Blackpool tramway redundant junctions retained

[D6975]

Does anyone know why the truncated redundant junctions on the Blackpool tramway have been re-installed after the extensive rebuild? Here are pictures of the junctions at North Pier, but they aren't the only ones. Are they listed in some way?

 

[Ian Fisher]

Maybe its some yet to be relseased 2nd phase? which might be easier to lay now than have to dig it all up again later on?

 

Trams to the railway station maybe?

 

Ian

[PLD]

Those junctions at Talbot Square/North Pier are competely new and were installed last winter for the proposed spur to Blackpool North Railway Station and the proposed 'Talbot Gateway' retail/leisure development around the area of the old bus station and the adjacent streets. There never was a full triangle here before, only the south-east chord existed prior to the 1964 closure of the Marton route and that was absent from the late 1960s to last year.

 

It is generally assumed that a contribution to the cost of this (as yet unfunded) line will come from the developers, perhaps being a condition of the planning consent.

 

The 'others' you refer to, I assume are the junctions at Foxhall just south of Central Pier? If so those were installed 3 or 4 years ago when the plan at the time was for the new supertram depot to be on the site of the former Blundel Street Depot and the adjacent Gas Works. The northern (trailing) crossover is in regular use for trams exiting/returning to depot from the south and the connected north-east curve is theoretically still available as the emergency alternative route to/from the depot. Those parts directly replaced existing trackwork. The southern (facing) crossover and the point for the south-east chord were a new formation and would have formed a complete triangular junction here, but with the new depot relacated to Starr Gate, are unlikely ever to be used.

 

Paul

[D6975]

Thanks for that, I knew there was a junction there long ago and the idea of a reinstated spur to Blackpool North Station had occurred to me, but I'd not heard anything about it.

 

You can tell from the photos that the bit where the tramway goes round the back of the hotel, just to the north of North Pier, has been altered to get rid of the street running, the tramway is now separate. It causes a bit of traffic congestion, but it's a lot less confusing than the old situation.

 

PS there are still several places on the back streets where there are subtle grooves just visible in the road, tell-tales of the tracks still in situ under the tarmac.

[Edwin_m]

I always thought that bit round the back of the Metropole was a bit dodgy, with both tracks very much to one side of the street if I recall. I seem to recall the original plan was to continue on the promenade round the seaward side but that was rejected for some reason.

[Poggy1165]

It will be an exciting development if and when the North Station branch gets built. Funnily I understood it was conventional wisdom that it was hazardous to leave unused turnouts in place - Manchester seems to leave putting its junctions in until the new line is pretty much ready to roll.

[PLD]

It will be an exciting development if and when the North Station branch gets built. Funnily I understood it was conventional wisdom that it was hazardous to leave unused turnouts in place - Manchester seems to leave putting its junctions in until the new line is pretty much ready to roll.

I would guess in both cases that it's about minimising disruption to services. In Manchester you do nothing to disrupt the existing service until everything else is ready to connect in; whereas in Blackpool there was a complete shut-down last winter so they put those points in then (when the area was dug up already) to minimise future disruption to service.

[Poggy1165]

I must say it's brilliant to be living in an age where points are being laid for new extensions, as opposed to being relics of abandoned routes. Long may it continue and may the optimism be justified.

[Edwin_m]

The hazard with unused turnouts is that the clips and scotches may fail or be damaged/removed by vandals. I believe Network Rail has a rule that unused/undetected turnouts can only be present for a certain length of time.

 

In Manchester they aren't "known" to the signalling system, since the new system needs to be commissioned before they will be brought into use. Although the switch blades are in place the closure rails have been removed. If the switches moved for any reason I think they decided it would be safer to derail the tram immediately rather than have it rolling into a construction site.

 

I would hope the facing points shown at Blackpool are pretty thoroughly fixed in place by some means that the local yobs can't get at, and/or subject to a severe speed restriction. A tram veering off unexpectedly could collide with another on the diamond (that's happened before at Blackpool) or go onto the road and hit pedestrians or vehicles. Remember the magnetic track brake no longer works if there is no metal rail under the tram!

[roythebus]

I suspect you'll find more info on Blackpool in the Tramway section further down the page.

[Ian_B]

If you go through Talbot square currently you might be able to see the old tracks for the marton branch which have been exposed by work in the area.

Ian_B