Blackpool Tram Events

This official souvenir DVD of the 125th anniversary events week will be launched at The Blackpool Tram Shop at North Pier on Saturday 23rd October (this is the first day of the busy half term week). Call into the shop and get your copy! If you can't make it, don't worry, simply order online and your DVD will be posted out on Monday 25th October.

The Blackpool Tramway - In 1885 it was Britain's first electric tramway - 125 years later, it is now Britain's last traditional tramway and all this will change in 2012.

To mark the 125th anniversary a series of special events were held over a week-long period in September 2010.

With a running time of 100 minutes this DVD takes a day-by-day look at the events from this memorable week.

Starting with a full introduction to all the visiting Vintage cars, coverage begins on Thursday 23rd September with cars 304, 632 and Liverpool 762 on enthusiasts tours; on Friday cars 31, 513 and 715 were running and then it's the main Saturday event.

Filmed in fantastic sunny weather, see the various Vintage cars and normal cars on specials. Rack 2, Stockport 5 and Fleetwood 40 are all featured plus 147, 513, 706 and various Twin cars and Balloons.

An open day was held at the bus and tram depot on the Sunday and with various vehicles on display it was a fantastic opportunity to see behind the scenes. See the numerous buses and trams and some of the now withdrawn trams stabled in the shed.

The Vintage tram tours continued on the Monday with cars 2, 40 and 31 running between Bispham and Pleasure Beach and on the Tuesday, daytime and evening tours saw cars 5, 66, 762 and Manchester 765 in action with 147, 513 and 706 out and about.

The final day - Wednesday 29th September - was the official 125th anniversary day which saw thousands of enthusiasts and wellwishers lining the promenade to see the procession of tram cars run from Pleasure Beach to Bispham.

Headed by the 1898-built Rack 2, the eight car cavalcade showed the development of the Blackpool fleet through the years including Boat car 600 and Coronation car 660. At the rear of the parade was OMO car 8, making its debut at the event and duly becoming the first OMO car to run in Blackpool since 1993.

Filmed from a superb vantage point on the top of an open top bus, the cavalcade is seen twice, firstly on south promenade and then on its way back at Cabin.

With the Supertrams on the horizon and the tramway due to change beyond all recognition, the 125th anniversary of this remarkable and world famous tramway was marked in spectacular style and this official souvenir DVD tells the story.

100 minutes

Click here to order 125th Anniversary DVD

The Blackpool Tramway 125th Anniversary Week is now over. Bryan Lindop from Blackpool Transport writes:

“From the very positive feedback that we have received it is becoming clear that the 125th Anniversary Celebrations of the Blackpool Tramway have been very popular, very well received and remarkably successful. Bearing in mind that we have endeavoured to achieve a Champagne event on a beer budget, I think that it is even more remarkable that we have so successfully achieved our aims.
 
I cannot praise highly enough the outstanding support provided to me by a group of very hardworking committee members who have all played their part in bringing together a selection of event ingredients which would have been impossible to achieve without a shared workload. The exceptional working relationship that we have enjoyed with our partner museums, sponsors and local society groups has been second to none and I am both proud and honoured to have had an opportunity to work with everyone involved.
 
Blackpool Transport's dedicated team of engineers, combined with the generous support of Crich’s own staff, made the impossible possible and despite a remarkable (and seemingly endless) series of technical difficulties, the engineering workforce remained upbeat and optimistic and achieved great results.  
 
I am also impressed and delighted with the unprecedented support from Blackpool Transport's own staff and the many volunteers who gave their time freely, unstintingly and dedicatedly to achieve a very successful and historic depot open day. Without the sheer enthusiasm of all involved, many of whom had neither food, drink or so much as a sit down from start to finish, the event could not have succeeded. It was a first class team effort without which, we could not have achieved what we did. My heartfelt thanks and admiration go out to you all.
 
By staging these events, Blackpool Transport not only put the tramway in the spotlight, we put Blackpool in the spotlight and it was fantastic! The press coverage was exemplary and the crowds on the promenade reminded me of the good old days.”

Raffle numbers from the Open Day.  

Some photographs of the event week can be found in our gallery.

2010 is the 125th anniversary of Blackpool's famous electric trams - one of the very first in the world and the first in the UK. Various events will take place during the year, including the showpiece Anniversary Week in 23 to 29 September.

On this website you can find out about:

• The 125th Anniversary Week of Events
• The Depot Open Day
• A brief history of the Blackpool Tramway
• Profiles of the Vintage Trams expected to operate in 2010
• Tram Souvenirs from the Blackpool Tram Shop
• The tram driving experience.

North Pier by Tram
An Introduction to Blackpool’s Tramway History
by Brian Turner
AVAILABLE NOW!

NORTH PIER BY TRAM is the story of 125 years of the Blackpool tramway, as seen from its centre at North Pier.

It contains 50,000 words in 23 chapters, illustrated with 100 historical black-and-white photographs (most of them previously unpublished), plus 100 colour pictures by Brian Turner, who has been recording and researching the tramway for the past fifty years. The story is interspersed with portraits of the Blackpool tramway at its jubilees in 1910, 1935, 1960 and 1985, and is accompanied by comprehensive all-time fleet details, car by car.

• Limited Edition of 1000 copies
• Signed and certified by the author
• £29.95 (including postage)
• 144 pages
• Hardback
• Printed on gloss art paper

Order your copy of 'North Pier by Tram' here

Price: £29.95 (including postage)