There will be another chance to see behind the scenes at the historic Rigby Road Depot in Blackpool from Easter with the launch of “whole new tour experience”. This year the established Tramtown tours will be different as there will be a lot more freedom for visitors to walk what is being described as an exhibition hall experience instead of the full guided tours which have previously been offered.
The new tour experience will launch over the Easter Weekend (on all four days) and will give the public the chance to visit the tram engineering works and to see the rich tram heritage of Blackpool.
Speaking more about the new style Tramtown experience, Paul Galley, Tramtown volunteer coordinator, said: “I am delighted that Tramtown has survived all the challenges thrown at it and it’s stronger as a result. Through the hard work of our amazing volunteers this new visitor experience will not only save Blackpools heritage trams it will help regenerate the wider Bloomfield area.”
Bryan Lindop, Head of Heritage at Blackpool Transport, added: “Being able to open the workshop to the public is something I have always desired but never been able to achieve until now. Initially, due to the limited amount of time available since we took over the workshop, we will open it as it is, adding to our displays as we go along, gradually evolving, improving and rotating some of the exhibits on a regular basis. Delivering this interim opportunity will provide an insightful flavour of just a small part of what we aim to deliver in the future.”
And Managing Director of Blackpool Transport, Jane Cole, commented (also giving a brief update of the return of operating heritage trams as well): “Creating access to as much of our heritage as possible during the interim period in which the Tramtown development is in the funding and delivery stages is key. This will enable the public to enjoy the uniqueness of our collections, and it enables us to present a meaningful precursor of the full scheme which is yet to come. The Blackpool Tram Works is phase 1 of our heritage plan whilst we endeavour to secure funding to get our heritage trams back in operation.”
Tickets aren’t available just yet but more details on how to secure a look behind the scenes will be announced in due course. Tramtown will reopen on Good Friday (18th April 2025) and there will be opportunities to see in Rigby Road on all four days of the long Easter weekend. Then there will be tours every Monday and Saturday until further notice, with a view to steadily increasing the number of days subject to volunteer availability. Hours of opening will be 1000-1400 and if you prefer a guided tour these will still be available between 1500 and 1600 on the same days.
I hope that all readers continue beyond line one of your report so that they can see that Rigby Road tram depot is not included
The main depot has been fenced off for some time, and certainly was at the time of my last visit. The tour itself is still well worth the effort.
One thing however. Unless things have changed, it isn’t possible to purchase souvenirs with a card, so have some old-fashioned cash ready just in case!
Last I heard BT were planning to knock down the body shop and engineering building for their new electric buses. So did I miss something?
As usual – Yes…
The tours are the fitting shop, they haven’t included the body and paint shop for a long time, so no you haven’t missed anything. The fitting shop is staying but will need a new external wall.