Tram ride through Blackpool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy3ciVafyQk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Chances are I've said this before somewhere or other, but I used to ride on the Blackpool trams between Blackpool and Fleetwood when I was a young'un. I had a great aunt who lived at Knott-End-on-Sea, a little village just across the estuary from Fleetwood, and we would visit her maybe once a year. From her house we would get a small ferry across the river to Fleetwood, then get the tram into Blackpool.

johnthefireman wrote:Chances are I've said this before somewhere or other, but I used to ride on the Blackpool trams between Blackpool and Fleetwood when I was a young'un. I had a great aunt who lived at Knott-End-on-Sea, a little village just across the estuary from Fleetwood, and we would visit her maybe once a year. From her house we would get a small ferry across the river to Fleetwood, then get the tram into Blackpool.

I rode on the tram to Fleetwood and back, while preparing a speech for the Labour Party Conference.

I rsecall your connection with Blackpool, John. That's why I grabbed this video when I came acrosss it and posted it. I didn't know that George rode these too.

Blackpool trams tended more to the traditional British tram designs than the modern trams on the new systems. Of course Blackpool town used to have a network of lines in the urban centre. These were all closed, leaving only the coastal route, which has continued and flourished, catering mainly to the summer visitors. But when I was visiting Blackpool for a job interview 20 years ago I saw it when most of the visitors had left, and the cars still ran, even in the late Autumn. So in a way Blackpool was the last surviving example of the traditional tram system, running many trams which originally came from other cities. It had for example a number of double deck trams, not now found anywhere else in Britain. Its single deck trams also were rather different from modern trams.

The film shows the modern trams which have replaced the older ones for day to day running. It seems to show the service in the off season - probably early Spring.

Interesting line, and interesting video. What's the gauge? It looks wider than standard. (I rode the line a number of years ago, but can't recall noticing at the time.)

Wikipedia says that it is Standard Gauge. That was always my impression of it, although this is the first time I have ever thought to check.

It looks SG and I have no reason to think it isn't. For example it has used secondhand trams from other cities - possibly not now.

johnthefireman wrote:Wikipedia says that it is Standard Gauge. That was always my impression of it, although this is the first time I have ever thought to check.

Thanks--I never seem to think of Wikipedia. And now that George mentions transfers of equipment, there was never any mention of the two boat trams for San Francisco having to be regauged.

EC90 and Everyone:

I recall that SEPTA in Philadelphia had a Blackpool Boat Car used for special service during the US
Bicentennial Celebration year of 1976. There were more trolley routes serving Center City and the
Old City/Historical District back then. I remember also special color schemes used on SEPTA's PCC
fleet along with State-named cars (I believe they were named for the 13 original US states) being
used in service back then. A group of PCC cars were extensively rebuilt and placed in service on Route 15 with modern amenities such as air conditioning along with a classic PTC color scheme...

Hard to believe that this was now 40 years ago - Philadelphia's Historic District was a big tourist
destination then thanks to the role that the City played during the Independence year of 1776...

MACTRAXX

I'd forgotten about the boat tram coming to Philadelphia back then--it did have to be regauged for Philadelphia.

Boat trams in "Frisco.". http://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/228 ... l-england/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Boat tram in San Francisco. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c79tKfagrOY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nbqgxxTc1U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Open air trams are a lovely idea. We had open top double decker buses on Fifth Avenue in New York when I was a kid. I miss them. I suppose you could find them all over the world. Here's a photo of a modern English one on its side.

My employer, NJ Transit, sold eleven PCC cars to San Francisco in 2001 when it went to the new vehicles. Transit's PCCs originally came from St. Paul-Mineapolis, Minnesota.
San Francisco has its collection of PCCs painted in the colors of various traction companies.

philipmartin wrote:Boat trams in "Frisco.". http://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/228 ... l-england/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Boat tram in San Francisco. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c79tKfagrOY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nbqgxxTc1U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Open air trams are a lovely idea. We had open top double decker buses on Fifth Avenue in New York when I was a kid. I miss them. I suppose you could find them all over the world. Here's a photo of a modern English one on its side.

My employer, NJ Transit, sold eleven PCC cars to San Francisco in 2001 when it went to the new vehicles. Transit's PCCs originally came from St. Paul-Mineapolis, Minnesota.
San Francisco has its collection of PCCs painted in the colors of various traction companies.

That bus is a Wilts and Dorset bus that runs between Bournemouth-Poole and Swanage. I often ride on it to visit Swanage. There is a roof which is fixed on it at this time of year until after Easter next year, but open during the summer. It's almost certainly resting beside the road between Swanage and the ferry. I recognise the vegetation. That area is dangerous for double deckers because the road is narrow and not all that level. I would think the driver may have swerved to avoid on-coming traffic and hit the edge of a ditch. Probably there would not have been serious damage.

Those open-top buses only run between the towns and the seaside resorts. In Bournemouth they start from the railway station bus station; in Poole from the bus station a short walk from the rail station.

What a coincidence that you should know the area, George. "driver may have swerved to avoid on-coming traffic." That's exactly what happened. A black Porsche was out of control, heading for him in this 2009 accident. Telegraph writeup: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -side.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

philipmartin wrote:What a coincidence that you should know the area, George. "driver may have swerved to avoid on-coming traffic." That's exactly what happened. A black Porsche was out of control, heading for him in this 2009 accident. Telegraph writeup: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -side.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

London tram accident - yesterday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37919658" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I suspect the driver was travelling too fast. He has been arrested.