# Unusual Trams in Blackpool England



## stanman (Jan 4, 2008)

Take a look at the catenary pickup on these trams. 

The only reason I can think of that the catenary is so high is that they may have had double-decker trams at one time. Does anyone know if my guess is right? 


Blackpool Trams


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## Clive Elesmore (Jan 13, 2008)

Not only did they but they still do. I do not have them here but I will try and fish out some pictures when I am on the mainland again. I am sure if you google you will find them.


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## Dennis Paulson (Jan 2, 2008)

Well that is different , thanks for the link to the video , enjoyed that .


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## davidarf (Jan 2, 2008)

Stan 

Both single deck and double are still in regular use in Blackpool. There are lots of pictures on the web - a couple of examples are at: 



















Regards 

David


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Dennis - over here in UK we have a thriving small and large-scale model tramway society whose members exhibit their beautiful models at a number of large-scale shows throughout the year. 

They are they are usually well-represented at the biggest large-scale show at Llanfair at the end of August. 

tac


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## Great Western (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Stan and Dennis, 

You may have seen this Museum site before but just in case you haven't: 

www.tramway.co.uk 

I am sure it will be of interest to many others as well.


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## stanman (Jan 4, 2008)

Nice site, Alan! Someday I'd sure like to "drive the tram for a day"...


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

Great site. But they still drive on the wrong side of the road.


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## Great Western (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Madman on 05/27/2008 8:06 PM
Great site. But they still drive on the wrong side of the road.



Hi Dan, 
Not quite true. They mostly ran in the MIDDLE of the road, They caused inconvenience to automobile users - so they had to go - it also meant that people had to cross part of the road to reach the tramcar when boarding it. 
In many cities, once the trams had left the downtown area, they gained a central reserved track which left other road users two roads either side and separate from their area. (rather like some American railroads) 
I would post pics, but a) I can't see how to and 
b) maybe only 1st, Class members can do this


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## samevans (Jan 3, 2008)

The Blackpool system was the first electric tramway in the UK and, until the recent reintroduction of trams to major cities, the last. The pantographs are relatively new, when I was younger they still used trolley poles. Blackpool is one of the largest of not the largest seaside resort in the UK and was popular with the workers from the industrial centres of the NW. The tramway now runs fom the southern border of Blackpool on its own trackway on the promenade. To the north it has its own reservation away from the prom until it gets to the Town of Fleetwood where it runs in the street. Fleetwood is a ferry port for Ireland and used to have a major fishing fleet as well as docks. The trackage internal to Blackpool town itself has been long gone

At the end of the season the Blackpool prom is lit up with fancy lights, the 'Illuminations', which are best viewed from a double deck tram. The tram fleet also includes illuminated tramcars, I remember there being one tricked out as a space rocket, and another as a US 'Western' Locomotive. See...

http://blackpooltrams.fotopic.net/c51057.html

A number of odd designs have been used including open single deck cars, but probably the strangest was the old double deck 'Dreadnought' Car. Each end had two sets of stairs to the top, either siide of the motorman's central cabin> See...

TSO (FTS) Blackpool Tramcar Fund (PDF file)

I believe the idea was to facilitate fast loading and unloading. I believe the name came from the resemblance of the front to the bows of the old 'Dreadnought' Battleships.

There was also a steeple cab loco used to move coal wagons along the tramway, to a facility at Thornton's Gate. 
Hope that this is of interest. 
Sam E


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Sam

Thanks for the links and info, very interesting.


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## stanman (Jan 4, 2008)

I love the illuminated and decorated trams! I think it's Blackpool's answer to Pasadena's Rose Bowl Parade.


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## Great Western (Jan 2, 2008)

Not only battleships and tramcars but railway passenger carriages have been known as dreadnoughts. 

The UK Great Western Railway had various cars, made around the turn of the 19th/20th. century and the Metropolitain Railway which ran in the London area also had a dreadnought or two. 

A preserved GWR car is at Didcot : www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk 

and details of the the Met one are at : www.vintagecarriagetrust.org


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## Dennis Paulson (Jan 2, 2008)

/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sick.gif


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## samevans (Jan 3, 2008)

> OMG , now I think Ive seen about everything , not really , but that just 
> proves , don't ever say they didn't ever do something . 
> We can run just about anything that we want to ! 


