In one of the most bizarre developments to date involving Blackpool’s redundant tram fleet, it has been announced that two of the ‘Friends of Fleetwood Trams’ collection are set to move to Kirkham Prison imminently where they will be worked on by some of inmates there!
Prisoners are set to work alongside tram enthusiasts to restore two historic tramcars in an unusual but potentially very beneficial partnership between the young preservation group, and the Kirkham Prison. Although the identity of the trams concerned has not been revealed as such, a BBC news report on the scheme refers to a class of 20 trams built ‘in 1937, which ran to Fleetwood until 2005′ which would seem to suggest that Brush cars are involved, although the latter part of this statement is of course incorrect as Brush cars continued to run to Fleetwood until November 2010, albeit in reduced numbers. Two Brush cars, 621 and 627, have been claimed by the Friends of Fleetwood Trams and are both are believed to be intact but in poor condition, the pair would make good candidates for this project. It is not clear whether the cars would be restored cosmetically or to operational condition, but any investment in them will doubtless be a very positive
development, especially for 621 which hasn’t run since 2004.
Prisoners from Kirkham have a good track record with local community interest projects, having previously assisted the local charity Donna’s Dream House. It is hoped that inmates may also be able to work on the Copse Road building – itself a former tram depot – which is set to be used by the Friends of Fleetwood Trams as a museum in which to display its assets.
Report by Andrew Waddington