North Pier by Tram
An Introduction to Blackpool’s Tramway History
by Brian Turner
AVAILABLE NOW!

NORTH PIER BY TRAM is the story of 125 years of the Blackpool tramway, as seen from its centre at North Pier.

It contains 50,000 words in 23 chapters, illustrated with 100 historical black-and-white photographs (most of them previously unpublished), plus 100 colour pictures by Brian Turner, who has been recording and researching the tramway for the past fifty years. The story is interspersed with portraits of the Blackpool tramway at its jubilees in 1910, 1935, 1960 and 1985, and is accompanied by comprehensive all-time fleet details, car by car.

• Limited Edition of 1000 copies
• Signed and certified by the author
• £29.95 (including postage)
• 144 pages
• Hardback
• Printed on gloss art paper 

 

Order your copy here

Price: £29.95 (including postage)

100 minutes

Click here to order Blackpool Tram DVD No.59 Summer 2010

If you're interested in the Blackpool Tramway and the Manx Electric Railway then TRAMS magazine is for you. 

Published four times a year - March, June, September and December - each issue is packed (and we mean packed) with extensive news, features, articles and colour photographs from the previous three months.
 
If you want to know what's really going on then TRAMS is an absolute must.
 
TRAMS magazine 49 is available now, priced at just £2.10 plus postage, with 64 glossy colour pages bursting with colour photographs and articles.

Join the 1000-strong army of enthusiasts already reading the magazine - by taking out a subscription to what is surely the cheapest tram magazine in the world!

To celebrate 125 Years of trams we are pleased to announce a new series of Blackpool Tram Mugs. These are available exclusively from the Blackpool Tram Shop at North Pier and by mail order from TRAMS magazine.
There are many different designs to choose from with new ones added all the time:

Mug 1 - Official logo of the 125th Anniversary of the Blackpool Tramway
Mug 2 - Progress Twin car - marking 50 years of the Twin cars
Mug 3 - Black and white destination blind listing from Standard 147
Mug 4 - Tram Notice: THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THESE DOORS MUST BE DONE BY THE CONDUCTOR ONLY
Mug 5 - Tram Notice: PLEASE STATE DESTINATION AND TENDER CORRECT FARE. CHANGE FOR NOTES NOT GUARANTEED
Mug 6 - TRAMS magazine logo
Mug 7 - Tram Notice: PASSENGERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO RIDE ON THE STEPS
Mug 8 -  Tram Notice: ALL CHILDREN ON ATTAINING THE AGE OF 5 YEARS MUST BE PAID FOR AT THE APPROPRIATE RATE
Mug 9 - Tram Notice: PASSENGERS MUST NOT DISTRACT DRIVER
Mug 10 - Tram Notice: PLEASE STATE DESTINATION WHEN PAYING. OVERRIDING CHARGED AT MINIMUM FARE
Mug 11 - Tram Notice: CONVEYANCE OF CHILDREN. CHILDREN MUST NOT OCCUPY SEATS WHILST ADULT PASSENGERS ARE STANDING

These are top quality mugs, finished to a high standard and completely dishwasher safe.
£4.95 each in the shop
£6.50 each mail order including p & p Click here to order now

The Story of Blackpool’s Twin Car Trams by Paul Turner
is available now.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Progress Twin Car. From a prototype set built in 1958, through to the conversion of ten 1930s-built Railcoaches and ten brand new Trailers in the early 1960s, Blackpool’s Twin cars have graced the promenade and Fleetwood route for five decades.

With the remaining sets sold early in 2010, final withdrawal from service is now confirmed for November 2011. This 80-page hardback book tells the story of these tramcars.

From the rebuilding in the 1960s, the new Trailers, all cream livery, the 1970s, Circular tours, the 1980s, Market day specials, new liveries in the 1990s and the Metro colours of the 21st century these iconic and unique tramcars have gained their place in Blackpool’s history.

Using mostly previously unseen black and white and colour images, many in full page format, this is their story.

This is the first in a new series of books written by local Blackpool tram enthusiasts. The book is presented in the same format as Blackpool Trams Pictorial No.4 and the series is edited by Nick Meskell. 

TRAMS magazine, along with our sister company, Videoscene, has taken over the Blackpool Memorabilia shop at the front of North Pier. Since 1988, David and Linda Hughes have successfully owned and operated this well known and popular seafront premises, selling Blackpool related souvenirs and gifts as well as tramway books, DVDs, models, postcards and, of course, TRAMS magazine.

Already known to many enthusiasts, the shop has been fully refurbished and completely restocked. You are welcome to browse - and we mean this, please come in and have a good look through the huge selection of tramway and transport items.

If you are visiting, why not order in advance? Telephone or email a few days before and we’ll have your order ready and waiting for you! For our full list of products go to www.videoscene.co.uk. Keep checking this website for regular updates.

SHOP OPENING HOURS
We are then open daily 10am to 6pm throughout the spring and summer, (10am to 7pm on Wednesdays in July and August) and 10am to 10pm during the Illuminations. 

It's back, it's bigger, it's brighter and it's more beautful than ever before...
it's Blackpool's world famous Western Train Illuminated tram.

