Tramscape Tramway Photographs

Blackpool, located in the north-west of England, is the United Kingdom's premier holiday resort, with the "Golden Mile" (or more) along the seafront hosting a large sandy beach, three piers, countless tourist attractions - and a tramway reservation, which was not only the first electric tramway in Britain, but also the only urban tram line to survive into the modern era. It owes its survival primarily to the success of Blackpool as a tourist destination, both for holidaymakers and day-trippers, generating large volumes of traffic in the summer months and as well as being the most efficient method of moving people between the attractions and the hotels which line the sea front. It has also become an attraction in its own right and Blackpool would be unimaginable without it.

Today, the mainstays of the large and varied fleet are cars, both single and double-decker, delivered in the mid-1930s when Blackpool Corporation embarked on an extensive modernisation programme and as such, there is very much a "heritage" feel to the line which reinforces its attractions to tourists. There is an open-top double decker and a number of open single-deckers known as "Boats" which are ideally suited to the tourist traffic and so-called "Illuminations" trams which see service during the famous "Blackpool Illuminations" at the end of the summer season. These trams are bedecked in lights and have bodies in novelty designs, with steamboats, railway engines, rockets and hovercraft being featured over the years. Historical trams, including vehicles loaned from museums and representing other long-closed systems are often in regular revenue service in the summer season to add further interest.

The tramway, which stretches from Starr Gate, immediately to the south of the Promenade, through the main attractions and then north via Bispham, Thornton and Cleveleys to the old fishing port of Fleetwood, a total of 11 miles, is the last remaining part of a larger network which operated in the area, the last of Blackpool's other lines closing in 1963.

By the 1880s, Blackpool was a rapidly developing holiday resort, with miles of open sands, located close to the industrial centres of Manchester and the textile manufacturing towns of Lancashire. Forward thinking city fathers eagerly promoted the idea of an electric tramway along the sea front promenade which was being developed after witnessing trials of electric traction at the local Winter Gardens in 1884 and a tramway was installed and opened in 1885, the first in Britain. Blackpool also became Britain's first municipally owned electric tramway when the Corporation gained control in 1892 following the expiry of the original operator's lease.

The conduit system of underground current collection was employed but this proved to be problematic due to the sea spray and blowing sands and was controversially replaced by overhead wires in 1899 following inspection of the system used by the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad Company which had opened its own system northwards from Blackpool to Fleetwood a year previously. By this time, Blackpool had extended its tramway inland from the Promenade along Lytham Road, and in 1900 northwards along the promenade to Gynn Square to terminate close to the tracks of the Fleetwood railroad which turned inland at this point to reach its terminus at the North Station. This arrangement continued until 1920 when the Corporation took over the Fleetwood company and linked the tracks at Gynn Square. In Blackpool itself an almost circular route serving Marton opened in 1901 with central termini at Talbot Square and Central Station. Other short connections within the central area were completed during this period, including complete electrification along Lytham Road (part of which had hitherto been operated by horse trams!). One consequence of this was to allow trams from the neighbouring but independent town of Lytham St Annes to run into Blackpool itself by 1905. The Promenad, always the focus of traffic, was rebuilt with trams moving to their own reserved alignment in 1905 and extended south complete with tram tracks to the present terminus at Starr Gate in 1927.  A second connection to the Lytham tramway was constructed shortly afterwards.

At this point, Blackpool's tramways reached their greatest extent, and new "Standard" trams had been delivered between 1924 and 1927 to modernise the ageing fleet. However, the 1930s were to herald the start of the decline of tramways in Britain and Blackpool was not immune to calls for closure in favour of trolleybuses and motor buses. A bold decision was taken to order more new trams which was to secure the future of the system at the time. The cars, both single and double decker were particularly stylish and luxurious for their day and it was clear that the Corporation wanted to attract people on to their trams rather than let the system run down and close. Closure was the fate of two short lines (to Layton opened in 1902 and closed in 1936, and along Central Drive, part of the original Marton route, at the same time) and the Lytham St Annes system.

Further good news for the tramway was the relaying of much of the track including new turning circles to assist service flexibility,and the construction of a new depot at Rigby Road. War intervened to prevent the planned upgrading of the Marton route but this duly went ahead once peace had been restored and an innovative, but ultimately ill-fated new control system (named Vambac) was fitted to a number of the single-deckers to enhance their performance. More new single-decker cars were delivered in 1952-1954 suitably dubbed "Coronations" as the tramway continued to anticipate a bright future. Costs were, however, on the rise and other cities were beginning tramway closure programmes from which Blackpool was not immune. Lytham Road lost its trams in 1961, Marton in 1962 and North Station in 1963. This left the promenade line as Britain's last survivor by 1963, only two years after more new rolling stock had been brought into use. This time, with increasing cost reduction in mind, the new arrivals were trailers to be hauled by suitably converted 25-year old "Railcoaches". Staff reduction became a pressing need and the trend in the bus sector was increasingly for one-man-operation. After a trial in 1969, 13 "Railcoaches" were selected for conversion to the new way of working, with work undertaken by the Corporation's own workshops. This included extending the length of the tram to accommodate an extra door at the front so all passengers had to pass the fare-collecting driver. This "cheap" solution allowed Blackpool to run an off-season service at reasonable cost and ensure the survival of the tramway.

Two double deck "Balloon" cars, then over 40 years old, were convered in 1979 and 1982 to one man operation, one example with a door near the driver, the second with an additional door at the centre (the traditional door location for Blackpool's trams) for exiting passengers only. These two trams featured re-styled bodies reminiscent of buses using parts from local bus body manufacturers to minimise costs as much as possible. During the summer peaks the loadings are so high that much of the fleet, mothballed over the winter, returns to service and double deckers often run full and even to this day have a staff of three at times, with two roving conductors collecting fares and operating doors.

Blackpool has continued to build new single deck cars on the basis of old Railcoach trucks when finances permit and refurbish the double-deck "Balloons" for further service, some in the traditional style and others with new ends and revised internal layouts. The tramway workshops have thus become very resourceful in extending the lives of antiquated stock at minimal cost. The 13 original one-man cars had only a short life with warping of the extended bodies becoming a particular problem but they did bridge the gap whilst newer rebuilds have taken place.

Blackpool still has the feel of a Museum tramway despite operating a regular service and therein lies its major attraction. With the dwindling exception of Milan, nowhere else is it possible to watch a steady (or some might say unsteady) procession of  old trams of varied design rattling slowly along less than perfect trackwork, but still full of  regular passengers going about their business and not simply enjoying a novelty ride.