Little by little progress is being made around the North Station terminus of the Blackpool Tramway extension – its not enough to say wow its nearly ready but as a certain supermarket says “every little helps”!
The latest progress to report is the installation of buffers at the end of the line. With the current tramway basically being on a loop (including the line at Fleetwood as well as the access to Starr Gate Depot), buffers are not exactly something many have seen but as the line to North Station is just a branch which comes to an end they are necessary. If nothing else it means that trams won’t be delivering people straight to the reception desk at the hotel without having to get off the tram!
In other news and the bollards which we saw earlier this month ready for installation have now been put in place. But they have gone opposite Sainsbury’s so are not connected to the tramway extension.
Buffers in place on both tracks as seen here with the island platform visible. (Photograph by Peter Dockerty, 17th April 2024)
Evening Gazette reporting today tram testing of the extension to start on Tuesday 23rd April ….
The only buffers ever to have been used on the Blackpool system?
Were there any buffers at Thornton Gate sidings?
They’re only ones on a Passenger line since the (original) Starr Gate loop was built.
Other examples do exist today at the rear of each road of both Rigby Road (albeit much simpler in form) and Starr Gate Depots; and as Andy says there were buffers in Thornton Gate yard and also Copse Road sidings.
Were there any buffers at the end of some roads in Rigby Road depot?