Blackpool Car Show

Centenary 648 and Boat 600 passing Standard 147 at North Pier

The third Blackpool Car Show was held on Sunday 4th August this year, using the headlands at the Tower and Central Pier. As well as attracting a maximum number of vehicle entrants to the show, an enhanced Heritage Tram Tour service was provided which ran between the Pleasure Beach and Bispham. The four heritage trams operating the enhanced service were Bolton 66, Standard 147, Boat 600 and Centenary 648.

Centenary 648 at the temporary heritage stop near Central Pier

Bolton 66 passing the car show

A Jeep Wrangler in the Jurassic Park film colours

A 1962 Austin Healey 3000

A 1961 Ford Consul and 1964 Wolseley Hornet

A 1962 Mercedes-Benz 220

A 1972 Citroen DS

A line-up of Audi TTs

An American Ford Mustang

A couple of customised Minis near Central Pier

Tram Sunday

Lowbridge Leyland Atlantean 1805, new to Ribble in 1962, near Asda in Fleetwood

The annual Fleetwood Transport Festival was held this year on Sunday 21st July, the event being more commonly known as Tram Sunday. As well as the usual enhanced tram output from Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours, the Fylde Transport Trust ran a free heritage bus service between Freeport and Rossall Point, using four preserved buses from their collection.

Balloon 717 on Heritage Tram Tours at Ash Street in Fleetwood

Blackpool PD3 No 529 passing BTS Enviro 441 on Line 14 near Freeport

Blackpool AEC Swift 570 awaiting passengers at Freeport

Blackpool PD3 No 516 on Dock Street in Fleetwood

Brush 621 and Railcoach 680 on display in Pharos Street

Blackpool Leyland PD3 No 501 on display in Pharos Street

21st Leyland Society Gathering

Mike Sutcliffe's immaculate 1934 Todmorden Tiger TS6 with a Northern Counties body

The Leyland Society held their 21st annual Gathering at the British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland on Sunday 7th July. Around 50 commercial vehicles took part in the rally, mainly comprising Leyland trucks and buses, along with a few representative vehicles from Leyland Group manufacurers.

Southport 12, a 1950 Tiger PS2, with Lytham St Annes Lion 24 & Titan 10

Burnley Colne & Nelson 37, a 1953 Leyland Tiger PS2/14

Lytham St Annes 24, a 1934 Leyland Lion LT5A

A 1960 North Western Willowbrook bodied Leyland Tiger Cub

A 1922 Leyland flat bed lorry

A Leyland Lioness which was built in 1927 for King George V

Potteries Motor Traction L9766, a 1959 Atlantean PDR1 with Weymann bodywork

A 1933 Leyland Beaver in the colours of William Bowker

A line-up of preserved Leyland buses

Lytham St Annes 10, a 1948 Leyland PD2/1 with Leyland bodywork

A 1960 Leyland Octopus from the William Hunter collection

The first Leyland Comet built (in 1948), in the livery of Orient Coaches

1978 Leyland Lynx EYB 680T with an articulated tipping trailer

Ribble 1036, a 1961 Leyland Leopard with a Harrington Cavalier body

Ex BTS Trident debuts with Catch22Bus

Trident E20 BTS in Cleveleys heading for St Annes on the Coastliner 21 service

Former Blackpool Dennis Trident 353 (E20 BTS) is running back in its home town again in the striking colours of Catch22Bus Ltd. E20 BTS was originally owned by Bus Vannin on the Isle of Man before coming to the Fylde Coast to be part of Blackpool Transport's fleet. The Trident made its service debut with Catch22Bus on the Coastliner 21 service on Tuesday 2nd July.

E20 BTS crossing the tram tracks at Victoria Square in Cleveleys

E20 BTS at Central Pier in Blackpool on the service 21 to St Annes

New 11.8m ADL Enviro 200s

Enviro 561 leaving Church Street on the service 6 to Mereside

Blackpool Transport have recently added fifteen more ADL Enviro 200 single deck buses to their fleet, comprising eleven 11.8m examples (561-571) with 43 seats and an additional four 9.7m 34 seaters (217-220). The new buses entered service a week ago on 23rd June. The new Enviro 200s are painted in the now standard Palladium livery of grey and pale yellow, and are equipped with free WiFi, USB sockets and wireless phone charging built into the seat headrests. The 11.8m Enviros are planned to be assigned to services 6 and 7.

Enviro 563 on Talbot Road on service 7 to Cleveleys

Enviro 569 on the extended Service 7 to Clifton Hospital

Enviro 571 in Church Street on service 6 to Grange Park

A rear view of Enviro 570 in Corporation Street

The interior seating arrangement of 11.8m Enviro 562

Artwork on the rear bulkhead of Enviro 562

Short Enviro 220 turning from Cookson St into George St on service 4

Bolton 66 on test

Newly overhauled Bolton 66 taking a break from its test run at North Pier

Bolton 66 was noted out and about on the Promenade today on a test run after its overhaul at Rigby Road depot. 66 is expected to rejoin the active Heritage Tour fleet very soon.

Boat 600 passing newly overhauled Bolton 66 on test at North Pier

Bolton 66 on the loop track at North Pier

66 on body stands at Rigby Road Depot in May while its bogies were being worked on

Totally Models Trams & Buses

Optare Delta 133 passing Balloons 715 & 700 on Hopton Road

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of June saw the annual Totally Models event taking place at Rigby Road tram depot, to coincide with this event a Heritage Gold tram timetable was in operation on the Promenade. Heritage trams noted in use on the Saturday were Balloons 700, 713, 715 & 717, Brush 621, Standard 147 and Boats 227 & 600. Balloon 700 was in use on a Cabin to Hopton Road shuttle service, providing transport to the Totally Models event. A free shuttle bus service was also provided to and from Blundell Street, this used Optare Delta 133, Metrorider 859, open-top Olympian 857 and former South Yorkshire Dennis Dominator 2260.

Brush 621 leaving for Heritage Tour service along Hopton Road

Standard 147 passing Balloon 715 at North Pier

Balloon 713 at Manchester Square, following Balloon 717

Boat 600 approaching Central Pier

Boat 227 at Manchester Square

Balloon 700 on the Cabin to Hopton Road shuttle service

Optare Metrorider Handybus 589 on the free shuttle bus service

Olympian 857 at Blackpool North station on the free shuttle bus service