Recent roadworks along Dickson Road in Blackpool has led to an old section of tram track being uncovered. Approximately 40 feet of rail was revealed near to the Funny Girls venue, although workmen on site stated that they would be removing it this week, potentially consigning another small piece of the town’s tramway history into the past.
The Dickson Road line was once famously served by the Pantograph cars, represented in preservation by car 167 at Crich, and seeing any length of rail uncovered must bring back powerful memories of this route for older enthusiasts, as well as creating a sense of excitement for the younger generation. With the Talbot Gateway a hot topic in local politics at the moment, the possibility that trams could eventually return to this location is something that should not be ruled out completely.
The image below was taken early in the afternoon on Monday 13th May. We are most grateful to ‘Deckerman’ for providing this photo and the information contained in this article.
Within hours of Deckerman’s photo the rails were covered in steel mesh and concrete. So they are still there until the next road scheme.
See photo on Flickr.
Tram rails outside Talbot Road bus station have had the grooved railhead burned off in the past, so that only the vertical web is visible in the concrete.
A new roundabout on Talbot Road/ Dickson Road is half built, so more old track will soon appear.
Very quick of deckerman to ‘snap’ the uncovered track on Dickson Road. It was in fact the final layout – single track stub – terminus of the North Station route which closed in october 1963. I visited the site on Wednesday this week just before a layer of concrete covered over the tracks. Other remnants of this terminus and its connecting tracks with the former Layton tram route (closed in 1936) are detected in ongoing and extensive road work a few yards away at Talbot Road and Dickson Road
junction. Points connecting the former Layton line with Dickson Road
were removed (partially). Continuing road work at this junction will no doubt reveal further track connection dating from the 1930s.
The tram track in Princess Street and along much of Blundell Street is scheduled to be removed later this year as part of a massive redevelopment scheme along Rigby Road. This includes removal of the former Blundell Street tram depot tracks which are still embedded in what was later a car park.
Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust will benefit from any reusable trackwork retrieved by the contractors – for the planned Fleetwood Tram Museum at the Ferry. A Planning Application for Museum has been submitted to the Local Authority following discussions in April.
Sub Station control panels from the 1897 Copse Road Tram Depot have now been retrieved by the Trust and placed in private storage. These artifacts will be part of the display in the Museum.
Yes, thankfully, despite the workman’s protestations, the rails all remained in situ and I was probably the very last to see them intact and uncovered as the concrete was poured over the last vestiges about 2.30 yesterday afternoon. There are other small bits along Talbot Rd coming to light day by day, as they do their various amounts of work.
Incidentally, I sent a copy of the shots, to a friend for him to put them in the Gazette and Craig Fleming says that he will put them in on Saturday’s “Memory Lane” as a Now and Then comparison, so perhaps look out for them.
It is worth mentioning that the last tram to run over the tracks on dickson road was number 290. it can be seen on display at the pleasure beach loop and is part of the fleetwood heritage collection.
Yes I remember 290 was one of the Brush cars. The pantographs were withdrawn the previous year – 1962.
As far as I can remember the pantographs only every ran on the North Station to Fleetwood route. Unless someone knows different.
Great to see the tracks again though.