Blackpool Tramway May Vintage Weekend Day 1

A selection of footage from Day 1 of the May Vintage Weekend on Blackpool Tramway

[@MrTrundleon]

Fantastic footage, thanks for posting! I am a motorman for the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society, we operate a Standard double decker tram from Blackpool, #48. It was built in 1927 and shipped from there in 1960. It's a joy to share the unique (to us) conveyance with the rest of us Yanks.

[@tingstad27]

single dack is unorthodox

[@dieselfan7406]

Thanks for the vids. Is the 1910 Dreadnought still running? Bolton tram if I remember correcxtly.

[@StevenHughestransportvideos]

Sadly not the dreadnought tram is on static display at the National Tramway Museum in Derbyshire

[@dieselfan7406]

@@StevenHughestransportvideos Thanks Steve.

[@1701_FyldeFlyer]

The heritage trams should have the overhead wire pole re instated and those pantographs removed.

[@StevenHughestransportvideos]

To some extend I agree, all depends on which livery they are in. The issue is the modern overheads have some sections which trolley poles are problematic and have to be walked through. Of course trams like the centenary cars only had pantographs and 1980/80s liveried trams would have had pantographs so trolley poles would look wrong on those.

[@1171karl]

@@StevenHughestransportvideos I was wondering why the trolley poles had gone. If I remember correctly most of the trams had these in the 80s, although there were a few being tested with pantographs, plus the 'new' trams like 761/2, 648 etc

[@StevenHughestransportvideos]

@@1171karl the pantograph is more reliable. Trolley poles can easily dewire on frogs etc. They also need space to turn where as a pantograph doesn't. In the 1980s the transfer to Pantograph made sense as it reduced the issues faced by the daily crews. Certainly from a general service point of view being able to just change ends without having to turn the trolley makes operation a lot easier. It also removes the risk of the trolley arm going a different way to the tram.