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Twin cars (towing cars and trailers)
Ten of English Electric's 1935 railcoaches rebuilt by the Corporation in 1958-62 as towing cars for new trailers, to carry more people with one crew. Seven pairs were coupled for good; they ran until the traditional tramway closed in 2011.
Drawing to come
- Type
- Tram, single-deck, a motor towing car and a trailer
- Builder
- Blackpool Corporation (towing cars rebuilt from English Electric railcoaches of 1935); trailers new in 1960
- Built
- 1958–1962
- In service
- 1958–2011
- Lines
- Blackpool Tramway
- Formation
- A towing car and a trailer; ten towing cars (671-680 from 1968) and the trailers (681-687); seven sets permanently coupled from 1962 with a driving cab in the trailer, three towing cars (678-680) left to run singly
- Trains in fleet
- 10
- Power
- 550 V DC overhead; trolley poles, pantographs on the towing cars from 1990 · how it works
- Profile
- tram
- Status
- Withdrawn from regular service by 6 November 2011: 671+681 in October 2010 (Fylde Transport Trust); 672+682 ran on the last evening and 675+685 on an enthusiasts' tour that day (British Trams Online). Heritage: 675+685, 676+686, 272+T2 (restored to its 1960 form), 680 and trailer 681 survive at Rigby Road; none has run since 2016 (675+685 needs a rewire; 272+T2 was damaged by fire in September 2016), so no Twin car has carried the public since 2016 (British Trams Online, 3 October 2026). No heritage tram carried the public in Blackpool in 2026 after the Frigate's last Illumination Tours on 2 and 3 January (British Trams Online, 13 July and 1 September 2026); Blackpool Transport says the operational heritage cars need welding, electrical and axle repairs first, and 2027 is the earliest return.
- Preserved
- 675+685, 676+686, 272+T2, 680 and 681 in Blackpool; 281 (671) at the North West Museum of Road Transport
unverified Some of these figures haven’t yet been checked against an official source or a published history. What’s in doubt ↓
Sources
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- Towing Car 281 Fylde Transport Trust, read 12 October 2026ten twin cars from 1935 railcoaches; trailers of 1960; seven sets permanently coupled, three single towing cars; renumbering; 671+681 withdrawn October 2010
- Blackpool Tramway: Trams TheTrams.co.uk, read 12 October 2026the numbers; rebuilt from English Electric cars in 1958-62; pairs and single cars
- British Trams Online at 15 - Events: Last Day of traditional trams operation in Blackpool British Trams Online, 10 December 2017672+682 and 675+685 on the last day
- Blackpool Tramway fleet list British Trams Online, updated 3 October 2026the twin cars in the heritage fleet, their state and the year each last ran
unverified
- The dates: TheTrams.co.uk gives the rebuilds as 1958-62 and British Trams Online has 675+685 in service in March 1958; the Fylde Transport Trust says the ten were 'created in 1960/1'
- The trailers' builder: not in any checked source
- Dimensions and seats: no checked source gives them
- The number of trailers: TheTrams.co.uk numbers them 681-687; the Fylde Transport Trust's 'T1 of 1960' doesn't say how many were built
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