In fact the jewel of the north has the second oldest tram system in the UK. (Only Brighton preceded it.) Blackpool's line opened officially in September 1885, a mere six years after Siemens had first demonstrated electric traction. It was originally operated by the Blackpool Electric Tramway Company and latterly by Blackpool Corporation.
Because of the challenges of running a tram line along the coast (with frequent inundations of seawater and sand), the original design of a ground level electric conduit was soon abandoned in favour of overhead wiring.
Over the last hundred and forty years, a succession of classic trams have plied their trade along our seafront, single-deckers, double-deckers, open-top double-deckers, many of them manufactured in nearby Preston by United Electric, or English Electric Company, or Dick Kerr & Co.
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| Blackpool Tram (in service, 1970s) |
Nowadays the 'A' fleet comprises eighteen smart 'Flexity 2' trams built by Bombardier in Germany, but Blackpool Tramway also has a 'B' fleet of nine pre-WW2 'Balloon' trams which operate as part of the heritage tram attraction, plus a 'C' fleet comprising all sorts of weird and wonderful relics from the town's tram yesteryears, some dating back to 1904 and all maintained in working order for special outings on heritage tram days, the annual Tram Festival and during the Blackpool Illuminations.
The Tram Festival (known locally as Tram Sunday) is held every July. It has become the largest free vintage transport event in the country, featuring not just Blackpool's historic trams but vintage cars, vans, motorcycles and allied arts events celebrating the long history of transportation along the Fylde coast.
A few years ago, Lancashire Dead Good Poets were invited to take part in the annual Tram Sunday as one of the arts events. The plan was for us to ride on the heritage trams and perform tram and transport related poetry to the passengers as the vehicles travelled up and down the line. We had microphones and portable PA for the purpose, so we could be heard above the noise.
However, it didn't quite work out like that because most of the paying passengers were hardened tram enthusiasts who had come to Blackpool especially to ride these old trams. They didn't want to listen to a bunch of poets reciting away. They wanted absolute silence so they could hear the sounds of the trams themselves. They wanted to savour every last rumble, squeak, whir, clang and vibration of the ride, getting carried back into some golden age of tram travel in the process. So we shut up and listened too.
That was the inspiration for today's new poem...
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| Blackpool Tram (retired, now) |
Song Of The Vintage Tram
Shut up and listen, the old chap said,
so we did on a perfect summer's day
to the bump and grind of wheels on
rails, the creak of wood and steel as
we trundled along the prom, clanging
at intervals, serenaded by the circling
gulls. But he, with eyes closed in rapt
concentration, saw nothing of crowds
of bronzed holiday-makers enjoying
fun in the Blackpool sun. Neither did
we see the pale girl sitting beside him
as he, lost in a symphony of machines
battling the whip of the wind, the lash
of the rain, chorus of passengers long
since gone, revelled in the song of the
tram, music to ancient ears. The only
thing missing, a warm fug of tobacco
smoke (outlawed by the nanny state)
hardly diminished his pleasure in the
ride or in the ghost of a girl at his side.
Postscript: If you were wondering about the strange title I've given today's blog - seeing as it patently is about trams - that's because we Dead Good Bloggers have had a bit of an issue with Facebook this week. They have seen fit to remove two posts from our Lancashire Dead Good Poets' Society Facebook page that contained links to the earlier blogs from Pam and Terry about trams, claiming that such posts have contravened some mysterious Facebook community standard!
Thanks for reading, S ;-)
13 comments:
I loved your blog and poem. ❤️
I didn't realise the Blackpool trams had such a long history. I've seen them when I've visited but never been on one. I enjoyed your funny story and the beautifully imagined poem.
I've never been to Blackpool. It's at the other end of the country. But you're a good ambassador for it and I really liked the poem.
That's a funny story, but at least you got a good poem out of it. 👏
Living dangerously, Steve.
I love the heritage trams that are all covered in lights during the illuminations. And it is a delightful poem - what a lovely idea.
Ha! Ha! Slam the tram doors, the poets are coming. 😂
What a great read, and a lovely poem. What's up with Facebook there days?
We must get up to Blackpool again some time. I loved your funny Tram Sunday story and even more the poem. It has such lovely lines and is a sweet tale.
I had no idea the distance from Starr Gate to Fleetwood was eleven miles. Much further than I thought.
Also I would have thought they would have needed more than 18 trams to keep the service going so smoothly.
OMG. Poets reciting on the tram. You were lucky to get off in one piece.
Really liked the poem and the lead up to the last line.
What a strange day it was at Tram Sunday. Never have poets been so quiet. Lovely narrative and the poem is great fun Steve.
Shock news! Blackpool Council announces it is suspending the heritage tram service indefinitely... “Following a thorough review, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our Heritage Tram Tours. Operating the Heritage Trams alongside our modern fleet has become increasingly challenging, with issues such as depot space, tram movements, general safety and maintenance conflicts making it difficult to continue running the service effectively."
I just heard, no more heritage trams. You've jinxed it mate. Good blog though and interesting poem.
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