Blackpool 'Palace' car

1896 Blackpool 'Palace' car 13, at the Squires Gate terminus of the Lytham Road tram route c1918

A rare good quality photograph of a Blackpool 'Palace' car has recently been discovered, showing the tram at the Squires Gate terminus of the Lytham Road route, taken around 1918. As well as male and female tram crew visible in the photo, there are a number of personal from the Royal Army Medical Corps hospital, that was located at Squires Gate during the First World War. Number 13 was built at Lancaster in 1896, one of four trams constructed for Blackpool Corporation Tramways by the Lancaster Railway Carriage and Wagon Company. The Lancaster cars were the first bogie trams to be used in Blackpool, originally operating on the conduit tramway along the Promenade. The four Lancaster trams (Nos. 11 to 14) were built as open-toppers, but were later fitted with top covers in 1915, reverting to open top condition again in the early 20s, due to stability problems in high winds. The four 'Palace' trams were withdrawn from service at the end of 1925, and replaced by Blackpool Standards.

Reindeer Bus

Enviro 448 on Clifton Drive North at Squires Gate sporting a reindeer nose

Blackpool Transport ADL Enviro 448 was spotted on Clifton Drive North at Squires Gate on New Year's Eve, wearing a red reindeer nose.

Stockholm Trams

Flexity Classic 2 heading towards the city centre along Strandvägen

Stockholm is the capital city of Sweden and has a tram system consisting of four routes. During a very brief visit in 2018 only route 7 was observed, and at the time it was mostly being operated by Bombardier Flexity Classic trams. The six Flexity Classic trams in use on route 7 were delivered new in 2011, and unusually they were actually owned by the Norrköping public transport company, and only leased by SL Stockholm. In December 2020 the Flexity Classics were withdrawn and transported to Norrköping, they are being replaced by CAF Urbos model A35 three section trams.

Flexity Classic 1 crossing the Djurgården Bridge on route 7

Flexity Classic 6 heading inbound along Strandvägen on route 7

CAF Urbos UXL 461 outbound on Djurgårdsvägen on route 7

1920 Stockholm A1 tram 76 on Strandvägen operating heritage line 7N

MAN A23 Lion's City G 4074 on route 2 to Katarina-Sofia

Stockholm Red Buses 4, a 2012 Volvo B9RLE with UNVI Urbis 2.5 DD body

Tram rail on Cleveleys Beach

Tram rail and wooden board remaining from an old groyne on Cleveleys beach

Whilst going for a walk along the beach at Cleveleys the other day, I noticed a line of steel girders sticking out of the sand where an old wooden groyne used to be, most of the wooden boards have long since rotted away and a line of large boulders have replaced the old groyne. On closer inspection these turned out to be no ordinary steel girders, but sections of old tram rail driven deep into the sand.

A short section of tram rail sticking out of the sand

An end view of a barnacle encrusted piece of tram rail

Tram rail with Norbreck Castle Hotel visible in the distance

Tram rail along the alignment of the old groyne (now replaced by boulders)

Tallinn Trams

CAF Urbos AXL 519 on route 1 on Mere puiestee

Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, a country on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. Tallinn is the only city in Estonia to have a tramway, the system is comprised of four routes running over 12 miles of 3 ft 6 in gauge track. Trams operating on the system are Czech built Tatra KT4 and KTNF6s and Spanish CAF Urbos AXLs. The KTNF6 trams are former KT4s that have been extended with the addition of a low-floor middle section.

Tatra KT4 177 at Viru väljak

Tatra KTNF6 109 at the Mere puiestee tram stop

CAF Urbos AXL 513 on route 2 on Narva maantee

Tatra KT4 177 on route 2 passing tram 131 on Mere puiestee

Tatra KTNF6 103 on route 3 on Narva maantee

CAF Urbos AXL 517 with an overall advert for Air Baltic on route 4

Remembrance Day

Enviro 446 turning out of Rough Lea Road in Cleveleys on 7th November

A selection Blackpool Transport's trams and buses carried large poppies on their fronts in the days leading up to Remembrance Sunday on 8th November.

Flexity 016 heading north in Fleetwood on 7th November

Enviro 583 at Half Way House on Squires Gate Lane on 6th November

Flexity 006 approaching Cleveleys tram stop on 7th November

Enviro 422 on Rossall Road in Cleveleys on 7th November

Gothenburg Trams

M29 trams 848 & 824 on Line 2 at Drottningtorget

Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden and has a busy tram system comprising twelve routes running over 100 miles of track. The city's bus network is operated by a mixture of diesel, natural gas and electric powered vehicles. All the photos were taken during a visit in May 2018.

M29 tram 825 & M28 762 on Line 3 on Ostra Hamngatan

A pair of M28 trams led by 766 on Line 6 on Norra Hamngatan

M29 tram 823 & M28 702 on Line 3 at Drottningtorget

M29 tram 850 & M28 728 on Line 2 on Ostra Hamngatan

ASEA/MGB M31 tram 337 on Line 6 on Sodra Hamngatan

ASEA/MGB M31 tram 364 on Line 6 on Norra Hamngatan

AnsaldoBreda M32 tram 435 on Line 9 on Jarntorgsgatan

Preserved 1961 Hägglund M25 tram 582

Single M29 car 854 on driver training duties at Drottningtorget

Volvo 7500 articulated bus 3896 on route 16 on Norra Hamngatan

Solaris Urbino 15 LE CNG 2089 on route 50 at Stenpiren Resecentrum

Volvo electric bus 2038 on route 55 on Ostra Hamngatan

Volvo electric bus 2031 on route 55 on Ostra Hamngatan