Blackpool trams

[Steddenm]

Failure on the trams across Blackpool as the overhead lines have come down, and according to staff at South Pier this is at the new Talbot Road junction.

 

[Vespa]

Failure on the trams across Blackpool as the overhead lines have come down, and according to staff at South Pier this is at the new Talbot Road junction.

How could that happen ?

 

[snowball]

How could that happen ?

The windy west coast?

 

[Harvey B]

It'll probably be 11 trams to operate the service throughout the day out of 16 currently operational.

B fleet is crewed by heritage staff with very few at Starr Gate also having the competency to do this - I'm hoping to have the training done on these with my conductor as it allows us more flexibility throughout the year then

Are you normally with the same Conductor(s) Every shift you work? I would have thought you would have been paired with different conductors on different shifts

 

[trainmananthon]

Failure on the trams across Blackpool as the overhead lines have come down, and according to staff at South Pier this is at the new Talbot Road junction.

This incident was yesterday, and it didn't really have much to do with the overheads (except they were an unfortunate part of the incident), but an errant tree branch got stuck in a tram pantograph and subsequently the tram lost its pan leaving Tower.

Are you normally with the same Conductor(s) Every shift you work? I would have thought you would have been paired with different conductors on different shifts

Normally all drivers have 1 permanent conductor that are both rostered together (same shifts, same days off etc), plus any additional 2nd conductor from the pool of conductors and if we're lucky a 3rd conductor known as a 'jumper'

 

[CH7997]

Work on 004 has progressed, switched on for the first time this week in 2.5 years, still a few weeks work yet.

 

[trainmananthon]

Work on 004 has progressed, switched on for the first time this week in 2.5 years, still a few weeks work yet.

Oooh, red pen for driving is that one!

 

[mmh]

Failure on the trams across Blackpool as the overhead lines have come down, and according to staff at South Pier this is at the new Talbot Road junction.

I think that was yesterday. I was on a tram which stopped at, I think Pleasant Street, going south. Passengers advised they might want to walk or take the number 1 bus.

 

[Vespa]

The windy west coast?

I've seen some bad storms in Blackpool wires don't often come down as they are usually very well maintained.

 

[davehsug]

If that is going to be the routes then it seems a bit tough that those that live in Fleetwood and Cleveleys have to change at Bispham to make use of the extension. Maybe a Fleetwood to Pleasure Beach via North Station and Starr Gate to Little Bispham via North Station taking up the bulk of the workings and supplemented by a Fleetwood to Starr Gate missing out the new extension. There's bound to be a good reason why.

I think I did suggest a while ago, that maybe a 15 minute North Station-Pleasure Beach service would be okay as this route will mostly serve tourists and day trippers, whereas maybe a 30 minute North Station-Fleetwood would give locals a reliable service. If it is to be North station Pleasure Beach & Bispham, I really can't see Bispham requiring the same frequency as Pleasure Beach, especially in season.

 

[Cliveblackpool]

Lines were down a few days ago as well.
Several videos available on youtube .

Best bit is at 6.03 - Balloon on Prom!
Pedestrians getting a bit close to trams at times?

Fleetwood and Cleveleys probably take bus to Poulton.
Heard that trams on Talbot road aren't starting till 2023 when Holiday Inn is finished,

 

[LOL The Irony]

Fleetwood and Cleveleys probably take bus to Poulton.

It's almost always been the tram for me.

 

[mmh]

I think I did suggest a while ago, that maybe a 15 minute North Station-Pleasure Beach service would be okay as this route will mostly serve tourists and day trippers, whereas maybe a 30 minute North Station-Fleetwood would give locals a reliable service. If it is to be North station Pleasure Beach & Bispham, I really can't see Bispham requiring the same frequency as Pleasure Beach, especially in season.

Not sure I agree there. A fair few big hotels between North and Bispham. Enough that some conductors call out the hotel names for each stop. True that few tourists will venture further than say Cabin, but until there there are often lots.

 

[trainmananthon]

Not sure I agree there. A fair few big hotels between North and Bispham. Enough that some conductors call out the hotel names for each stop. True that few tourists will venture further than say Cabin, but until there there are often lots.

North Pier to Cabin is definitely the busiest stretch of track for hotel-goers. Between these stops you've got Claremont, Carlton, Imperial, the Grand, Savoy, Cliffs, Sheraton, Doric and Elgin hotels which all attract a lot of trade, but go beyond Cabin and you've still got the Norbreck... Wouldn't be the first time I've left Norbreck southbound with 'tram full' on the destination...

 

[davehsug]

North Pier to Cabin is definitely the busiest stretch of track for hotel-goers. Between these stops you've got Claremont, Carlton, Imperial, the Grand, Savoy, Cliffs, Sheraton, Doric and Elgin hotels which all attract a lot of trade, but go beyond Cabin and you've still got the Norbreck... Wouldn't be the first time I've left Norbreck southbound with 'tram full' on the destination...

I agree of course, I often stayed on North Promenade, and getting on a tram in the morning and evening rush was nigh on impossible.But apart from "changeover" days (Friday, Sunday, Monday), the majority of North Station passengers will be locals & day trippers. Whilst plenty of locals may want to travel North, few daytrippers will. I was sort of assuming that the locals would soon get used to the times of the Northbound trams and remember them as they would buses.

 

[trainmananthon]

I agree of course, I often stayed on North Promenade, and getting on a tram in the morning and evening rush was nigh on impossible.But apart from "changeover" days (Friday, Sunday, Monday), the majority of North Station passengers will be locals & day trippers. Whilst plenty of locals may want to travel North, few daytrippers will. I was sort of assuming that the locals would soon get used to the times of the Northbound trams and remember them as they would buses.

