The name Brian Turner on a tram book is always a sure sign of a high quality publication and the third volume of his history of the tramways in and around Blackpool is out now! The Blackpool Conduit Tramway tells the story of the first Promenade tramway from opening all the way until it was converted to overhead operation.
This volume follows on from Stopping Car to Fleetwood and Lytham Trams and is the third in this series which is taking a look at tramways which once ran in Blackpool and the surrounding towns.
The Blackpool Conduit Tramway explores the story of the first Promenade tramway which was designed by Michael Holroyd Smith and built in 1885 by the Blackpool Electric Tramway Company. It looks at the takeover by Blackpool Corporation in 1892 and covers the development, operation and extension of the underground conduit system until it was converted to overhead wires in 1899. It also takes a look at what to the trams which ran on the conduit system and concludes with an overview of other conduit tramways across America and Europe.
The book is 152 A4 pages with a hardback cover and includes over 200 illustrations. Its costs £40 (+£5.75 postage or free collection possible from Lytham St Annes).
There are only 100 copies of the book printed and with it expected to be very popular you’ll need to be very quick to secure your copy!
Please note this book has now sold out
I was fortunate enough to be able to pick up my copy of the third book in Brian’s trilogy on the first day it was available and could not put it down!
The coverage is fascinating and covers many aspects of the development of the Tramway that have never been covered before and must have taken Brian a vast amount of research time to uncover it.
In his inimitable style, just when he thinks your interest might be waning (as if!), he inserts a panel telling us about one of the people behind the Tramway and also looks, briefly, at other conduit systems around the world.
We are also treated to some early coverage entitled “under the wires” as the Corporation grasped the nettle and moved to overhead power supply – my father always told me that water and electricity don’t mix well, so imagine adding a goodly amount of sand to it inside the conduit!
To complete the book, we look at the original car, no.4 at the time of the Tramway Centenary in 1985 and discuss whether or not the colours are spot on.
Another superb book from the undisputed king of Blackpool Tramway history. I am sure, just like the previous books in the trilogy, especially Lytham Trams, that the Blackpool Conduit Tramway will become as scarce as hens’ teeth very VERY soon.