The UK Trams Portal
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The United Kingdom has had tramways for well over a century. Of the original systems, the only one remaining is in Blackpool; however, there are several museums, such as the National Tramway Museum or the Seaton Tramway.
Trams are making a comeback to Britain's roads, with new, ultra-modern systems operating in several of Britain's big cities, with many more proposed, such as the Manchester Metrolink, the Sheffield Supertram and the Nottingham Express Transit. In London, London Trams looks after the new tram networks, currently Tramlink in the south of the city, and the proposed Cross River Tram, as well as the scrapped West London Tram.
The Blackpool tramway serves Blackpool and Fleetwood and is the only surviving first-generation tramway in the UK, dating back to 1885. It is one of the oldest electric tramways in the world and is run by Blackpool Transport, owned by Blackpool Borough Council.
The oldest part of the tramway, along Blackpool Promenade, was opened on 29 September 1885 using conduit collection. It was the first practical electric tramway in the world, just six years after Werner von Siemens first demonstrated electric traction. The inauguration was presided over by Holroyd Smith, the inventor of the system, and Alderman Harwood, Mayor of Manchester. On 1 July 1898 a new line, the Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramroad, was opened. In 1899 the electric supply was converted to overhead power; the Promenade was later widened and the tram tracks separated from road traffic.
The other surviving part of the tramway is the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad, linking Blackpool to Fleetwood on railway-type sleeper track, originally with street running at both ends; trams in Blackpool now go onto the Promenade without sharing space with road vehicles, except for a short stretch north of Talbot Square, past the Metropole Hotel. At the northern end of the line, trams continue to share Lord Street, Fleetwood with road traffic.
(More on the Blackpool tramway...)
Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On 31st August 2007. Blackpool Trams.
The world famous Blackpool Illuminations will be switched on tonight.
The illuminations will cover the whole of the promenade between Starr Gate and Red Bank Road in Bispham.
The trams will run under the illuminations until October, and some trams will be lit up themselves.
(Read More)
"There are only four trams preserved that use VAMBAC (Variable Automatic Multinotch Braking and Acceleration Control), 3 of which are from Blackpool, and one of which is Leeds 602 at the National Tramway Museum"
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