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Two of the early pages
to be included on this website were "Wartime Holidays in Blackpool" and
"Post War Blackpool". They covered the period up to the early
1950's. No further pages involving Blackpool have appeared since for the
simple reason that there have only been very occasional visits, usually
to take our young sons to the Illuminations.
But my family ties with Blackpool are strong, and
in May 2007 I decided on a 4 night stay so that I could visit some of
my old haunts and revive a few memories. So on Monday 21st May 2007, I
headed north from Birmingham International on Virgin Voyager no 221103
as far as Preston, Arrival was punctual, though the Voyager
experience meant sitting with my suitcase pointing upwards on my lap, unable to move.
Somehow, I managed to fight my way off the train at Preston,
where I changed to the vastly more comfortable unit no 150141 for a trip
around the coast as far as Pleasure Beach station. Then a short walk to
the Clifton Court Hotel, where I last stayed as a young child in the
early 1940's. I really was "Reliving the
past".
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From a weather point of view, I struck lucky. Mornings tended to be
cloudy, but the afternoons and evenings were glorious. I visited
Fleetwood, Cleveleys, Little Bispham, Layton, Stanley Park, St Annes,
and Lytham. Unfortunately, not having a time machine, it was not possible to visit Blackpool loco shed
(28a/24E), nor Central station, and there was no sign that there had
ever been a Railway station at Fleetwood. |
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Below: Photos of Trams at New South Promenade, Pleasure Beach, North
Pier, and a view from the front seat of tram 680 at Little Bispham |
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Tram Journeys: |
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647 Star Gate-Fleetwood |
630 North Pier-Pleasure Beach |
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646 Fleetwood-Cleveleys |
680 Pleasure Beach-Tower |
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626 Cleveleys-Pleasure Beach |
622 North Pier-Pleasure Beach |
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631 Pleasure Beach-North Pier |
680 Little Bispham-Warley Road |
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Below: Photos taken during my visit to the Pleasure Beach |
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I returned home on Friday 25th May. I caught a morning service from
Pleasure Beach. Unit 142031 took me as far as Preston, bouncing along
the straight beyond Kirkham at 76mph. At Preston, I caught the
first southbound Pendolino, 390031, which took me in maximum discomfort, extremely full, with a drunken yob shouting four lettered words as far
as Crewe. Here I changed trains, catching a proper train (a class 350 4 car
Electric unit) as far as Stafford, where I alighted and spent a pleasant
couple of hours in the sunshine watching the trains go by. Then another
350 unit to Birmingham, a 321 unit to International, where I was picked up as
planned by my son Martin, who works nearby.
And so ended a splendid short break, the only downside being the
extremely uncomfortable Voyager and Pendolino
journeys.
I am tempted to do it again in 2008, though perhaps that
would be a mistake. |
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