The tenth annual ‘Totally Transport’ event, featuring a wide variety of classic and modern vehicles as well as a model tram exhibition, trade stalls and various other attractions, took place on Sunday 22nd June 2014 on Blackpool’s New South Promenade. After suffering from more than its fair share of poor weather over the years (who could forget the infamous gales of 2008!?), this year’s event was blessed with glorious sunshine, which doubtless helped to make it a wonderful day for both the town and its trams.
For the first time since 2009, a vintage tram service was operated right through the heart of this event, allowing an extremely rare chance to ride on members of the heritage fleet along the Starr Gate to Pleasure Beach section of the line. A three car service was operated, providing a rough twenty minute frequency for most of the day which, combined with the LRT service, gave a very frequent tram service along this stretch. A number of swaps of trams enabled five different heritage cars to run during the course of the day, these being the advertised quintet of Bolton 66, Standard 147, Pantograph car 167 and Open Boat cars 230 and 600. These trams were clearly chosen to keep those with a casual interest in the trams happy as well as enthusiasts, and judging by the very healthy loadings this was definitely achieved.
The day began with cars 147, 167 and 230 in service but this didn’t last long as the first car out – 147 – was sent back to Starr Gate depot at around noon, around an hour earlier than expected, with Boat 600 taking its place in service. It had been expected that 147‘s crew would take their lunch break at Starr Gate before taking out another tram, but instead they brought 600 out straight away and the car ran to North Pier before heading to Pleasure Beach where its break was taken. Meanwhile, Boat 230 also ran in to be replaced by Bolton 66 which then followed the same pattern. On its first northbound journey of the day this tram arrived at Harrowside empty and departed with a full capacity load! Both this and 167 then took their crew breaks on the Pleasure Beach loop before heading north again. The grand finale was a full length run over the entire system by car 167 which was, unsurprisingly, also packed full. After loading passengers at Harrowside the tram continued south to Starr Gate before reversing for a long run to Fleetwood, where it was posed at the northern terminus with a preserved PD3 bus much to the delight of the enthusiasts who had been lucky enough to ride on it.
The day’s operations produced a few interesting quirks, not least the practice of a member of depot staff being on hand to ‘trolley’ the heritage cars through some of the more complex infrastructure at Starr Gate, helping to ensure that all ran very smoothly. Here, the cars reversed just south of the unloading stop before waiting for the next service tram to depart from the northbound platform, or returning north more quickly if a Flexity was not present at the time of reversing. Temporary stops for the heritage trams were placed at Harrowside and Pleasure Beach, where trams generally loaded in both directions despite just one stop sign being present at each location. In addition the trams also used the more familiar heritage stops at North Pier and the Pleasure Beach loop was also used by the trams when they took their breaks.
This was rather different from any of the previous heritage running days in Blackpool, but once again Blackpool Transport put on a fantastic show which greatly enhanced this excellent event. The combination of heavy passenger loadings, faultless performances by the vintage trams and the glorious weather created an excellent day and it is hoped that a similar pattern of operation will be repeated at this event in future years.
A picture that pretty much sums up the 2014 Totally Transport event, with star of the show, car 167 passing some of the many vintage vehicles on show as it heads south towards Starr Gate with a full load of passengers enjoying a ride on this tram in unfamiliar territory. (Photo by Andrew Waddington)
Having travelled to Blackpool via Starr Gate yesterday, arriving around 13.30 hrs, I turned out to be just in time to enjoy a bit of the action around Starr Gate depot. Bolton 66 was waiting outside the depot to enter service, but first up from Harrowside, in advance of Pantograph 167 on service, was Boat 230 running empty, which proceeded to run to the terminal point you mention above. I expected it to turn there but then discovered I had somehow ‘lost’ it. All was revealed when it emerged from the washing siding, near the end of which it remained parked for the rest of the afternoon – 230 had run ’round the loop’ at Starr Gate! How’s that for an echo of the old days?! Has this happened before, or is it the first heritage tram to do this? I didn’t see any other car do it yesterday, and your report doesn’t specifically mention it.
It was ironic, because I had just explained to my wife, who until yesterday had never ridden a heritage tram to Starr Gate, how we used to board at the shelter facing Lytham St Annes and start by going round the loop to change direction towards Fleetwood, and within minutes 230 had demonstrated that very thing! I wish I had realised and captured it on camera, because it would have looked a fine sight with its green and cream paint glinting amid the sun-soaked sand dunes in that classic sunny seaside weather we all associate with the best of Blackpool trams and were blessed with yesterday. Happy memories indeed!
And I would like to say congratulations and thanks to Bryan Lindop and all his team at Blackpool Transport for making days like yesterday possible and giving the heritage trams a future we can all enjoy, also to the National Tramway Museum for their part in giving the splendid Pantograph car a chance to shine so brightly for a season in its natural habitat!
Re: your comments about 230’s move – Standard 147 did the same thing earlier in the day. All trams running in to Starr Gate depot generally access it that way, be they modern or heritage, but it is admittedly pretty unusual for it to happen at a time when so many people are in the vicinity. Glad to hear you enjoyed the day, personally I thought it was superb and the number of people riding on the vintage trams seemed to suggest that a lot of other people enjoyed it too!