Standard 143 on a Test Run

Standard 143 on Hopton Road after returning from a Promenade test run

Standard 143 went for a test run along the Promenade to the Pleasure Beach on Wednesday 9th March. 143 is being tested to check out a replacement traction motor that has been fitted. After initial testing the tram will undergo further test runs in order to accumulate additional mileage to ensure that the tram is fit to enter heritage service.

Standard 143 arriving back at Hopton Road after its test run along the Promenade

Standard 143 sat on Hopton Road after its Promenade test run

Standard 143 being trolleyed into the fitting shop after its test run

Balloon 700 on Heritage Tours

Balloon 700 heading north on a Promenade Tour at Cocker Square

Saturday 5th March saw wartime liveried Balloon 700 operating both the morning Coastal Tour to Fleetwood and the afternoon Promenade Tour in Blackpool, luckily the weather was glorious sunshine for most of the day.

700 on the Fleetwood Coastal Tour, passing the former Jolly Sailor pub on Radcliffe Road

Flexity 017, Balloon 700 & Enviro 232 in Fleetwood on route 74 to Preston

Balloon 700 passing Flexity 014 at the temporary Fisherman's Walk terminus

Balloon 700 heading to its layover spot at Ash Street in Fleetwood

Flexity 017 & Balloon 700 with Enviro 456 passing by on route 14 to Fleetwood

Trams terminating at Fisherman's Walk

Balloon 717 arriving at Fisherman's Walk, with Flexity 009 waiting to depart for Starr Gate

All Fleetwood bound trams are currently terminating at Fisherman's Walk at the south end of Lord Street, due to ongoing gas main work further along the line. Here are a few photos of Balloon 717 on the morning Coastal Tour to Fleetwood on Sunday 27th February.

Balloon 717 using the crossover at Ash Street

Flexity 013 and Balloon 717 at the tram stop at Fisherman's Walk

Balloon 717 on its Coastal Tour layover break at Ash Street

Flexity 012 arriving at the temporary northern terminus at Ash Street

A profile view of Balloon 717 and Flexity 012 at Ash Street

A full length side view of Flexity 012 alongside Balloon 717 at Ash Street

Balloon 717 passing Fleetwood fire station on its way back to Blackpool

Colas Rail HSTs visit Blackpool

The Network Rail Track Inspection train at Layton Station with Colas HST 43251 at the rear

A Network Rail Track Inspection train visited Blackpool North railway station on Friday 25th February. The inspection train was top and tailed by Colas Rail HST power cars 43251 & 43257, and left Blackpool North as 179Q bound for the Derby Railway Technical Centre at 1411.

Colas Rail HST 43257 powering the inspection train through Layton Station

Colas Rail HST 43257 at the head of the inspection train at Blackpool North

February Heritage Weekend

Balloon 715 heading south near the Imperial Hotel

Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours held a Vintage Weekend on February 19th & 20th. Saturday morning saw a snow blizzard for a short while, permitting shots of trams in the snow, however the snow soon thawed and by the afternoon glorious blue skies were the order of the day. Green and cream trams dominated the days output, and as the weather on Sunday was dull, wet and very windy, all the shots here were taken on the Saturday.

Brush Car 621 passing the Cliffs Hotel at North Shore

Centenary 648 southbound near the Imperial Hotel

Brush 631 passing the Cherry Blossom Hotel at Warley Road

Balloon 715 at Little Bispham heading north to Thornton Gate

Balloon 718 at the Imperial Hotel on a heritage tour to Fleetwood

Balloon 717 at Little Bispham with snow still lying on the grass

Balloon 715 at West Drive in Cleveleys, returning to North Pier

Just for comparison, Balloon 715 in Cleveleys several hours earlier in driving snow!

Cleveleys Winter Wonderland

Balloon 715 at Cleveleys, heading back to Blackpool from Thornton Gate

The Fylde Coast was hit by snow on Saturday 19th February, even more unusually the snow actually stuck for a while. Here are a few shots of trams passing through Cleveleys on Saturday morning before the snow thawed.

Flexity 017 southbound in Cleveleys

Centenary 648 on a Heritage Tour to Fisherman's Walk in Fleetwood

Flexity 005 heading north at West Drive in Cleveleys

Preston's Filthy Buses

Wright StreetLite WF 20174 looking as if it's just been on an army assault course

Thursday 20th January was forecast to be a sunny day, so I thought that I'd pay a visit to Preston to photograph some of the recent Preston Bus repaints into their new blue livery. On arriving in Preston the weather was glorious, unfortunately the same couldn't be said of the Preston Bus fleet. What greeted me was buses running in service that looked as if they'd just been driven straight off an army assault course, covered in mud, not to mention several Wright StreetDecks having had their lower body panels swapped with similar vehicles, but displaying different fleet names! The single deck buses seemed to be in the worst condition, with many buses in breach of regulation 45 of the "The Public Service Vehicles Regulations 1981", i.e. not displaying legal lettering on the nearside of the vehicle. Some buses had had the legal lettering washed clean, but most had simply been covered over with mud again. Many buses were also noted with large diesel stains down the side of their bodies around the area of the filler cap. All in all a pretty disgraceful state of affairs, especially as the other bus companies operating into Preston Bus Station were mostly using relatively clean and smart vehicles, which made Preston's bus fleet look even worse. The state of the buses is a bit of a mystery, unless they are being stored in a muddy yard or field overnight.

Optare Solo SR 20706 running around the bus station on Carlisle Street

Optare Solo SR 20883 approaching the bus station on Lords Walk, with the legal lettering totally obscured

Wright StreetLite DF 20158 looking pretty filthy on Carlisle Street

Diamond Bus StreetDeck 40735 with mismatching Preston Bus lower body panels fitted

Wright Eclipse 30862 with unsightly diesel stains as well as mud on the body

Optare Solo SR 20402 with the legal lettering washed clean of mud

Diamond Bus Wright StreetDeck 40725 that seems to think it's a Preston Bus as well