Having missed last year because of a poor weather forecast, and almost being cancelled outright this year before it was rescued, Fleetwood Tram Sunday took place on Sunday 21st July. Whilst not being the event it once was, it does still provide one of only nine days in the year when a hop-on, hop-off timetable operates giving the best chance to take a trip on a heritage tram to Fleetwood.
As is usual for Tram Sunday, tram services – both heritage and the core service – only ran as far as Fisherman’s Walk (Ash Street) with Lord Street closed off for the event which saw various stalls and family entertainment on offer. Whereas the last few years have seen static trams on display on Pharos Street, this year there were no trams beyond Fisherman’s Walk. The only static tram there was Balloon 718 which was in use as the Heritage Tram Tours shop (taking a break from being used on LRT specials along Blackpool Prom).
In total five heritage trams were in use (only four were advertised). These were Bolton 66, Boat 600, Brush 631, Balloon 700 and Balloon 723.
Looking at the core tram service and Blackpool Transport took the chance to experiment with services between Starr Gate and Fleetwood (and vice versa) running via North Station instead of the North Station shuttles from each end. The exception to this were two specials – 003 and 007 – which ran Pleasure Beach-Bispham direct. This was a one day experiment with no sign of any new permanent change to the timetable in the offing.
700 passes Fleetwood Fire Station as it heads back south with a heritage service to Pleasure Beach.
With Boat 227 out of action and back at Rigby Road, 600 is now the Boat Car of choice and it was in use on special tours on this day which mainly ran to Rossall and back. Here we see 600 with shop tram 718 in the background.
Bolton 66 waits at Fisherman’s Walk ready to depart back south to Blackpool. (Photographs x3 by Steven Hughes, 21st July 2024)
Brush 631 alongside Boat 600 at Fisherman’s Walk. (Photograph by Peter Dockerty, 21st July 2024)