“The basic problem that we are faced with is the recession. There are no peculiar conspiracies that people seem to be panicking about. It\u2019s just basic economics. The recession has hit Blackpool hard and as a result we have to cut our cloth accordingly. Every department within Blackpool Transport has had to review its costs, including mine, it just looks much worse in mine because we didn\u2019t have much of a budget to start with! It\u2019s very important for everyone to stay focussed on what we have achieved. Truth is that based on pure economics the services would not have been operating after 2013, but we all proved that there was a demand for daytime tours. In financial performance terms, only the August Bank Holiday did financially well, some of the other weekends performed poorly, but this was sufficient to save the operation, that\u2019s the crucial win. For all those who are saying this is the end, it only will be if they let it. Support the heritage like you all did in August and history will continue to write about our exploits positively.<\/p>\n
I knew at the outset in February 2012 when we took all this on that the journey would be a bumpy one and it\u2019s certainly been no picnic, but the achievements are just so positive and have been so rewarding for everyone involved, (staff and patrons) that we are\u00a0 constantly reminded that we have to go on promoting and pushing the heritage operation. It is our belief in doing what is right that ultimately remains the backbone of the English character.<\/p>\n
For those who are interested in some additional detail, the heritage budget has only been marginally\u00a0 trimmed. This left us with 2 days operation per bank holiday and an output of 3 cars per day. Easter is closely followed by May Day this year and so I decided to spread the gap and have only one event in May. I therefore axed the May Day output and put the resource into Easter. Doing so gave me one extra day and one more car per day which I think should give us a good kick start to the season.<\/p>\n
Demand last year was so great for the first tour of the day that I really needed to duplicate that tour. With the original staff rota arrangements it was simply not possible to achieve due to driving hours restrictions. This year, at least for Easter, by juggling the duty start and finish times, I can dupe the first tour and the last, but this can only be done at the expense of the lunch time Fleetwood tour. I would need a 5 car output to run that as well and that\u2019s just not going to happen, so it\u2019s a game of strategy to actually schedule it all.<\/p>\n
What we do for the rest of the year remains to be seen, but I\u2019ve certainly been given a challenge! As usual I have taken up the gauntlet. With the support of our excellent staff team, we should be able to weather the storm. Most of the planning for Heritage is done on top of my usual day to day activities in my spare time. I\u2019m not giving up and throwing away those last two years of my life when I could otherwise have been relaxing and taking it easy, just to give up now. Your trams need you! All you have to do is exactly what you all did last August, so don\u2019t let us down! Stay the course, have faith and I look forward to seeing you all at Easter, when we are going to celebrate the 80th birthday of the English Electric fleet together.<\/p>\n
Such a lot has been achieved over the last two years that I look back on it all slightly breathlessly. We have undertaken serious conservation work on principle members of the tram fleet; Brush Car 631<\/strong> and Centenary Car 648<\/strong>. We have re-introduced trams into the heritage fleet that were expected never to run again such as the beautiful all cream twin car. Our operating model has been fine tuned and a stable legal foundation put in place to enable us to continue to operate these vehicles in perpetuity. We have come to the assistance of the Lancastrian Transport Trust and taken back some prime vehicles into the fleet. We are continuing to strive towards the setting up of a new heritage trust to oversee the conservation of those combined fleets. We are currently undertaking a combined project with the Crich Tramway Museum and the Fylde Tramway Society to ensure that Box Car 40<\/strong> can celebrate its 100th<\/sup> birthday and continue to operate for at least another 8 to 10 years, rather than withdrawing it at the end of this season and returning it to Crich, which would have been the only other alternative. HMS Blackpool 736<\/strong> is currently in the works receiving bow repairs; the fleet is now better maintained and looks better than it has for years. If all goes according to plan, we should soon start a phased refurbishment on the Illuminated Trawler 737<\/strong> in partnership with Fisherman\u2019s Friend and the Illuminations department. The Fylde Tramway Society have raised \u00a32,300 through its members to sponsor the re-paint of Balloon 701<\/strong> into it\u2019s unique BTS Routemaster livery. For all those who lament what we can\u2019t have because we simply don\u2019t have the resources, please reflect on what we\u2019ve still got and\u00a0 look back on what we have achieved with pride, whilst still looking forward positively to what is still to come.<\/p>\n I challenge you all to embrace this years operation and enjoy it as it stands, because if the figures remain stable, the daytime operation will continue to play a role. In any event, I am looking at other strategies to resolve the finances of the operation, but everything takes time. I\u2019m not superman when all\u2019s said and done! I would also add that the current picture is not carved in stone, plans can change, we just have to have the courage to face the challenges ahead and all continue to work together to change the picture. I know we can do it and I am sure deep down, you all know we can do it too, so keep faith and help us keep it going.”<\/p>\n So, the clear message is that enthusiasts need to support the heritage tram service in Blackpool, now more than ever. Whilst what is being offered is far from ideal, it is certainly better than nothing and hopefully the many supporters of the traditional fleet will join us in supporting their operation and making the nine running days this summer as successful as possible. In particular, the success or otherwise of the Easter period is likely to set the tone for the remainder of the year, and so we must all hope for a good turnout of customers, and good weather of course!<\/p>\n Our most sincere thanks go to Bryan Lindop for providing the information contained in this article.<\/p>\n A typical view from a heritage tram running day in 2014, with Standard 147 seen reversing at Bispham. Scenes like this must be treasured more than ever in 2014, with less opportunities and see and ride on the town's traditional tram fleet. (Photo by Tony Waddington)<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Blackpool Transport have announced details of the plans for its heritage tram service during the 2014 season. Disappointingly, despite encouraging passenger numbers last summer, the number of running days has been reduced for the second consecutive year. Outside of the … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/147-Bispham-1024x680.jpg\" "\\"147")
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