Salvage Squad & Coronation 304
June 2005

Selection
Back in March 2002, I missed an episode of the first series of Channel 4's Salvage Squad whilst away on business. Returning to the office the following day, a colleague of mine who had seen the programme said they had appealed for project ideas for a second series of the show. It was straight into Internet Explorer to find the Salvage Squad website and contact details. I drafted a quick email about the Blackpool Coronation tram, built in 1952, with reference to how appropriate it would be to restore the car for its 50th birthday year and the Golden jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II accession to the throne. I included my contact details and, to my great surprise, my mobile was ringing 20 minutes later and Alex Finch from Salvage Squad was on the other end! It would be easy to say, as people often do, that the rest is history. Salvage Squad whilst away on business. Returning to the office the following day, a colleague of mine who had seen the programme said they had appealed for project ideas for a second series of the show. It was straight into Internet Explorer to find the Salvage Squad website and contact details. I drafted a quick email about the Blackpool Coronation tram, built in 1952, with reference to how appropriate it would be to restore the car for its 50th birthday year and the Golden jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II accession to the throne. I included my contact details and, to my great surprise, my mobile was ringing 20 minutes later and Alex Finch from Salvage Squad was on the other end! It would be easy to say, as people often do, that the rest is history.

But actually the next ten months were full of anxiety, stress, blood, sweat and tears that eventually culminated in a rotting carcass of a tram being transformed into the gleaming, streamlined tramcar that was delivered back in Blackpool in June 1952.

The Project
Arrangements were made for Salvage Squad to inspect car 304 at St.Helens Transport Museum where 304 had been stored since 1986. Meanwhile, we contacted our good friends at Blackpool Transport to enquire whether the tram could return to the resort for the period of the restoration – and they agreed! A few anxious weeks followed whilst we awaited the selection process. The appeal for projects in the second series resulted in thousands of applications and only 10 would be successful. Then in May, we found out that the tram project had been selected and the anxiety really started!! Could we deliver a complete tram within 6 months and within budget? What could possibly go wrong? To compound matters my wife was 8 months pregnant with our first child who was due around the same time as Channel 4 were hoping the tram project would start. I’m a tram enthusiast get me out of here! In the event Monika gave birth a week before the problem child of 304 was delivered to Blackpool.

Whilst the project was not without some major hiccups, particularly with the VAMBAC equipment that was almost a show stopper, it was with great pleasure that I accepted the keys to the tram on the morning of 6th January 2003. The tram looked absolutely superb and certainly shows just what can be done with some pump priming funds, sufficient commitment from volunteers and a critical deadline.

Aftermath
After the cameras went away, everyone had a well-earned rest from the tram for a couple of months. However, despite appearances the tram was actually not considered complete. We were still having problems with the VAMBAC accelerator equipment that had to be removed and sent back to Bowers in Derbyshire for further work; it was finally refitted in June 2003. Further interior work, hidden from the TV cameras, was also undertaken and then in August, the tram began making appearances once again on the tramway on test.

During the summer we were contacted by the Salvage Squad team again to include the tram in a one-off update of the most popular projects. This involved filming 304 on a special tour through Blackpool’s famous autumn illuminations. This was screened in May 2004 at the end of series three.

We sorted out our own insurance to operate 304 (using LTT drivers) and in November used the car on a series of enthusiast tours, alongside a sister car of the class retained by Blackpool Transport – but stripped of its VAMBAC equipment. The tours were well attended and finally allowed 304 to operate through to Fleetwood for the first time since 1970.

So we now have a complete vehicle. But currently the tram is all dressed up with nowhere to go. The unique VAMBAC equipment, coupled with a driver and maintenance staff training issues this raises, means that Blackpool Transport are understandably reluctant to accept the car within their operational tram fleet. We have had some dialogue with the National tramway Museum at Crich, but in reality we want to keep the tram in Blackpool ready for future inclusion in the "Blackpool Story" visitor attraction were are hoping to develop. Future special tours and private hire work are not ruled out and we are still discussing this possibility with Blackpool Transport and Blackpool Borough Council.

In Retrospect
It is interesting to look back in retrospect and consider that without Salvage Squad, the tram would still be rotting away in the twilight of some distant depot. Over £50,000 and thousands of man-hours later we now have a superb vehicle.

But Salvage Squad deserves much more credit than this. The episode involving our tram was screened in March 2003 and attracted over 2.5 million viewers – and that’s more than watch Top of the Pops. When you consider that the second series went head-to-head with favourites such as Coronation Street and Eastenders, it demonstrates that the transport and industrial heritage projects tackled by the series do have a much wider public interest than just a hard-core of enthusiasts, contrary to popular perception. It has put classic vehicles back into the attention of the media and out from behind the closed workshop doors. There are many thousands of potential projects out there, so I only hope that Salvage Squad can keep its head above water and continue to attract sufficient viewers to allow further rusting relics to benefit from a TV makeover.