure that it will be fit for its intended purpose. It is understood that some consideration was given to using a Centenary car for the project instead, but for unknown reasons 622 was eventually chosen instead.
On a positive note, it is at least pleasing that a tram not required by the LTT will find a home elsewhere and not face the grim prospect of being cut up for scrap, at least for the time being.
A classic view of 622 at Tower in the 2008 illuminations, carrying an advert livery for Pontins. (Photo by Andrew Waddington)
Thanks for reporting the news about 622 on BTO. A few corrections:-
1. 622 was not ‘owned’ by the LTT but by Classic Bus North West.
2. It will appear in “Tigerrific” style livery but this may not be a perfect replica of the original advert. The idea is to use the tram as a classroom and educational resource and therefore other animal pictures may appear along the tram sides so that children can identify popular wild animals, not just tigers.
3. The roof of 622 was completely rebuilt back in the 1990s (before it received Allinsons Bread all-over advertising) and the tram is not in “poor structural condition”. Indeed, considering it was never refurbished, the structural condition is extremely good! A full assessment of the tram’s condition has already been undertaken in the planning stages of the project that dates back to August of last year.
4. The refurbishment work will be undertaken by the BusWorks trading arm of Classic Bus North West, under contract to Anchorsholme Primary School.
Thanks for the information Philip, I’ve now updated a few details in our article. The details were originally taken from the LTT’s Facebook page so it may be worth checking if that is accurate as well. I would like to know though – if 622 is in such excellent condition, why was the tram not considered for preservation instead of 632?