Category Archives: Blackpool Tramway

Storm Ciara causes disruption across UK

Posted on Tuesday 11 February 2020 by Gareth Prior

“Storm of the Century”, named Ciara in the alphabetical naming sequence used by the Met Office in recent years, has seen severe disruption for UK tramways with not only strong winds but heavy rain leading to service changes. Blackpool, Edinburgh, … Continue reading →

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Picture in Time: Busy times at Fleetwood Ferry

Posted on Thursday 6 February 2020 by Gareth Prior

We are heading back to Blackpool for today’s archive image as we feature not one, not two, not even three but four trams at Fleetwood Ferry.

Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Picture in Time | 3 Comments

Progress made on restorations in Blackpool

Posted on Wednesday 5 February 2020 by Gareth Prior

This winter has already been a busy one at Rigby Road Depot’s heritage tram workshops with Boat 230, the Frigate and the Western Train all already seeing attention. In addition the major restoration of Balloon 704 is continuing and there … Continue reading →

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Brush 626

Posted on Thursday 30 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

This evening we are back in Blackpool for another instalment of “Picture in Time” and it’s the 1990s again.

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In Pictures: Failed Flexity rescued at Fleetwood

Posted on Thursday 23 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

Blackpool’s Flexity2 trams are usually some of the most reliable trams in the UK with reports of complete failures pretty unusual. However, on 3rd January 2020, 013 was declared a failure at Fleetwood Ferry which not only required fitters attention … Continue reading →

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Railcoach 678

Posted on Thursday 23 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

We move into the 1990s for this week’s Blackpool archive image as we take a look a look at one of three ex-Towing cars which was never permanently coupled to its trailer.

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In Pictures: First Winter Gold of 2020

Posted on Monday 20 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

It may only be mere weeks since Christmas but the past weekend has seen the first “Gold weekend” of 2020 in Blackpool with six trams scheduled to run on each day with the new timetable seeing regular services running from … Continue reading →

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In Preview: Blackpool Winter Gold, 18th & 19th January 2020

Posted on Thursday 16 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

The new year may be but a few weeks old but it is already time for the first main event in Blackpool with January’s Winter Gold event taking place on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th January. With a newly revised … Continue reading →

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Balloon 709

Posted on Thursday 16 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

Its time to head into the archives again as we are off to Blackpool in the 1980s.

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Heaton Park Tramway win Tramway of the Year as Isle of Man also wins big in Tram of the Year

Posted on Sunday 12 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

There can be no denying that 2019 was a challenging year for the volunteers at the Heaton Park Tramway with the theft of overhead wires in September bringing a temporary halt to operations but following on from industry help and … Continue reading →

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Picture in Time: Blackpool Balloon 703

Posted on Thursday 9 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

We return to the Blackpool tram photo archives tonight as we head back to the 1980s and a take a look at one of the iconic Balloon Cars.

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They ran in 2019…

Posted on Wednesday 8 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

Bringing 2019 to a close – its all looking forward from here on in! – we take one final look at those trams which ran on heritage tramways during the year. As far as we know this is a complete … Continue reading →

Posted in Beamish Tramway, Birkenhead Heritage Tramway, Black Country Living Museum, Blackpool Tramway, Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, East Anglia Transport Museum, Great Orme Tramway, Heaton Park Tramway, Manx Electric Railway, National Tramway Museum, Seaton Tramway, Snaefell Mountain Railway, Summerlee Museum Tramway, They Ran in 2019 | 4 Comments

Another year starts for Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours

Posted on Tuesday 7 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

There is no such thing as a closed season for Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours! No sooner had 2019 finished than the 2020 season was up and running on Saturday 4th January with the first day of the revised timetables in … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 1 Comment

FTT and BHT tram collections to merge

Posted on Monday 6 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

It has been announced that the trams currently part of the Blackpool Heritage Trust (BHT) collection are to be merged with the Fylde Transport Trust (FTT) as a way of ensuring the collection is able to release additional funding streams … Continue reading →

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Balloon 704 in the works

Posted on Saturday 4 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

When completed it will be the biggest restoration job since the advent of Blackpool’s Heritage Tram Tours and work is now underway on returning Balloon 704 to the rails. Now privately owned by Iain Taylor the tram will go on … Continue reading →

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In Pictures: Boating in December!

Posted on Friday 3 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours decided to go out in style for 2019 with Boat 227 running not once but twice over the last weekend of the heritage service – bracing weather for it but is it ever too cold for … Continue reading →

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In Pictures: Triple Balloons tour for the FTS

Posted on Thursday 2 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

The annual Christmas Fylde Tramway Society tour took place on Saturday 28th December 2019 with three Balloon Cars hired at times during the day: 715, 717 and 718. Sadly the hoped for 707 is still unable to run in service … Continue reading →

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They Ran in 2019: Blackpool Standard 147

Posted on Wednesday 1 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

We finally reach the 32nd and final edition of “They Ran in 2019” and we are once again in Blackpool as we take a look at Standard 147.

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15 Years Apart: Blackpool Centenary 648

Posted on Wednesday 1 January 2020 by Gareth Prior

Happy New Year one and all! As we arrive in 2020 it is time to say goodbye to 2019 with the final edition of “15 Years Apart. With there having been a Blackpool bias to this series where else would … Continue reading →

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15 Years Apart: Blackpool Balloon 711

Posted on Tuesday 31 December 2019 by Gareth Prior

In the penultimate edition of “15 Years Apart” we are once more in Blackpool as we take a look at yet another Balloon Car – this instalment shows 711.

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