Now For Something Completely Different
John Woodman
St Patricks Day brought a particularly nice surprise to Rigby Road in brilliant sunshine - with the arrival of a restored English Electric Railcoach. This follows its extensive retro rebuild to almost original appearance through the efforts of the Fylde Transport Trust and its predecessor. Offsite work away from Rigby Road has brought the car to a condition fit for repainting with its arrival on a low loader commissioned by the FTT with BTS coordinating unloading and transfer into the depot.
It has been a long time indeed when the profiles of the once numerous (45 strong) class were still familiar sights on Blackpool promenade (and the street routes up until their closure in 1961 - 1963. The writer well remembers the cars clattering their way around Marton (past his classroom on Raikes Parade) and along Lytham Road being the workhorses of the tram fleet at the time. So seeing this veteran reappearing in the sunshine at Rigby Road Depot is something of a deja vu experience. Images below taken by John Woodman of the tram's arrival at Rigby Road Depot this afternoon with careful handling by the movers from Stoke on Trent and the depot team's takeover with Engineering Car.
A reminder of the rail coaches hard at work in Blackpool with photos again by John Woodman!
Below traversing the Royal Oak junction on its way to Squires Gate - off season.
Blemished negative of railcoach standing outside Blackpool South Railway Station on Waterloo Bridge seemingly on a service run from Marton Depot.
