Blackpool tram sets off for its new home

Blackpool Transport, which is owned by the council, has donated Tram 645 to the museum where it will be restored.

The tram had been stored at Tramtown – Blackpool’s visitor attraction for the heritage fleet at Rigby Road – but a decision was made to donate it to Crich to make space for electrification work at the depot.

A spokesperson for Tramtown said: “It is always a shame to lose any of our trams, but the reality is that for the future there has to be a balance of keeping a representative of various types for display as well as those which are popular for use on the heritage tram tours along the Promenade.”

Tram 645 entered service in 1987 as part of a small fleet called Centenary trams, eventually totalling just eight providing a one-man operated service.

After the introduction of the modern Flexity Trams in 2012, 645 was moved to Windy Harbour where it was used as a cafe, before its return to Rigby Road.

Two trams from the Centenary fleet, which are in better condition, will remain at Tramtown.

While the tram has been donated free of charge, its transportation and restoration costs are being met thanks to a donation from Peter and Susan Whiteley, regular volunteers at the National Tramway Museum.

The hope is to make it an access tram for all visitors including wheelchair users.

Dr Mike Galer, general manager at the National Tramway Museum at Crich said: “We are looking into the possibility of having a second tram which is accessible to wheelchair users, and we are very grateful to Blackpool Transport Services and Peter and Sue Whiteley to give us the opportunity of exploring this option with this tram.”

Space freed up at Tramtown is required as part of investment by Blackpool Transport into new facilities to enable the resort to launch an electric bus fleet.

The council has lent £8million to Blackpool Transport from its business loans fund for infrastructure for electric buses including charging points.

Blackpool Transport is due to replace it current fleet with 115 electric buses over the next three to five years.