The day began with cars 147<\/strong>, 167 <\/strong>and 230 <\/strong>in service but this didn’t last long as the first car out – 147 <\/strong>– was sent back to Starr Gate depot at around noon, around an hour earlier than expected, with Boat 600 <\/strong>taking its place in service. It had been expected that 147<\/strong>‘s crew would take their lunch break at Starr Gate before taking out another tram, but instead they brought 600 <\/strong>out straight away and the car ran to North Pier before heading to Pleasure Beach where its break was taken. Meanwhile, Boat 230 <\/strong>also ran in to be replaced by Bolton 66 <\/strong>which then followed the same pattern. On its first northbound journey of the day this tram arrived at Harrowside empty and departed with a full capacity load! Both this and 167 <\/strong>then took their crew breaks on the Pleasure Beach loop before heading north again. The grand finale was a full length run over the entire system by car 167<\/strong>\u00a0which was, unsurprisingly, also packed full. After loading passengers at Harrowside the tram continued south to Starr Gate before reversing for a long run to Fleetwood, where it was posed at the northern terminus with a preserved PD3 bus much to the delight of the enthusiasts who had been lucky enough to ride on it.<\/p>\n The day’s operations produced a few interesting quirks, not least the practice of a member of depot staff being on hand to ‘trolley’ the heritage cars through some of the more complex infrastructure at Starr Gate, helping to ensure that all ran very smoothly. Here, the cars reversed just south of the unloading stop before waiting for the next service tram to depart from the northbound platform, or returning north more quickly if a Flexity was not present at the time of reversing. Temporary stops for the heritage trams were placed at Harrowside and Pleasure Beach, where trams generally loaded in both directions despite just one stop sign being present at each location. In addition the trams also used the more familiar heritage stops at North Pier and the Pleasure Beach loop was also used by the trams when they took their breaks.<\/p>\n This was rather different from any of the previous heritage running days in Blackpool, but once again Blackpool Transport put on a fantastic show which greatly enhanced this excellent event. The combination of heavy passenger loadings, faultless performances by the vintage trams and the glorious weather created an excellent day and it is hoped that a similar pattern of operation will be repeated at this event in future years.<\/p>\n A picture that pretty much sums up the 2014 Totally Transport event, with star of the show, car 167 passing some of the many vintage vehicles on show as it heads south towards Starr Gate with a full load of passengers enjoying a ride on this tram in unfamiliar territory. (Photo by Andrew Waddington)<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The tenth annual ‘Totally Transport’ event, featuring a wide variety of classic and modern vehicles as well as a model tram exhibition, trade stalls and various other attractions, took place on Sunday 22nd June 2014 on Blackpool’s New South Promenade. … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/167-TT-1024x680.jpg\" "\\"167")
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