On Sunday 21st August, Blackpool & Fleetwood ‘Box’ car 40 paid a visit to the workshop at Crich Tramway Village. Since its return to the museum following its extended stint of operation in Blackpool and a visit to Beamish, the tram operated at the museum during the latter part of the 2019 season, but had not run since as it required some minor attention, and was not considered a high priority with the reduced operating fleet and the general backlog of jobs due to the coronovirus pandemic. However, on this day, 40 was extracted from the back of the depot and transferred to the workshop – and this was obviously a success, as by the end of the day the tram was moving under its own power again!
On its return journey by road from Beamish, 40 suffered a damaged trolley pole and temporarily borrowed the trolley from Newcastle 102 to enable it to be used in passenger service at the ‘Crich 60’ event in September 2019. However, as the overhaul work on 102 progressed, the tram needed its pole back, leaving Box 40 without one! This was finally replaced during its visit to the works on 21st August, and at the same time the car received a general service and repairs to the controllers, which have been giving some grief for a number of years. At the end of the day 40 was driven back into the depot, being posed with fellow Blackpool trams Boat 236 and Brush car 630 en route. Although 40 is likely to require some further attention before it is approved for public service, hopefully it won’t be too long before the 1914 Box car is carrying passengers once again.
Article written by Andrew Waddington, with information and photographs supplied by Peter Whiteley.
- In other tram news from Crich, and not previously reported on these pages, was the return to service of Sheffield 74 during July. With 74 now in service, 14 different passenger trams representing nine towns/cities and four countries have now run in service this year at the home of the National Tramway Museum!
40 meets 40 in the Crich workshop on 21st August! As Box 40 receives attention to its roof, we see Standard 40 in the foreground looking superb following a full repaint, with its scumbled side panels looking particularly stunning. Also present are London County Council 1 and the underframe for Blackpool 298.
Blackpool & Fleetwood 40 basks in the sun on the depot fan with its new trolley pole enabling it to be driven out under its own power after a few years out of service.
Another look at Box 40 posing in the depot yard.
A view that visitors to Crich should be able to enjoy in the fairly near future for the first time in almost three years – the interior of Blackpool & Fleetwood 40.
A mini line-up with fellow ex-Blackpool cars Box 40 and Brush car 630 on the depot fan, and a glimpse of the access tram in between the two!
Blackpool Boat 236 was in service on 21st August and is seen passing Box 40 – now stabled in the siding just outside the depot yard – on its way back to the depot after a hard day’s work.
One last look at the depot fan in the late afternoon sunshine with Berlin 223 006-4, Blackpool 630 and Blackpool 236. (All Photographs by Peter Whiteley, 21st August 2022)
One can only experience the surprising power and speed of this fine interurban tram on the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad for which it was designed. It was not designed to trundle.
The same could be said of many of the trams in preservation – but its better than them being static exhibits! Box 40 is a unique, and very old tram which needs looking after, and Crich is the best place for that to happen in my opinion… see the comments on Bolton 66 in the post about the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend in Blackpool. Such elderly vehicles should not be flogged, and I suspect that 40 will give good service for a while yet thanks to its easier life in Derbyshire.
Hopefully 40 will be running next summer in order for Crich to be able to stage an event marking 125 years of the Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramroad, together with Rack 2, 167 and 630. It would also be great if a further event could take place in Blackpool with the inclusion of 279 and 304, both once having being familiar tram types associated with the Tramroad.
nostalgicyetprogressive. Whose paying the 50k plus for Rack 2? and you can only dream that 279 and 304 will ever run
Allow us to reply to your “dream” comment regarding our trams 304 and 279.
Coronation 304 is in the electrical commissioning phase, and if you follow the FTT Facebook page you would have seen this news reported. We recently reupholstered the seats, and the tram is due to be completed over the winter months with a significant testing / mileage accumulation phase out on the Promenade.
Railcoach 279 is also undergoing work, and this is scheduled to be completed in preparation for the 2023 season.
Of course, as a Trust which is run entirely on volunteer resources or paid contractors (from our own finances and not BTS we should add), these plans could change for a variety of reasons. But be assured they are not the plans of a dreamer.
It is unfortunate that comments such as these which have no factual basis sometimes can have a very negative feedback on the projects, as the comments can become “urban myths”. At the Fylde Transport Trust, we are very open and transparent of our plans, and are more than happy to engage in discussions. Maybe “Anonymous 66” could make contact through our FB page or via email and we would be more than happy to discuss the plans for our trams.
I think the best we can hope for would be a ‘depot fan line-up’ at Crich for the 125th anniversary of the Tramroad featuring Rack 2. Oh and let’s not forget the Loco!
In response to Anonymous 66 – I believe it’s important to remain positive in our outlook. No doubt had everyone been so negative during the first lockdown, there would have been more undesirable outcomes such as the complete abandonment of the Blackpool North Station extension, with or without the lifting of rail. Now as we can see a little faith in the future at that time sees the approaching completion of that route albeit somewhat slowly. Similar parallels can be seen with success stories on the heritage front, both in Blackpool and elsewhere. It makes good sense to keep looking forward and not giving up hope at the first hurdle.