Yes I can see where you're coming from there. Like you say, most day trippers will be either around town on the Golden Mile or going down to South shore. A lot of day trippers do like to head north to Cleveleys or Fleetwood Market too, but if trams are only going as far as Bispham then that's no good for those folks. Personally myself, I'd have trams every 15 minutes to Fleetwood, and trams every 15 minutes to Little Bispham much like the illuminations timetable with 3 trams doing Pleasure Beach/North Station/Bispham shuttles. You wouldn't manage any more than that as that would require 16 trams in use daily with 1 spare and 1 on maintenance

 

[davehsug]

Yes I can see where you're coming from there. Like you say, most day trippers will be either around town on the Golden Mile or going down to South shore. A lot of day trippers do like to head north to Cleveleys or Fleetwood Market too, but if trams are only going as far as Bispham then that's no good for those folks. Personally myself, I'd have trams every 15 minutes to Fleetwood, and trams every 15 minutes to Little Bispham much like the illuminations timetable with 3 trams doing Pleasure Beach/North Station/Bispham shuttles. You wouldn't manage any more than that as that would require 16 trams in use daily with 1 spare and 1 on maintenance

Thank you. that does sound more realistic. I appreciate how difficult it is to arrange a suitabe timetable. Ideally, you'd like more trams for Fleetwood on Tuesdays and more for Cleveleys on Wednesdays, (not sure when Cleveleys Wednesdays became a thing, but it clearly is), but I know you can't organise a whole fleet for 4 hour loading on 2 days of the week. Indicative of how different a holiday town transport system can be to a "normal" system.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Ideally, you'd like more trams for Fleetwood on Tuesdays

Well if you can't run more trams, you can always run extra number 1 buses.

 

[1Q18]

Well if you can't run more trams, you can always run extra number 1 buses.

…assuming there are spare vehicles and drivers.

 

[mmh]

Well if you can't run more trams, you can always run extra number 1 buses.

The number 1 could really do with an increase in frequency, especially at rush hour times.

…assuming there are spare vehicles and drivers.

If there aren't, you could have a bit of a shuffle and use double deckers off quieter routes when you want extra capacity for Cleveleys and Fleetwood, perhaps.

 

[trainmananthon]

Thank you. that does sound more realistic. I appreciate how difficult it is to arrange a suitabe timetable. Ideally, you'd like more trams for Fleetwood on Tuesdays and more for Cleveleys on Wednesdays, (not sure when Cleveleys Wednesdays became a thing, but it clearly is), but I know you can't organise a whole fleet for 4 hour loading on 2 days of the week. Indicative of how different a holiday town transport system can be to a "normal" system.

Tuesday and Thursday Fleetwood Market and Wednesday Cleveleys Market could be accommodated by running the B fleet on specials up to these destinations on the relevant days

 

[davehsug]

Tuesday and Thursday Fleetwood Market and Wednesday Cleveleys Market could be accommodated by running the B fleet on specials up to these destinations on the relevant days

I think we both know those days are gone! I still fondly remember the joys of Tuesdays, when as much of the available fleet was sent out as possible, and it still wasn't enough. Probably early 90s? Of course it's considerably less busy now. That was the last time I rode a Coronation too, I stood in pouring rain at the old Madison Avenue stop for about 45 minutes, waiting for 660 to leave Bispham for Fleetwood after the lunch break, and then rode it nack to the Pleasure Beach. It was worth the soaking .

 

[LOL The Irony]

Tuesday and Thursday Fleetwood Market and Wednesday Cleveleys Market could be accommodated by running the B fleet on specials up to these destinations on the relevant days

I completely forgot about the B fleet. Goes to show how underutilised it is.

 

[CH7997]

Testing continues today and tomorrow on the extension.

 

[childwallblues]

I was in Blackpool today and noted 010 and 017 on Talbot Road, A guy taking photos told me that 014 and 016 were also on the new extension as well.

 

[Trackman]

Lines were down a few days ago as well.
Pedestrians getting a bit close to trams at times?

Fleetwood and Cleveleys probably take bus to Poulton.
Heard that trams on Talbot road aren't starting till 2023 when Holiday Inn is finished,

What's going on at 9.11 in with the manual point change?

Best bit is at 6.03 - Balloon on Prom!

I enjoyed that too!

 

[trainmananthon]

What's going on at 9.11 in with the manual point change?

The points and/or signals have failed to respond to the route selected in the cab by the driver - happens fairly often. Simply stop, report it and get permission to go out and change the points (hence why it was sat there for the amount of time it was). Usually starts working properly again after a quick manual change every now and again. The one by the festival house is the worst for it

 

[Cloud Strife]

The points and/or signals have failed to respond to the route selected in the cab by the driver - happens fairly often. Simply stop, report it and get permission to go out and change the points (hence why it was sat there for the amount of time it was). Usually starts working properly again after a quick manual change every now and again. The one by the festival house is the worst for it

Wow, so much bureaucracy for a simple change of points? I'm used to the Polish system, where the driver simply hops out and changes the points manually if they don't switch. It happens so frequently that it would be unthinkable for them to request permission every time.

 

[Austriantrain]

Wow, so much bureaucracy for a simple change of points? I'm used to the Polish system, where the driver simply hops out and changes the points manually if they don't switch. It happens so frequently that it would be unthinkable for them to request permission every time.

Same here in Austria.

 

[trainmananthon]

Wow, so much bureaucracy for a simple change of points? I'm used to the Polish system, where the driver simply hops out and changes the points manually if they don't switch. It happens so frequently that it would be unthinkable for them to request permission every time.

But then how do the engineers know that something (be it the point mechanism, the PPI etc) isn't working so they can go out and fix it?