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 In December 2020 the Flexity Classics were withdrawn and transported to Norrköping, they are being replaced by CAF Urbos model A35 three section trams.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

Trident Driver Trainer

Dennis Trident Driver Trainer 973 on the Promenade near the Imperial Hotel

Dennis Trident Driver Trainer 973 (ex 303) was spotted passing Wilton Parade on the Promenade while on driver training duties on 14th October.

Cambridge Busway

13.4m tri-axle Volvo B8L 13901 leaving Histon heading towards Cambridge

The Cambridgeshire Busway is the longest guided busway in the world, with the guided sections of the route totalling 16 miles. The Busway opened in 2011, with the concrete guide tracks laid mostly on former railway alignments. There were two routes operating on the Busway at the time of my visit, Route A operates between St Ives and Trumpington Park & Ride, south of Cambridge, Route B runs between Hinchingbrooke Hospital at Huntingdon and Central Cambridge. The services are operated by Stagecoach East who have invested £5 million in the purchase of 18 new buses for use on the Busway, comprising twelve 13.4 metre tri-axle Volvo B8Ls with ADL Enviro 400XLB twin-door double-deck bodies (13901-13912) and six Volvo B8RLEs with MCV Evora single-deck bodywork (21363-21368).

Volvo B7RLE 21227 having just left the Histon busway stop.

Volvo B7RLE 21232 at Histon

Volvo B8L 13911 crossing Station Road in Histon

Volvo B8RLE 21367 with MCV Evora bodywork at Histon

Volvo B8L 13910 arriving in Histon

Volvo B7RLE 21228 crossing Station Road in Histon

Volvo B8L 13904 entering the guided track heading north at Histon

Volvo B8L 13902 rejoining the guided busway at Histon

Grand Central Blackpool to London Service Scrapped

DB 90039 with Grand Central test train 3P51 approaching Blackpool North on 20th March

Sadly the proposed new Grand Central rail service from Blackpool North to London Euston has been shelved due to the poor economic situation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier in the year, in March, several route learning trains had been run to Blackpool North using Class 90 electric locos hauling former LNER Mark 4 coaches. The test trains were suspended due to Covid-19, but unfortunately this latest news seals the fate of what would have been a bright new venture in rail travel from Blackpool.

DVT 82231 leading Grand Central test train 3K83 through Poulton-le-Fylde on 20th March

DB 90039 on Grand Central test train 3K83, passing Layton station on 16th March

DB 90019 leading Grand Central test train 3K83 into Kirkham & Wesham on 6th March