Over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend between Saturday 25th and Monday 27th May Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours operated their first hop-on, hop-off timetable since last September as part of an “Event Weekend”.
Ever since it was announced that the main shed at Rigby Road Depot was out of bounds to allow a condition survey to take place and that operational heritage trams would be based up at Starr Gate Depot instead, it was known that 2024 would see a much more limited pool of trams available to operate the heritage service. Starr Gate only allows for up to five heritage trams to be housed and before this Event Weekend only four trams had been used for Promenade and Coastal Tours as well as some of the Themed Tours which have also run so far this year.
Despite this limited pool of trams, the team at Heritage Tram Tours managed to provide as varied an output as possible with six different trams appearing – including two which ran their first passenger journeys for the year. Whilst some of the trams which were used may not cater to all tastes it at least added some variety to the output. In a way the heritage tours are currently in a similar position to when your football team is struggling for form, but you know they still need your support and when you get through the bad times there will be better times to come.
The tram output over the weekend was as follows:
Saturday 25th May – Bolton 66, Boat 227 (suffered a fault which led to several journeys being cancelled), Balloon 700, Balloon 717 (Balloon 717 also operated The Ghost Tram)
Sunday 26th May – Bolton 66, Brush 631, Balloon 700, Balloon 718 (Balloon 717 on a Private Hire)
Monday 27th May – Bolton 66, Boat 227 (replaced by Brush 631), Balloon 700, Balloon 717, Balloon 718 (specials)
The next Event Weekend is due to take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend with an Enhanced operation due on Sunday 21st July for Tram Sunday.
- For details of all Heritage Tram Tours visit their website at https://blackpoolheritage.com/

Balloon 717 has reached the northern terminus of the tramway and now gets ready to head back south. Here it runs along Fleetwood Esplanade before turning into Pharos Street. This was Saturday 25th May.

One of the highlights of the timetable was the final journeys of the day running along New South Promenade to get back to Starr Gate Depot. The very last journey of each day was timetabled to run all the way from Fleetwood to Starr Gate and on 25th May Boat 227 ran this journey. Its seen here cruising through Harrow Place.

The first journey of each day ran to Cleveleys before using the crossover to reverse. Bolton 66 was allocated to that diagram on Sunday 26th May and is seen being trollied across the crossover.

Brush 631 was due to just run on 26th May and that’s when we see it running onto the centre track at Bispham.
It would be nice to think that there will indeed be ‘better times to come’ for Blackpool’s heritage operation – but will there? Time will tell, but we will need more than constant promises of things that are ‘coming soon’ or will ‘be ready next year’. In all honesty, I’d be happy enough with a smaller heritage fleet if the trams were well looked after and reliable, with a decent variety on offer. Even a pool of say, 10 trams, could be something really special again. I just struggle to believe that the very ambitious plans that keep being mentioned will ever come to fruition unless there is a miraculous injection of cash imminent.
I don’t think the football analogy really stands up to much scrutiny mind. Indeed if my club had behaved like Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours.. Id been going through the supporters board.. (exercising our rights as a shareholder) to enact change. Indeed Football Clubs regularly terminate managers contracts who poorly perform… they dont just keep saying oh next year will be better… Arguably one of the most ruthless performance driven sectors going… Pleasing to see one of their biggest supporters lashing out at enthusiasts elsewhere branding attendnace “appalling” and recognising serious questions about viability. Hopefully seeing largely empty trams trundling plodding up and down is starting to send a clear message… I think its a pretty dreadful product with some pretty dreadful people left involved. The pitiful patronage idicates that a growing number of people must agree…
Well I was in Blackpool over the weekend in question and it’s the first time I ever remember visiting the resort without riding on a tram. The reason? Price. When all day tickets to ride on ANY tram or bus were less than a fiver, everyone in town had a one day travel card and the services were all well patronised, including tourists using local buses. Now I know things have gone up, but I’d be willing to bet that over the bank holiday weekend the total take for all the services operated was less than it was 15 years ago, even without being adjusted for inflation!
Hertitage cars need to be on normal service and available to all passengers. I spoke to more than one person over the weekend who said since the ‘upgrade’ Blackpool has lost one of it’s most popular seaside attractions. A tiny handful of vehicles out for a few hours on a bank holiday just doesn’t cut it.
You make some interesting points. I don’t honestly know what a realistic price structure is for the resort is. Is it price, format or simply the people involved or a toxic combination of all three? My own experience is that it got worse year on year to the point where I enjoyed walking along the coastline far more than been trapped on either overcrowded Flexity or sat on virtually empty Heritage tram listening to the same drivel that next year x would happen deep down knowing it was not much more than a fantasy at best…
How many times do people have to reiterate that heritage CANNOT run on service, it is ILLEGAL.
Even B fleet cannot run core service except in emergency, they have to run extras.
I’ll guarantee plenty of people pay for standard day tickets as its cheaper than 2 singles.
I agree with your comment regarding the legality of using heritage cars on core services. They simply do not meet the regulations for such use. You are however slightly wide of the mark regarding the use of B fleet cars. The original intention during the design works for the modernisation was that 10 B fleet cars would routinely be used during high season to boost the service frequency between Pleasure Beach and Little Bispham, the power system was designed around that
provision. This level of service was seen as the summer core service. The fact that it has never happened is another matter.