Author Archives: Andrew Waddington

More disruption at Blackpool on June 22nd

Posted on Thursday 21 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

It is extremely disapointing to report that the Blackpool tramway is set to be subjected to major disruption for the second time in less than a week on Friday 22nd June. On this day, the famous Olympic torch reaches the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 1 Comment

Balloon 717 runs to Fleetwood

Posted on Tuesday 19 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Since the Blackpool tramway re-opened in April as modern light rail system, journeys by heritage trams to Fleetwood Ferry have been extremely rare. The only double-deck tram to have run to the northern terminus with passengers thus far in 2012 has … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 1 Comment

Leeds horse tram prepared for painting

Posted on Monday 18 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The ongoing project to restore Leeds horse tram 107 has not been featured on British Trams Online for several months, but it’s now time to change that with an update on recent progress. A lot of recent work on this … Continue reading →

Posted in Leeds Transport Historical Society | Comments Off on Leeds horse tram prepared for painting

Big purple tram promotes Big Blue Hotel

Posted on Monday 18 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Yet another of Blackpool’s brand new Flexity2 trams has received side panel advertisements. Following on from the earlier designs for Redrow Homes, on one side only of car 011, and the Pleasure Beach Ice Arena on 007, comes the latest … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | Comments Off on Big purple tram promotes Big Blue Hotel

Elton John disrupts Blackpool trams

Posted on Friday 15 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The first ever concert at the new Tower Festival Headland on Blackpool promenade is being held on Saturday 16th June, and will see Sir Elton John performing many of his classic songs at the outdoor venue. Unfortauntely, although future events … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 3 Comments

Pleasure Beach advertise on Flexity 006

Posted on Thursday 14 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Mere days after the first ever external advertisements appeared on one of Blackpool’s new Bombardier Flexity2 trams, a second member of the class has received adverts – this time for a familiar name in tramcar adverts, in the shape of … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | Comments Off on Pleasure Beach advertise on Flexity 006

Uniform look for heritage tram crews

Posted on Thursday 14 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

As Blackpool Transport’s heritage tram coastal tours go from strength to strength, another pleasing development has been the introduction of a new uniform for all platform staff to wear whilst working on the historic trams, with effect from June 9th. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway, People | 1 Comment

LUT 159 launch date announced

Posted on Wednesday 13 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The eagerly-awaited launch into passenger service of London United Tramways 159, following a complete reconstruction in the workshop at Crich, has been set for Saturday 7th July. The tram arrived at Crich Tramway Village as a derelict wreck back in … Continue reading →

Posted in National Tramway Museum | 1 Comment

Bright future ahead for Centenary class

Posted on Tuesday 12 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The return to traffic of Blackpool Centenary car 648 as a ‘heritage’ tram on its native rails on Sunday 10th June seems to have heralded a fresh start for this much-maligned class of tramcar. When the Blackpool tramway upgrade was … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | Comments Off on Bright future ahead for Centenary class

Frankfurt tram turned down by Crich

Posted on Monday 11 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Following on from the controversy regarding the Tramway Museum Society’s decision to reject some Blackpool trams which had previously been reserved for their collection, it has been revealed that the TMS have now turned down the offer of another historic … Continue reading →

Posted in National Tramway Museum | 6 Comments

First Flexity2 succumbs to adverts

Posted on Monday 11 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The main event for tram fans in Blackpool on Saturday 9th June may have been the unveiling of Boat car 604 in its original identity of 230 complete with ‘George Formby’ name boards, but another, arguably even more historic event … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | Comments Off on First Flexity2 succumbs to adverts

Weather turns out not so nice for Boat 604!

Posted on Sunday 10 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The highly anticipated launch of Blackpool’s George Formby tram, Boat car 604, took place on Saturday 9th June. As seems to have become the norm for the return of open Boat cars, the weather on the day was far from … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 2 Comments

Beside the Seaside at Crich Tramway Village

Posted on Saturday 9 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The late Spring Bank Holiday weekend saw Crich Tramway Village transformed into a sort of ‘Crich-on-Sea’ for the now annual ‘Beside the Seaside’ event. Although most of the attractions, such as the ‘beach’ area and end of pier style entertainment … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reviews, National Tramway Museum | Comments Off on Beside the Seaside at Crich Tramway Village

Positive developments for Blackpool’s heritage trams

Posted on Friday 8 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Although passenger numbers on Blackpool Transport’s new heritage tram tours have been quite disapointing so far this year, there are several signs that things are beginning to improve. This includes the news that the tours will run during the 2012 … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | Comments Off on Positive developments for Blackpool’s heritage trams

Heaton Park Brush car event axed

Posted on Friday 8 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The Heaton Park Tramway have announced with regret that their planned event to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Blackpool’s iconic Brush Railcoach class has been cancelled. The event, which was due to be held at the park on Sunday 18th … Continue reading →

Posted in Heaton Park Tramway | Comments Off on Heaton Park Brush car event axed

Birkenhead tram depot under threat

Posted on Wednesday 6 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The continuing saga of the future ownership of Birkenhead’s heritage tramway has taken another, potentially worrying twist with the revelation that Wirral Council may be on the verge of selling off the existing tram depot, museum and workshop at Taylor … Continue reading →

Posted in Birkenhead Heritage Tramway | 6 Comments

Boating in the rain at Crich

Posted on Sunday 3 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Sunday 3rd June saw the highly-anticipated launch into passenger service of Blackpool Boat 236 in its new home at Crich Tramway Village. Unfortunately, the weather was less than kind and the seaside-themed event day was spoilt considerably by appalling weather … Continue reading →

Posted in National Tramway Museum | Comments Off on Boating in the rain at Crich

Update on Blackpool’s widened Balloons

Posted on Saturday 2 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Not much has been said about the fleet of widened Balloon cars in Blackpool of late, but behind the scenes cars 711 and 719 are still under modification in the workshops at Rigby Road in readiness for their future role … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | Comments Off on Update on Blackpool’s widened Balloons

Lowestoft 14 basks in the limelight

Posted on Saturday 2 June 2012 by Andrew Waddington

Lowestoft 14 has been undergoing restoration at the East Anglia Transport Museum since 2005 and in the last few years, significant progress in returning this tram to operating condition has been made. Since work commenced the tram has rarely, if … Continue reading →

Posted in East Anglia Transport Museum | Comments Off on Lowestoft 14 basks in the limelight

Enthusiasts invited to design a tram livery!

Posted on Thursday 31 May 2012 by Andrew Waddington

The North Eastern Electrical Traction Trust recently confirmed their purchase of Blackpool Centenary car 647 following its withdrawal by Blackpool Transport at the end of 2011. 647 is undoubtedly a very important tram as it represents the very last traditional … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway, North Eastern Electrical Transport Trust | 2 Comments