As part of the celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of Blackpool’s iconic English Electric streamlined trams, a short ceremony was held on the afternoon of Saturday 19th April which saw one of the classic double-deck Balloon cars named ‘Walter Luff’. As most tram enthusiasts now, Luff is widely regarded as the greatest manager of the Blackpool tramway, and it was he who was responsible for the mass modernisation of the fleet during the 1930s, which led to the introduction of the Balloons, Boats and Railcoaches – many of which are still with us today in various forms.
The tram chosen to receive this honour was Balloon 717, which is now the closest to an original condition Balloon car in existence. It is believed that its double destination indicators at each end and other traditional features which were restored as part of a major rebuild completed in 2008 led to it being selected to carry the late Walter Luff’s name, in order to showcase how the tram would have looked when he was in charge. It was his daughter Daphne who unveiled the newly fitted wooden name boards at the Pleasure Beach loop; these have been fitted next to the centre entrance doors, in a similar fashion to those on Boat car 230. The boards feature attractive ‘Art Deco’ style lettering and suit the car well, without detracting too much from its authentic appearance.
Since 717 last appeared in service in November 2013, the tram has been revarnished and its previous name ‘Philip R Thorpe’ has been removed from above the cab windscreens. The tram now looks even more stunning than it did before, and should continue as one of the town’s heritage fleet with its new name for many years to come as a permanent memorial to the visionary transport manager who made its creation possible all those years ago.
Daphne Luff joins Bryan Lindop and Bob Mason of Blackpool Transport to officially name Balloon car 717 'Walter Luff' on 19th April. (Photo by Gareth Prior)
About time that Walter Luff was commemorated. Without his vision there would probably be few people alive today who would be old enough to be able to remember trams in Blackpool. But thanks to him Blackpool was the only town in mainland Britain to have retained them.
Any truth in the rumour that the original plan was for 700 to be named Walter Luff, but his daughter refused to be involved if it was a widened car?
My sympathies to the family of Philip Thorpe that his name was replaced and his contribution to 717s restoration will no longer be recognised.
That doesn’t mean I don’t agree with naming a tram after Mr Luff, I think it is long overdue. Just sad that someone else name had to make way for it.
I am all for naming a tram after Walter Luff but if it hadn’t been for Philip Thorpe 717 would not look like it does today. Why couldn’t they have done one of the other ‘non widened’ balloons up and named that one after him? OK, it might not have the more original appearance of 717 but BTS ensured that no more remained by butchering 700 a few years ago.
What happened to 227 being named?
Hi Andrew B,
There is no truth whatever in the rumour that 700 was the original car chosen for this honour. In fact she really wanted to name an English Electric railcoach after him and it was only after she realised that there simply isn’t one in original specification in existence… yet…. that 717 was chosen as the closets car in the fleet to what she remembers from her fathers original concept.
A tram being named after Mr Philip Thorpe was not a requirement of the original bequest and the original intention was for his generous and influential donation would be honoured by a commemorative plaque in the saloon. It was Steve Burd’s idea to put his name on the tram instead. I am therefore taking the opportunity to revert to the original plan and I am in the process of designing a suitable commemorative plaque for the saloon to fully ensure that Mr Thorpe’s contribution to preservation is acknowledged in a tasteful, respectful and highly appropriate manner. Additionally, in the cab windows of both halves of the lower saloon, a short history of both Walter Luff and 717 are on display for passengers to read and both brief histories acknowledge Philip Thorpe.
I hope this helps to address your question and your observation.
Best wishes,
Bryan
PS What an awful picture of me. I look as though I’m chewing a disagreeable toffee!
Thank you Bryan for your speedy response, and I hope that this will silence the critics of 717’s naming. I’m pleased to hear that Mr Thorpe’s incredible generosity has been acknowledged in a new and imaginative way, and I will look forward to seeing the plaque when it is fitted.
Fully endorse Andrew’s comments, and Bryan’s statement (apart from the PS!).