It may prove it was done somewhere do but it does not mean the latter. All it proves is that you can if you wish, emulate British illuminated trams specific to one system. Trying to run same on tramway based on anywhere else in the world would look faintly ridiculous. I do object to folk taking a specialised circumstance and then trying to represent it as every day.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By samevans on 06/10/2008 7:18 AM
> OMG , now I think Ive seen about everything , not really , but that just 
> proves , don't ever say they didn't ever do something .  
> We can run just about anything that we want to !  
It may prove it was done somewhere do but it does not mean the latter. All it proves is that you can if you wish, emulate British illuminated trams specific to one system. Trying to run same on tramway based on anywhere else in the world would look faintly ridiculous. I do object to folk taking a specialised circumstance and then trying to represent it as every day.




While I agree that way too often people see one thing and assume all kinds of additional data of their own fancy about it... like archeologists that find a large boulder with a bone near it and invent a whole societal religion of violent sacrifice based on the find. It might very well be true that the boulder was placed at that point as some sort of alter or memorial by humans and the bone might represent a sacrifice that was performed there, but that doesn't mean it was a whole society that was bent on spilling blood and did it morning, noon, and night. It might very well be that one idiot did it once and the people around him decided he was nuts and had him committed to the grass-hut for the terminally looney, never to be seen again. 

Still, if on a garden railway someone wants to run a certain type of train from one venue in a representatin of a different venue, then what is to stop them? In no way can any garden train set be a true miniature copy of any real railroad at any time in its past. It can only be some minor and FICTIONAL representation. Since it HAS to be fictional in some manner, then what is to stop someone from taking that fiction to the extreme in any way that they feel like it? 

If the Blackpool trams were decorated a certain way, then why not represent the Chicago and North Western running a transcontenental coal unit trains decorated the same way? And maybe pulled by a hand car powered by Mickey Mouse and Goofy, and pushed by Charlie Brown and Lucy on a motorcycle?!?


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## Great Western (Jan 2, 2008)

What is not apparent in the threads is that for a couple of months, around fall, to extend the short holiday season that they have in northern England (compared to the longer warmer ones of the south)the town of Blackpool has its "illuminations". This has been an annual affair for a very long time - I went there 55 years ago as a youngster. I can't say I cared for the place: it was noisy, brash and aromatic (beer, fried onions and vomit!) 
However the whole town, including its famous tower (not as tall as the Eiffel), is illuminated as well as the tramcars. It is by and large a great success and is well supported by a large proportion of the population of the UK. It is usually opened by a "celebrity". It is, I am sure, due to the success, and profitability of the illuminations that the trams are still running. 
I gather there are "illuminated" trains in the States, usually at Christmastime.


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## stanman (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By Great Western on 06/10/2008 2:54 PM
I gather there are "illuminated" trains in the States, usually at Christmastime. 


I have seen thousands of illuminated boats, but never a train...


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

The local short line here (CRANDIC) decorates a Diesel at Christmas. The first time I saw it I was on a bridge crossing the river late one night and it was on another bridge. I thought I was seeing a big sign on the other side of the river, but I could not figure out where it was. The combination of me moving AND it moving screwed up the perspective. I had to turn around to go see it again and by that time it was gone. I wandered all around trying to find where the big sign went and when I had given up and was headed home I got stopped by a train and there it was! All the handrails and supports have a string of lights, there are strings of lights outlining the outer edges of the body, frame and end sills, and hoops of lights suspended along side of each wheel so the wheels look like they are lit up. Quite a sight to see it pulling a consist of grain hoppers and cornsyrup tankers at midnight.


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Aghast!!! /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/shocked.gif 

In that case, Sir, you need to come south to Oregon at Christmas time and see the SP&S Northern #700 or even the Daylight GS-4 on the Santa Claus Specials! 

Or nip over the border to see the CP Christmas Specials - ALL lit up from end to end!!! 

If you search for the #700 website you'll be able to view a gallery of lit-up train shots over the years, and if you log onto the amazing website of train nut Brian MacCamish - 

http://picasaweb.google.com/wpandyr/BR70073Boggerla 

You'll see even more!  

Best wishes 

tac


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