BARROW Corporation used to have its own fleets of buses and trams but like most local authorities has lost both through a combination of political and financial change.

There are now just seven local-authority transport companies left from the dozen which used to operate buses and trams all over the British Isles.

An idea of what Barrow might have achieved can be seen through Blackpool Transport which has invested millions in an upgrade to its tram system and is introducing a new bus fleet.

Jane Cole is the managing director and Brian Lindop the head of heritage – for a company which pays an annual £1m dividend to the council.

They were at Carnforth’s Royal Station Hotel to explain the reasons behind the Revival of Blackpool Trams to members and guests of the Furness, Lakes and Lune branch of the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society.

Blackpool runs both buses and trams with a workforce of 600 and has found a way to combine investment and modern methods with the preservation and continued use of a unique collection of trams.

When the new managing director arrived in 2014 she found that the average age of Blackpool buses was 14 years, there was a variety of bus models and extensive workshops were needed to keep them all running.

She said: “We had parts for buses we didn’t even have.”

Her bus policy has been to only buy new buses from one supplier - and with the intention to sell them on after five years.

By 2019 a total of £18m will have been spent on new vehicles, introducing modern developments such as wifi.

She said: “I do believe there is a big market in encouraging young people to use buses.”

On April 9 Blackpool will see the arrival of 25 new double-decker buses and it is planned to have them all on show on the Comedy Carpet near Blackpool Tower.

She said: “We have never had 25 new buses in Blackpool before, so we want to make something of it.”

Mr Lindop started his career as an apprentice fitter with British Railways and after work as a projectionist and film conservation expert for the BBC joined Blackpool Transport.

From 2004 he started to identify trams among the Blackpool fleet which should form a collection for preservation.

In 2010 he was chairman of the celebrations to mark 125 years of the Blackpool tramway.

When the new light railway system was built and the new trams introduced to Blackpool from 2012 it looked like the classic trams would become museum exhibits rather than the familiar tourist attraction thy had become.

He said: “Everyone said what are you going to do with the old trams?”

A way was found to run the old trams on special days without hindering the operation of the new and much faster vehicles - with the help of a team of six full-time engineers and 60 volunteers.

He said: “We have a wonderful team which is irreplaceable.”

Heritage trams operate from the Pleasure Beach, North Pier and the Cabin every weekend and on selected weekdays.

There are also several Gold Weekends - with six or more vintage trams in use - and an extended service to Bispham, Cleveleys and Fleetwood. The next one is on March 25 and 26.

The heritage tram depot at Rigby Road is hosting a model weekend on June 24 to 25 with model tramway layouts, stalls and vintage tram rides.

Details of all the events are available on the website or on facebook at blackpoolheritage.com

Barrow tram system was authorised in 1881 and in 1885 William Parsons drove the first vehicle.

In 1898 the system went into liquidation and was taken over by the British Electric Traction Company, which had 50 concerns across the British Isles.

Work towards powering the system from overhead electric cables started in 1903 and was completed in 1904.

Barrow Council paid £96,250 for the tramway system in 1920.

The last tram, No 45 driven by William Parsons, ran on April 5 in 1932.

Barrow had its first motor bus service in 1915 but it was abandoned in January 1922 and Barrow Corporation started its own bus service in May 1925.

Under the 1985 Transport Act Barrow Corporation’s transport department started trading as Barrow Borough Transport Limited on October 26 in 1986.

It ceased trading in May 1989 after a long-running battle for trade with Ribble – in turn swallowed by the national operator Stagecoach.