page_title: Blackpool Heritage Trams
section_title: Pantograph cars
hierarchical_section_title: Blackpool Heritage Trams / History by type / Pantograph cars
caption_attribution_description: Preserved Blackpool Pantograph tram No 167 at the Crich tramway Museum. This group of trams only used pantographs from 1928 (when new) until 1933, but retained the name "Pantograph cars" as a nickname. The pantographs were replaced by trolley poles.
context_page_description: Blackpool Heritage Trams are a mixed fleet of restored vehicles that run on the Blackpool Tramway, which runs from Blackpool to Fleetwood on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, England. The line dates back to 1885 and is one of the oldest electric tramways in the world. It is operated by Blackpool Transport and is the last surviving first-generation tramway in the United Kingdom. Excluding museums, it is one of only a few tramways in the world to still use double-deck trams.
  Most services on the line are now operated by a fleet of modern Bombardier Flexity 2 trams, but a Heritage Tram service using the traditional trams operates on Bank Holidays, select weekdays and weekends from January to December, as well as during the Blackpool Illuminations.
  The Heritage fleet is a large fleet of vehicles that were mainly retained from previous generations of the town's tramway operations, as well as some from other locations. They are now operated by Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours between Pleasure Beach and North Pier as standard and can be caught at the 'Heritage Tram Tours' stops, identifiable by a green circular sign.
context_section_description: The Pantograph cars were 10 trams built in 1928 by English Electric in Preston. They were numbered 167–176. These cars were single-deckers and purchased at a cost of £2,000 (equivalent to £121,390 in 2019), by Blackpool Corporation Tramways. They were designed for interurban use and have an American style appearance with 48 seats. Originally given the nickname "Pullman" cars due to their more luxurious assets, they were the first trams in Blackpool to be equipped with a pantograph built by Brecknell, Munro & Rogers mounted on a tall tower, which quickly earned them the longer-lasting nickname "Pantographs". They were subsequently fitted with traditional trolley poles. The first car, No. 167, was delivered on 30 July 1928 and the last, No. 176, in 1929. They were 40 ft (12 m) long and 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) wide, had Dick Kerr bogies, BTH B510 motors and air-brakes, with hand and rheostatic brakes.
  The sole surviving true member of the class, No. 167, is preserved at the National Tramway Museum in Crich. It returned to Blackpool for the 100th and 125th anniversary celebrations in 1985 and 2010, in 1998 for the 100th anniversary of the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad and for a short loan during Summer 2014. Three ex-Pantograph cars survive as illuminated cars: No. 174 is recognisable as the trailer (renumbered 734) to the illuminated Western Train, which received a £278,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant for restoration in 2006 and is part of the heritage fleet. No. 170 formed the basis for the illuminated Frigate (renumbered 736) in 1965 and still resembled a Pantograph car from the back end, until it was rebuilt again in 2004, altering its appearance and removing the last remnants of its Pantograph car shape. No. 168 formed the basis for the illuminated Rocket (renumbered 732) which was withdrawn from service in 1999 and stood derelict at Rigby Road Depot until 2012 when it was cosmetically restored and displayed as a static exhibit as part of the Illuminations. It has since returned to Rigby Road Depot for storage and eventual restoration as an operational tram within the heritage fleet.
caption: Pantograph car No. 167 at the National Tramway Museum, Crich
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