Blackpool 1937 “Progress” Illuminated Car
The “Progress” illuminated car was built by Blackpool Corporation in 1937 as a replacement for an earlier illuminated car. It was intended to represent a tram from the year 2937, and was built on the remains of Fleetwood crossbench car No.141, dating from 1899.
From the following year, and for the duration of the war the tram was used to advertise Air Raid Precautions, National Savings, Wart Weapons Week, Wings for Victory and other war-related themes.
In 1949, the tram was totally rebuilt to resemble a modern double decker, having silhouetted passengers visible in the windows when its lights were on, though it never carried real passengers. In this form its centre panels carried various themes over the years, including the Coronation, large clocks, Blackpool Tower, and Trains, boats and planes. The wording along the sides also varied from year to year. In 1958 it carried an ambitious tableau depicting the Mayflower in full sail on one side. This proved to be its undoing, as the tableau was too heavy for the old frames and at the end of the season it literally collapsed and was withdrawn from service that October. The surviving Milnes plate frame bogies from 1899 on which it ran were sent to the National Tramway Museum at Crich, Derbyshire, to see further use.