Box car 40 nears completion

Overhaul work on Blackpool & Fleetwood ‘Box’ car 40 is now nearing completion, ahead of the tram’s expected starring role in upcoming events at both Blackpool and Crich. The tram has just recently been reunited with its trucks, which have been extensively refurbished in the Crich workshops, having been in a very poor condition on arrival. The car has now been transferred to the Paint Shop for the finishing touches to be made ahead of its return to use, expected next month.

Whilst out of service the opportunity has been taken out to re-seal the roof of car 40 which should cure its tendency to leak badly in wet weather. The interior has been refreshed with repainting and the bodywork has also been tidied up with further paintwork attention, which should give the tram a much smarter appearance to mark its 100th year. The side roof boards have also been repainted, finally eradicating the lettering referring to the Fleetwood Tramroad Centenary in 1998! This will be replaced by adverts for the Fylde Tramway Society to acknowledge their financial support towards this overhaul.

It had been hoped that Box 40 would be ready for action in time for the ‘Totally Transport’ event, but this was not possible although as it turned out this probably wasn’t such a bad thing as the weather for that event was so hot that the tram would have been like a sauna! Instead, it is now hoped that it will be re-launched at the Fleetwood Festival of Transport on Sunday 20th July – a more appropriate occasion to unveil a tram which spent most of its life running to and from Fleetwood, when it is due to operate on a shuttle service between Fisherman’s Walk and North Pier. It is also expected to run in August before travelling to Crich for a short visit to attend the ‘Electric 50’ event in September. Once back in Blackpool it is also due to operate a special tour for its owners, the Tramway Museum Society, which will probably take place in November so as not to affect the number of volunteers at the Crich museum during the open season. Hopefully the car should then be fit for many more years of service on its native tracks, as an important member of Blackpool’s heritage tram fleet.

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