Arnside Garden Tramway

1:16 scale Liverpool Baby Grand 245 and Barrow 45 on the garden tramway

On Saturday 24th June, the North Lancashire group of the Tramway & Light Railway Society held their annual monthly meeting in the picturesque seaside village of Arnside in Cumbria, the venue of the meeting being the 3.5 inch gauge (1:16 scale) garden tramway of Jon Allen. In addition to Jon's own garden layout there were two visiting G scale tracks, one running trams and the other narrow gauge steam locomotives.

1:16 scale Cardiff water car 131 towing a linecar trailer

A 1:16 scale Blackpool Boat having just passed through the modelling shed

A 1:16 scale model of Barrow 45 at the terminus

Belgian Vicinal car 9433 on the visiting G scale track in the front garden

A G scale Kitson steam tram locomotive and trailer

A 1:16 scale model of Darwen Corporation Milnes Voss Demi-car 15 built by Richard Hargreaves

A partly completed 1:16 scale model of Southport Tramways Company Demi-car 21

A live steam G scale model of 0-4-0 tank engine Wilhelm

Beware of giant female blackbirds feeding along the tram track

Flexity 017 Affinity Advert

Flexity 017 in Pharos Street with its new Fleetwood Affinity Shopping Outlet advert

Flexity 017 has been noted in service carrying an advert for the Affinity Shopping Outlet at Fleetwood, formerly known as Freeport. Whereas the previous Freeport adverts on Flexity 016 were ambitious all over pictorial affairs, the Affinity advert on Flexity 017 is merely a bargain basement banner advert, on one side of the tram only.

Flexity 017 on North Albert Street displaying its new Affinity advert

The Affinity advert on the centre section of Flexity 017

Flexity 016 with the second version of the Freeport Fleetwood overall advert in 2015

Flexity 016 with the first version of the Freeport Fleetwood overall advert in 2014

2023 Cleveleys Car Show

A 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray with a 6,2 litre V8 engine

After a four year absence, the popular Cleveleys Car Show has finally returned, the event last taking place in June of 2019. The Covid pandemic put paid to the 2020 show, then Wyre Council contrived to stymie any further shows for 2021 and 2022. Sunday 11th June began with the usual glorious sunshine that we've been experiencing during recent weeks, and the entrants cars began to assemble on Victoria Road West and the Promenade from early on Sunday morning. By mid morning the town was thronging with visitors, but fortunately most of the photos shown here were obtained before the seething masses arrived.

A 1955 Chevrolet 210 sedan and Chevrolet 3100 pickup in front of the shops on Victoria Road

A slightly modified Volkswagen Beetle on the sea wall of Cleveleys Promenade

A modern roadster in the style of a 1930s Duesenberg

A 2016 Ford Focus RS 2.3T

A Mini Cooper S 1600T rally car sponsored by Blackpool and The Fylde College

A 1956 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special

A Blackpool built TVR Cerbera Speed 12, one of only two road legal versions made

A rare vehicle in the UK is this American 1973 Ford Econoline van

A highly modified low rider custom car

A classic mid 1960s Ford Mustang with a 289 cubic inch V8 engine

An immaculate 1979 Mini pickup with a 1275cc engine

An ex US Army REO M35 6x6 Cargo Truck

And Then There Were Three

The scrapped remains of 678 sit between Brush 637 and Twin Set 673/683 at Wyre Dock

The number of Blackpool trams in open storage at Wyre Dock in Fleetwood has now been reduced to three. Last week Railcoach 678 was scrapped in situ at the dock, with some parts being saved to help secure the future of other preserved trams. Centenary Car 641 was removed from the site first before being dismantled, parts from this tram have also been salvaged and retrieved for further use. This leaves just Brush 637 and Twin Set 673/683 which are still looking for new homes.

A pile of remains from scrapped Railcoach 678 at Wyre Dock

More parts saved from the scrapping of Railcoach 678

Railcoach 678 looking in rather a sad state in February

The site in the storage yard that Centenary 641 was removed from last week

Centenary 641 in open storage at Wyre Dock in February 2023

Twin Set cars 683 and 673 still remain in storage at Wyre Dock