| Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad | |
|---|---|
 Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad Box car 40 on the Blackpool Tramway | |
| Operation | |
| Locale | Blackpool, Fleetwood |
| Open | 14 July 1898 |
| Close | 1 January 1920 |
| Status | Taken over by Blackpool Corporation Tramways |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Electric |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 8.21 miles (13.21 km) |
The Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad operated a tramway service between Blackpool and Fleetwood from 1898 to 1920. [1]
| Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad Act 1896 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for incorporating the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroads Company and empowering them to construct a Tramroad and Tramway between Blackpool and Fleetwood and for other purposes. |
| Citation | 59 & 60 Vict. c. cxlvii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 20 July 1896 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The tramway was authorised by the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad Act 1896 (59 & 60 Vict. c. cxlvii). Construction of the tramway began in 1897. Within Blackpool, the tracks were constructed by the corporation, and services started on 14 July 1898.
There were three depots:
The company had a fleet of 41 tramcars in a brown and cream livery.
The Crossbench Rack cars were 16 open-sided trams built between 1898 and 1899 by G.F. Milnes. They were originally numbered 1–13 and 25–27 in the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad fleet, before being renumbered 126–141 after being purchased by Blackpool Corporation Transport in 1920. The Crossbench Rack cars were 1–10 (126–135) and 25–27 (139–141) and the trailer cars were 11–13 (136–138). The trailer cars were later converted to motor cars. Rack car No. 2 (127) is preserved by the National Tramway Museum in Crich, Derbyshire.
The Box cars were 15 trams built between 1898 and 1914 by G.F. Milnes. They were originally numbered 14–24 and 38–41 in the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad fleet, before being renumbered 101–115 after being purchased by Blackpool Corporation Transport in 1920. Box cars 20–24 became 101–105, Box cars 14–19 became 106–111 and Box cars 38–41 became 112–115. The last four cars were built without clerestory roofs and were known as New Fleetwood Box cars. Box car No. 40 (114) is preserved by the National Tramway Museum in Crich.
The Yankee cars were 7 partially open-sided combination trams built in 1899 by the Electric Railway and Tram Carriage Works (ER&TCW). They were originally numbered 28–34 in the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad fleet, before being renumbered 116–122 after being purchased by Blackpool Corporation Transport in 1920. Apart from No. 30 (118), they were rebuilt with enclosed saloons between 1920–1921 and became known as Greenhouse cars and Glasshouse cars.
The Vanguard cars were 3 trams built in 1910 by United Electric Car Company. They were originally numbered 35–37 in the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad fleet, before being renumbered 123–125 after being purchased by Blackpool Corporation Transport in 1920. Blackpool Corporations' OMO car No. 7 was rebuilt as a replica Vanguard car in 1987 and was renumbered 619, its previous number when it was a Blackpool Corporation English Electric Railcoach prior to its rebuild as an OMO car. It is preserved by the Heaton Park Tramway in Manchester.
The Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad was taken over by Blackpool Corporation Tramways on 1 January 1920 at a cost of £284,000 (equivalent to £14,409,085 in 2023). [3] Two tramcars survive, both in the National Tramway Museum collection. Rack No. 2, built in 1898, is on display at the National Tramway Museum in Crich, Derbyshire. Box No. 40 built in 1914 is operational at the same museum. In addition, Replica Vanguard No. 619 from the Blackpool Tramway, rebuilt in 1987, is in the Heaton Park Tramway collection.