Could you not have taken the Hi-Vis jackets off for the naming/photo shoot? They look awful (& can’t be a safety requirement as Miss Luff isn’t wearing one)
The hi-vis jackets were taken off for the initial photo shoot during the actual naming ceremony. This photo was taken just before the tram set off on its first journey with the new name which is why the hi-vis jackets were on. Our photo gallery of the day will include images with no hi-vis!
Thank you for your response Bryan. Sounds like someone heard 717 wasn’t the first choice then put two and two together and made 700!
Glad Mr Thorpes contribution will still be recognised.
Thanks Andrew,
It’s a pleasure to answer your very thoughtful and appropriate questions. In your place I would have been asking the very same things. Unfortunately the time scale for the whole thing was very tight and I was unable to finish the whole plan in time for the launch day. Being solely responsible for everything that happens means that sometimes I am very thinly spread trying to pull lots of different things together at the same time and do my full time day job simultaneously, but I genuinely have everyone’s best interests at heart. Thanks for your nice reply.
Best wishes,
Bryan
Bryan, thanks for explaining the reasoning behind the decision to name 717 ‘Walter Luff’. I am so pleased that a commemorative plaque is being produced to acknowledge Philip Thorpes contribution to the restoration of 717 (can’t it revert to its original number in a font similar to 230?).
I also note that mention is made that no railcoach of the original specification exists….yet! Does this mean that the project to restore 279 to near-original condition is back on the cards in the near future? Do hope so.
And ‘sorry’, but I still cannot forgive BTS for ‘widening’ and modernising 700!
It’s good to see walter’s name on a tram. However I think a trick may have been missed and the man himself would probably not particularly aprove if he were still with us today.
Althgough I never personally met Walter, it is my understanding that he was a great visionary, a modernist and a bit of a dreamer. He hated the old clunky trams which ran in Blackpool when he came to the job and immediately set about modernising the fleet as much as he could. The results were the balloons (actually called “luxury dreadnoughts”) to replace the original 59 style dreadnoughts, boats to replace toastracks and railcoaches to replace pretty much everything else! Of course full replacements were never completed (partly because the war interveined) and Standard cars particularly soildiered on for many years.
However Walter remained a modernist and in latter years planned to get rid of the balloons and replace them with something similar to the new Coronations, with ultra modern control gear and body construction methods. It was only when Joe Franklyn took over that his more conservative viewpoint saved the balloons from the scrap lines.
Like many of you, I’m a traditionalist and a perservationist and my visits to Blackpool have definitely decreased since the tramway’s controversial “downgrade”. But here’s an interesting thought…
If you want to put a name on a balloon car, Perhaps it should be Joe’s. But with Walter’s forward thinking and his fully embracing the town’s motto of “Progress”, perhaps his name would be more fitting on a Flexity 2?
Dear All,
Interesting comments and reflections all round. I have often said that Walter Luff would have turned in his grave if he thought that his old trams had lasted until 2011 in regular service and I do think that he would be thrilled that at long last we’ve moved into the present millennium with a brand new up to date fleet. Having said that… Who was the man who saved 59 from scrap? He recognised the importance of Blackpool’s illustrious past and can therefore be praised as the first person to actually save a tram for posterity. I think Daphne summed it up rather well before we left the depot when she said, “I think my father would be very proud to think that one of his old trams has been as beautifully restored and preserved as this”. I can’t argue with that Joe! If anyone would know, it’s this delightful and endearing lady.
And yes, 279 is high on my mid term agenda Malc. As far as I’m concerned it’s unfinished business from 2010! I also agree, that 717 should be renumbered back to its original series number… BUT… Only after the restoration has been completed back to original appearance! It’s got to look the part first. And that goes for 600 as well! It’s just a matter of time and money, but these jobs have been on the list since 2012.
Best wishes to you all and thanks for your ongoing enthusiasm. Your positivity and infectious dedication is one of the key things that keeps me going.
Bryan