The Blackpool Tramway: Double-Deck, Cabrio And Jubilee Trams.

The Blackpool tram became the first electric tram system in the UK and one of the first in the world. The tram line opened along the Promenade in 1885.

Blackpool’s trams departed from the original system for electric trams, developed by Walter Siemens in 1880, by depending on transmitted electricity, rather than each tramcar carrying its own battery.

This system had been invented by Holroyd Smith, an engineer from Halifax, which used a conduit in the road, between the two rails, to carry the electricity. The current was picked up by metal rollers suspended underneath the car, arranged so that if any large object fell into the channel carrying the electric rail, the pickup would disengage and the tram would stop.

This system caused major problems, because Blackpool is by the sea. During bad weather, waves would wash over the promenade: the seawater would short out the system and sand would clog the channel. In 1899, overhead wiring was installed.

A distinctive feature of The Blackpool Tram System remains the historic tram park with unusual rail vehicles, which include cabrio trams and double–decker trams.

There are 76 trams (including 8 preserved trams) and 7 trailer cars. They are a variety of ages and designs, with a mix of double- and single-deckers, open- and closed-top cars, and special illuminated trams.

Blackpool is a seaside town, and passenger traffic on the tramway is heavier in summer than in winter. For this reason the tramway operates every 10 minutes in summer and every 20 minutes in the winter. Nowadays the tramway runs for 18 kilometres and carries 6500000 passengers each year.

The network has been upgraded, and the old trams were finally replaced with modern vehicles in 2012. Despite this, the old ‘heritage fleet’ still runs on weekends and holidays and during the summer, and special illuminated trams run when the town’s famous lights are illuminated in the autumn.