Haywain
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What would be the benefit in removing them?
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Blackpool Trams News
- Thread starter davehsug
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Aside from avoiding the obviously poor ride when the trams pass over them, just general professionalism and ‘doing a good job’, I suppose! Presumably long disused pointwork would carry a significantly increased risk of failure, although clearly that hasn’t happened here.
How long does promenade tramway rail last usually - I suppose the pointwork would be replaced with plain line when it does eventually become life expired.
bluegoblin7
Established Member
Some of the disused pointwork on the prom (the Foxhall crossovers) were actually provided for the upgrade for potential depot provision at the Rigby Road/Blundell Street site.
The upgrade was very much bargain basement with decisions being left for as long as possible. Despite the issues, if there wasn't an upgrade there probably wouldn't be a tramway at all nowadays.
The upgrade was very much bargain basement with decisions being left for as long as possible. Despite the issues, if there wasn't an upgrade there probably wouldn't be a tramway at all nowadays.
Ah, that is interesting! It has plenty of life in it, then?!
Absolutely agree, the system couldn’t have stumbled on as it was. You do have to wonder if the sums were skewed greatly by the ‘deprived Norff’ aspect; regardless I’m very glad it remains.
Leedsbusman
Member
but for how long? They can’t seem to keep the full fleet running at just 14 years old. The oldest track is 25 years old, most north of Cleveleys is 20+ years old too. The overhead infra in Blackpool was renewed in 1994 so 32 years old. At some point another upgrade will be needed and Blackpool is back to needing central funding for a tramway that is no where near its patronage forecasts! It carried 4.4mn in 2024/5 - 6.4% down on the year before and about the same as in 2003!
What is particularly frustrating about this is that these figures are almost certainly being negatively impacted by the poor service currently being provided - if you offer something which is effectively unusable, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that people don’t use it.
I have no doubt that when major work is required the money will be forthcoming; no government wants to be seen as abandoning ‘The North’, and the historic aspect of Blackpool’s system would give an extra layer of shock & negativity to the reporting if were ever to close. That being said, it seems painfully clear that a vastly different approach is needed to what very much appears to be a current strategy of managed decline.
Surely that leads to the old sheds where the old cars are......would still be in use if the legacy cars were still in use
Even going back to the years leading up to COVID, the service was often insufficient at the busiest times, leading to crush loading, passengers being left behind, conductors unable to take fares etc. They were probably carrying a fair few more people than the figures suggested at times.
I personally changed my pattern of when I visited a couple of times to try and avoid these peak times, and try and go when a decent service was being provided, until this year when (for the first time in over 20 years) I'm simply not even bothering at all.
There's the set of points leading down Lytham Road into the tram sheds, but there were a set of points replaced (and some more pointwork added if I remember rightly) in 2008 a bit further north at Foxhall in readiness for a potential Depot on the old Blundell Street site (now houses).
I assumed those two lines were equally elderly and simply ran into different sides of the same site
The line into Rigby Road was of course still in use until the recent suspension of heritage operations, and will have been used when certain heritage cars were transferred from there to Starr Gate. It remains to be seen what might become of it if Rigby Road shed is demolished; I doubt the funds exist to lift the track given the wider financial issues.
I should really know this as a frequent visitor to Blackpool but can anyone please tell me the last time any of the trams were used from Rigby Road Tram Shed? The last time I was up close it was in a very sorry state and do wonder how damaged the trams are that are in store there.
How many heritage trams are in store in the modern depot ?
How many heritage trams are in store in the modern depot ?
Wandering Pom
Member
The relevant thread in the "heritage" forum will probably be of interest, though I don't know if it exactly answers your questions: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/blackpool-heritage-tram-operations-suspended.278086/
The ORR have served an Improvement Notice over failing to failing to manage bogie wear.
www.bbc.co.uk
Blackpool Trams given 17 days for urgent repairs by watchdog
A watchdog says there is a risk of "derailment or collision" of Blackpool's trams, linked to worn components.
www.bbc.co.uk
Interestingly, my reading of the ORR statement seems quite clear that the issue is maintenance itself, however BT say the following:The ORR have served an Improvement Notice over failing to failing to manage bogie wear.