This is the story of how, after ten years out of service and a two year restoration job, this majestic creature rose from the ashes back to the promenade. Jointly financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Blackpool Transport, once again Blackpool and it's visitors can enjoy the sights and sounds of this wonderful tramcar as it glides through the Illuminations. Smoke even comes out of the chimney!

With full access granted and produced in co-operation with Blackpool Transport this is the story of how a derelict wreck was stripped to a shell and rebuilt piece by piece.

The story of this Blackpool icon begins in the 1960s and with regular appearances each autumn through to the 1990s the tram is established as a firm favourite. Then it's 1999 and its final year in service. Withdrawn due to its condition, the scrapman was looming and the end was near. Hidden at the back of the depot, the tram was dragged in two halves to Fleetwood for the Tram Sunday event in 2003. This was its last public appearance. Again the trams lay rotting away in the depot. In October 2006 it was announced that Blackpool Transport had been successful in securing a £278,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The train was coming back!

Work began in April 2007 and the trams were stripped to a shell. Over the next two years the painful job of restoring these trams was recorded in detail. From new timbers and framework, to rewiring, panelling and painting. See the trams as they move from workshop to workshop and then the testing begins. Coupled up, the trams go 'live' for the first time; the first test run on the prom; the first private hire and the official launch in May 2009.

TRAMS magazine hired the train for a special night journey to Fleetwood in June 2009. See the trams as no-one has ever seen them before, at Cleveleys, Broadwater, Ash Street and Lord Street in Fleetwood at 3am! Finally, the story is completed... back on the prom and running through the Illuminations, just as they were built to, 50 years earlier!

This is the story of a Blackpool icon. From zero to hero in two years, the Western Train has been restored and this is the full story of how it was done.

A comprehensive review of the Manx Electric Railway from 2009, filmed in 16:9 widescreen for maximum viewing pleasure!

SPRING: The first day of operation on the MER in 2009 was Monday 6th April. Matters got off to a bad start as just three weeks previous, the majority of the fleet were taken out of service with cracked axles.

A shortage of trams on this first day forced Saloon Trailer 57 into service and with car 21 towing it, these two worked the 09.40 from Douglas on the first day. The MER was running again!

SUMMER: Extended highlights of the enthusiast events, plus the IOM 30 group private hires and TLP tours.

Trams featured include: 1+51 and 9+59 to Ramsey; 2+44 to Groudle; 16 single motor at Garwick; 16+60 to Ramsey; Saloon trailers on service; car 1 solo to Ramsey; cars 32+51+46 all together on a TLP tour; 22+57 to Laxey in the evening; car 9 solo to Ramsey in the evening; works car 34 with 51 to Ramsey; various diesels hauling trailers; trailer 51 in service; unusual crossovers in use; car 32 on a private hire; service cars 5, 6, 9, 19, 21 and 22 plus the new Laxey car shed; the day a low-loader brought the wires down; the Laxey Mines Railway and so much more.

AUTUMN: With just a skeleton service during October and winter closure again, this day in September provides one last look at the MER from 2009. Various trams are featured.

This is No.27 in a series of programmes about the Manx Electric Railway. Originally produced two or three times a year, the decline in the number of trams used, matched with extended periods of closure, no winter service and fewer filming opportunities, has resulted in the change of format to an annual review.

If you were buying the Manx Electric Railway DVD previously, this is simply two programmes in one, covering the entire year in 100 minutes and, for the first time, filmed entirely in widescreen.

To order Manx Electric Railway 2009 Review click here.

This DVD will now be released in the first week of January. Apologies for the delay.

Blackpool Trams Pictorial No.4, the brand new limited edition book from Nick Meskell was released at the Totally Transport event last weekend. The launch was a great success with the new release selling even faster than expected - and much praise has already been poured onto the book.

We can now give TramMagazine.co.uk users an sneak preview of the promotional video for the book.

The video features photographs used in the book and really gives a taste of the treats in store... it also has a great soundtrack..!

Four years in the making, the fourth Blackpool Trams Pictorial book is available now.

With almost 100 photographs - mostly presented as full page images - No.4 in the series looks at Blackpool trams from the 1950s through to the 2000s.
 
Using previously unseen and unpublished material from Brian Turner, Geoff Lumb, Vic Nutton, the best of the TLP collection and images from the author's own collection, this 80 page book takes the reader on an evocative journey into the past. Featuring the Marton, Lytham Road and North Station routes as well as the promenade, Cleveleys and Fleetwood, many long gone tramcars and long lost liveries are pictured. Using mostly colour images, the book is printed on heavy gloss art paper.  

Unlike the previous three volumes, No.4 will only be available as a limited edition hardback. Just 1000 copies have been printed and each contains a certificate of authenticity numbered personally by the author. Once sold out, the book will not be reprinted.  

 


The first three volumes in this series have now sold out so don't miss this opportunity.

You can watch the Blackpool Trams Pictorial No.4 promotional video by clicking here.

We've just added some great new video clips for you to watch online - this time from issue 53 of Blackpool Tram DVD for Winter 2008.



We will be adding more clips from our extensive DVD back catalogue very soon. Our Blackpool Tram DVDs and Manx Electric Railway DVDs are available to buy right now from our online shop. To stay informed of all the latest Trams Magazine releases, including free online content you can sign up for our email newsletter.