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Toastrack
166 - or is 160? |
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The
toastrack was an essential part of the pre-war tramway, carrying hoards
of people on Circular Tours along the Prom and back via Marton. 24 cars
were bought from 1911-1914 (69-92) and six slightly shorter ones
(161-166) built in 1927 by the Corporation itself using underframes
designed for Standard cars. A toastrack was a simple beast to build,
comprising an underframe, reversible bench seats, a central trolleymast
with destination blinds, a dash, swingover boards at the end showing
PROMENADE or CIRCULAR TOUR.
166
is the survivor of the 30 strong fleet. For many years it was thought to
be the last toastrack built, yet in 1999 a photograph of toastrack 160
in 1927. This has been published in “Circular Tour” by Brian Turner
with the theory that this was the first of the six built with the batch
being 160-165. Later in 1927 a new standard car appeared and rather than
number it out of sequence it was numbered 160 with the standards being
142-160 and toastracks 161-166. Circumstantial evidence (and logic)
suggests that toastrack 160 was renumbered 166 meaning 165 was actually
the last! 161-166
(or 160-5) were built for an extension of the Circular tour along new
South Promenade and up Squires Gate Lane, but this was delayed until
1932. Their main duties were actually Promenade specials with the
Circular Tour a secondary activity. The modernisation of the fleet and
new green/cream image saw the red livery replaced by green on the
toastracks in 1934, simply by painting over the red dashes and sundry
other parts into green. During 1936 the toastracks were modified by
cutting a central aisle through the benches to allow the guard to
collect fares more safely. The livery was changed to cream with a green
V and new lettering applied to the folding boards. Mass
use of the toastracks ended in 1939 when war was declared and several
were scrapped, though a handful ran in 1940 and some - probably
including all the younger cars – actually ran in 1942. The entire 24
strong first batch was scrapped during the war but 161-166 survived. 161
continued in use, converted to carry a water tank and fitted with
snowploughs. Demotorised in 1948 it was then towed by other cars and ran
until 1954. The rest were stored at Blundell Street and later Marton,
162/4/6 moving to Thornton Gate in 1953 with 163 going to Copse Road.
The latter became the Blackpool Belle feature car in 1959, running until
1979. In 1982 it was exported to America but has since been dismantled
to its underframe and may now have been scrapped. 165
returned to action in 1951 equipped as a Television Car and used to film
the Illuminations as a live outside broadcast – indeed in October that
year transmitted the first live broadcast from a moving vehicle. Sister
166 escaped from Thornton Gate during summer 1953 – just in time as
162/4 were scrapped in 1954 and was converted to match 165. Their last
use is believed to be 1965 and 165 was cut up in 1968, while 166
survived until 1972. Both had been renumbered in 1968 as 16/17 in the
works fleet. 166 then became 757 when the works cars were renumbered in
1972. It didn’t carry this and on 9 June 1972 left Blackpool for
preservation at the National Tramway Museum, Crich.
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