Blackpool Trams given 17 days for urgent repairs by watchdog
A watchdog says there is a risk of "derailment or collision" of Blackpool's trams, linked to worn components.
“While the Improvement Notice identified shortcomings in documentation associated with some specific repairs, we would like to assure customers that safety has always been our top priority, with appropriate measures put into place to address any potential risks.”
The final sentence in the article:
"With other customers - such as Nottingham Express Transist (NET) - we offer servicing and maintenance, however Blackpool Transport does theirs in-house."
That seems an odd arrangement, I wonder whether Starr Gate is staffed by many of the former Rigby Road tech personnel?
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They do seem to be in an awful mess at the moment, for whatever reasons. How quickly the optimism of last summer's improvements has vanished. I can't see the government allowing the system to fail, but once questions of safety start to be raised, concern for the future is only natural.
How many of the fleet are actually in daily use, though? Aren’t half of them mothballed in the depot?
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A half million or so bailout followed by an ORR notice on the main tram fleet certainly isn’t where you’d choose to be as a business.
The timetable introduced last month requires 10 trams. The emergency one that was in before that did indeed require only 9 of the 18.
It might be fair to assume then that the degree of worn bogie components must be significantly lower on the unused cars, so perhaps some ‘christmas tree’ action might be in order! Or is the fleet rotated to ensure that they all see some degree of use?
Trams are currently only running as far as Fisherman's Walk in Fleetwood, due to a fire in an empty shop building adjacent to the Northbound London Street stop. It looks as though it may be several weeks before the building is made safe enough for operation to resume.
Topmandog1
Member
Trams have been heavily affected this evening by the heatwave with temperatures hitting 33 degrees, was originally just some trams not running then problems between North pier and Cabin, then they just gave up and suspended all trams between North Pier and Fleetwood
edit: actually the spilt tram service looks to be a hopeful prediction for tomorrow
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Blackpool transport have been given a extended date of August the 13th to complete whatever the ORR needs of them
Link to Blackpool Gazette
edit: actually the spilt tram service looks to be a hopeful prediction for tomorrow
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Blackpool transport have been given a extended date of August the 13th to complete whatever the ORR needs of them
Link to Blackpool Gazette
Attachments
Topmandog1
Member
Paul Galley Has posted a new update, pretty much saying he knows nothing and he's not being told anything
link
link
Disappointing to hear this. Fair play to him for continuing the updates however.
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If they continue to insist that it's only the paperwork that has a problem, then surely by now, all of the physical work should have been carried out, and a full service should be running?
Mr Galley is more concerned with the heritage side of things. Regretfully BT appear to be conducting themselves with zero transparency, Mr Galley describes himself as having been “excluded” from any meetings on the subject and once again raises the issue of what the Council have done with the money donated to support Tramtown, which they currently appear reluctant to account for - one does have to wonder what the legalities of that particular aspect of this sorry situation might look like at this point.
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Topmandog1
Member
i continued the discussion on the heritage trams thread about the new statement put out (i say new but repeated)
www.railforums.co.uk
Blackpool Heritage Tram Operations Suspended
The "safety devices" are portable. What are the safety devices in question?
www.railforums.co.uk
Ashley Hill
Established Member
I see the Trampower tram was taken away from Rigby Road by road today, any idea where it has gone.
Edit- I see this is being discussed in the other Blackpool Tram thread. Nobody knows there either!
Edit- I see this is being discussed in the other Blackpool Tram thread. Nobody knows there either!
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According to the Gazette, the temporary scaffolding around the fire damaged building in Lord Street Fleetwood, is currently being replaced with something more permanent. This should allow the reopening of the road, and allow trams to return to the ferry.