Box Car 40 on tour to Fleetwood

Flexity 013 passes Box 40 stabled on the loop track at Fleetwood Ferry, while the party dine in the North Euston Hotel

The 'Friends of 40' hired Blackpool & Fleetwood Box Car 40 for their annual trip to the North Euston Hotel in Fleetwood today. The invited guests boarded the tram in Hopton Road and the tour then departed from the depot at 11:00. Box 40 headed off north as far as the Foxhall, where the trolley pole was reversed and the tram headed south over the crossover to the Pleasure Beach. After photo stops around the Pleasure Beach loop, including posing on the northbound running track alongside Brush 627, the party headed off to Little Bispham where another photo stop was made on the loop. 40 then headed back south to Bispham, before reversing to continue the journey north. On arrival at Fleetwood at 12:45 the guests disembarked at the stop in Bold Street, the tram then being stabled on the loop track alongside the Ferry buildings for around three hours, while the invited guests dined in the North Euston Hotel. After their lunch the party re-boarded Box Car 40 before heading south to Rigby Road tram depot, where the tour concluded.

Flexity 002 still on Driver Training

Flexity 002 sat on the centre track at Bispham on January 3rd while in use on driver training

Flexity 002 is still being used exclusively for driver training duties, two months after the tram came back from Bombardier in Germany, and over three weeks since it returned to use on December 10th. 002 was noted sat on the centre track at Bispham on the morning of 3rd January, a location where it spends a considerable amount of time parked up while in use on driver training.

FTS tour on Twin Set 272+T2

Twin Set T2+272 on the FTS tour, northbound on North Albert Street in Fleetwood

The Fylde Tramway Society ran a tour of the Blackpool Tramway system using heritage Twin Set 272+T2 on Saturday 29th December. The trams were only permitted to stop at designated Heritage Tour tram stops, which limited the places that photo stops could be made. Midway through the tour an hour break was taken at Fleetwood, with the set laying over on the Ferry loop between 13:50 and 14:50. The following photos were all taken while 272+T2 was in Fleetwood mid-afternoon.

T2+272 passing Fleetwood Hospital on North Albert Street, approaching the Bold Street terminus

T2+272 offloading its passengers at the Fleetwood Ferry stop in Bold Street, behind service Flexity 004

T2+272 laying over on the loop track adjacent to the Fleetwood Ferry building and cafe

Flexity 015 on its way to Starr Gate passes T2+272 at Fleetwood Ferry

T2+272 is passed by Flexity 014 on the service to Starr Gate, with the North Euston Hotel in the background

T2+272 on the loop at Fleetwood Ferry, with Pharos Street lighthouse in the background

T2+272 resuming the second half of the tour, seen here southbound in North Albert Street in Fleetwood

T2+272 with the FTS party back onboard head off southbound down Lord Street in Fleetwood

Last run of the Santa Express

The last run of the Western Train on the Santa Express specials was on the afternoon of 23rd December

The last day of the Santa Express excursions was on Sunday 23rd of December. The 14:00 departure from the Pleasure Beach on the last day saw reasonable loadings of passengers riding the Western Train on its round trip to Little Bispham. Hopefully the lessons learned during the three weekends of the Santa Express specials will see some improvement in the marketing and ticket arrangements, if similar specials are to planned for Christmas 2013.

The Rocket loses its shine

The Rocket is beginning to fade away on Gynn Square roundabout, with many of its lights no longer working now

While the Rocket has been illuminated again in the weeks running up to Christmas, it is now beginning to look a bit ragged around the edges with many of its lights no longer working. The tram looked pristine when it was first lit up for the illuminations, but the months it has spent on Gynn Square roundabout exposed to the elements have taken their toll on the lights, with the tram slowly fading away.

A side view of the Rocket on Gynn Square roundabout on December 18th

The Rocket seen during the Illuminations on 12th September

Flexity 008 receives NHS advert

Flexity 008 passing the Imperial Hotel with its new NHS advert warning of the dangers of high blood pressure

Flexity 008 entered service on Saturday 22nd December carrying a new National Health Service sponsored advert warning of the dangers of high blood pressure in Blackpool. The advert is on one side of the tram only, and each of the five sections of the Flexity carries a different phrase, unlike many of the adverts that repeat the text over several sections of the tram.

The centre section of 008, warning that high blood pressure is one of Blackpool's biggest killers

Flexity 008 northbound at Cleveleys, showing the opposite end of the new NHS sponsored high blood pressure advert

Reflections on the Flexity

Flexity 010 passing a puddle by the Sealife Centre, with the Lifeboat Station and the Tower also nicely reflected

A combination of a large puddle, very little wind, wall-to-wall sunshine and no people, enabled these two shots of Flexity cars 010 and 012 to be taken with the Tower in the background on the afternoon of December 18th.

Southbound Flexity 012 passes the same reflecting pool a few moments later