OMO 8 & Coronation 304 return to Rigby Road

Mere hours after the fantastic announcement that nine trams owned by the Lancastrian Transport Trust were being returned to Blackpool Transport to join their heritage fleet, the task of transporting these trams back to Rigby Road commenced. On Tuesday 11th June, both Coronation 304 and OMO 8 were moved back to their rightful home, bringing to an end the time in outside storage endured by these historic trams.

Fresh from moving Krefeld 412 to a new home in Sunderland, a team from Scott’s Heavy Haulage then drove their low loader to Blackpool, stabling on Blundell Street overnight after arriving late on Monday 10th June. This enabled an early start as the staff headed for Fleetwood, to rescue the pioneer Coronation car 304 from the industrial yard where it has languished for the last few months. This particular car has now been moved by road four times in well under a year, having spent a short period in storage at Marton before it headed to Beamish Museum on loan last October. This was then followed by a move to Fleetwood where it joined several trams owned by the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust, but with these vehicles needing to be relocated soon, Blackpool Transport decided to move 304 back to Rigby Road at the earliest possible opportunity. June 11th was the great day when the sole surviving VAMBAC-equipped Coronation tram returned home, and by lunchtime 304 was safely tucked up inside the depot.

Keen to make full use of the low loader whilst it was in town, the Scott’s team were then dispatched to the outskirts of Blackpool, where five of the LTT-owned trams have been in open storage since September 2011. Luckily, OMO car 8 – easily the most valuable of the five – was also the most accessible, and this tram had been chosen for an early escape. Once again, the process of loading, moving and unloading the tram went smoothly and as the afternoon turned to evening, car 8 was cautiously moved back onto Blackpool rails and shunted into the depot to join 304.

Both trams have stood up to the harsh coastal weather remarkably well, with the only noticeable damage being a single broken window on car 8. Unfortunately, Brush car 632 and Balloon 715 have also suffered at the hands of vandals, but thankfully the only damage sustained has been some broken glass, which will be easy enough to put right.

It is not known what immediate plans exist for either 8 or 304, or whether steps will be taken in the short term to return these trams to the operational fleet. However, their long-term future is now secure after a period of doubt, and one day both will return to their rightful place on Blackpool’s promenade tramway. Bryan Lindop of Blackpool Transport has now confirmed to British Trams Online that he intends for all nine of the ex-LTT cars transferred into the care of BTS will eventually be returned to service, although understandably for some the wait could be a long one as their condition varies from almost fully intact to heavily stripped shells. Nonetheless, these are clearly very exciting times for lovers of Blackpool’s classic trams – and we have even more to look forward to in the future!

A flashback to September 2010, with OMO 8's glorious return to the tramway for the 125th anniversary procession. Now the tram is once again part of the BTS fleet and will hopefully recreate this scene in the not too distant future! (Photo by Andrew Waddington)