Article updated 20/8/24 with details of planned tram output and revised timetable.
This coming August Bank Holiday weekend (Saturday 24th to Monday 27th August) will again see a hop-on, hop-off timetable in operation for Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours and full details of the planned services running have now been confirmed.
Following on from the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, which was the last full weekend of this type of operation, four trams will be allocated to the service each day (exact trams due to run will be announced at a later date) with services running from Pleasure Beach north to various locations as far as Fleetwood.
As the Heritage Tram operation is still based out of Starr Gate Depot each tram will start its day from Pleasure Beach with the first departures each day being at 1000, 1030, 1045 and 1100. There are five journeys all the way to Fleetwood with whatever is allocated as tram C and D doing two trips each and A doing the final trip of the day, tram B is not allocated to run to Fleetwood).
The final arrivals back at Pleasure Beach will be 1729, 1744, 1759 and 1810, the last of which forms the 1720 from Pharos Street, Fleetwood. There are no advertised working between Pleasure Beach and Starr Gate.
Also over the weekend there will be an Evening Tour running. This should see Boat 600 used (subject to the usual caveats) on a trip from North Pier to Little Bispham then back to Pleasure Beach before returning to North Pier. It is scheduled to leave North Pier at 1900 on Sunday 25th August. Pre-booking can be made at https://blackpoolheritage.com/tours/evening-tour/.
Update:
Allocations for the weekend are as follows (usual weather and availability caveats apply).
Saturday 24th August
A – Boat 600
B – Bolton 66
C – Balloon 700
D – Balloon 723
X – Illuminated Frigate
Sunday 25th August
A – Brush 631
B – Boat 600
C – Balloon 723
D – Balloon 700
X – Illuminated Frigate
Monday 26th August
A – Boat 600
B – Bolton 66
C – Balloon 723
D – Balloon 700
X – Illuminated Frigate
The Frigate is an addition to the previous timetable and will run, on all three days, the 1459 Promenade Tour from North Pier. The timetable has also now confirmed that the final workings of trams A, B and D will run to Starr Gate on all three days whilst that of tram C will do so on Sunday and Monday only.
- The revised timetable can be viewed on the Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=884787067006301&set=p.884787067006301&type=3
On the subject of starting heritage trams from Starr Gate depot, are we ever going to hear anything about the results of the major structural survey at Rigby Road depot? Was it not due to be undertaken during Winter of this year? Why the deafening silence? Anyone would think there was a desire to leave it non-operational, along with all the trams within it!!??