At the other end of the scale, the last tram to the old North Station tram terminus was Brush Railcoach 290<\/strong>, latterly 627<\/strong>. This car is now owned by the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust and is currently on static display close to the Pleasure Beach. If its owners could be persuaded to allow the tram to operate as a special guest then it would certainly give some continuity to the proceedings, although it would probably require significant restoration work to be made fit to run again. Other survivors associated with the old North Station route include Fleetwood ‘Box’ 40<\/strong> and Blackpool ‘Pantograph’ car 167<\/strong>, the latter representing a type of tram which ran almost exclusively along that route for their entire working lives.<\/p>\n Bearing in mind that a new extension to North Station will bear little resemblance to the previous route, it may be worth looking to a tram which has commonly traversed Talbot Road itself in the distant past. This was once familiar territory for the Standard cars, making either 143<\/strong> (assuming its restoration is completed by then) or 147<\/strong> another potential candidate for a starring role.<\/p>\n Whatever the future holds, it is fantastic to see realistic proposals to actually expand a tramway that was facing threats to its continued survival not so many years ago. With ‘Transport for Lancashire’ pledging over \u00a316 million to make this dream into a reality, hopefully we can look forward to seeing trams of some description exit the promenade at Talbot Square, returning with full loads of passengers acquired from terminating trains. Whichever tram may be chosen to perform the all-important first run, that is undoubtedly something to be celebrated!<\/p>\n A former stalwart of the original line to North Station; Fleetwood 'Rack' 2 seen at North Pier during its last visit to the town in September 2010. Hopefully in a few years trams will be able to divert from the promenade here to connect with the railway station. (Photo by Andrew Waddington)<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Following the recent exciting news regarding the offer of a substantial amount of the funding required to extend the Blackpool tramway to serve North Station, there has been no shortage of speculation regarding this ambitious project. Naturally the main aim … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/002_2-1024x656.jpg\" "\\"002_2\\"")
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