Fleetwood Tram Sunday in Pictures (Pennine Wings get the Bird!)

Jul 20

Fleetwood Tram Sunday in Pictures (Pennine Wings get the Bird!)

Gary's visitor at Tram Sunday

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It was an uncertain weather prospect as GoldWings North West met at 8.30am just outside Fleetwood to ride in together to display our bikes as part of the Town’s annual Tram Sunday. The skies were very showery-looking indeed and it wasn’t all that warm. Our thoughts were of coffee and bacon butties and where we could get them, or at least mine were.

As I rode into Fleetwood with the last four bikes, along three quaters of a mile of closed-off main street, it was a slightly spooky experience. There were people putting up stalls and stands here and there but they were still thin on the ground. It was a quiet Sunday morning but with only early arrivals among the other display vehicles in position, parked against the kerb. It was like a flashback to how the street might have looked early on a Sunday morning forty or fifty years ago, light traffic, plenty of room for parking and classy-looking cars they were too. The cars or lorries which were already parked up were all bright-as-new-pins examples of period designs.

1950s Sunbeam

It was almost like a film set where they have reconstructed a period street scene. I really enjoyed it.

Bill hoping the tallows are not as sharp as they look

Our allocated display area was, as in previous years, a triangular area of pavement which normally serves as a pedestrian refuge at the far end of the main street where it reaches the sea – and right outside the North Euston Hotel. It provides plenty of room and a nice prominent position.

The Owl obviously couldn't read

There was also the bonus of lots of big flower tubs and a perimeter of park bench-type seating, so in many ways it is the perfect display spot.

Pretty display location

The bikes were lined up neatly in no time and then all except one was abandoned to its own devices as we all marched off to a nearby Cafe for breakfast. Bill Squires, on a diet again, stayed behind to clean his bike after the journey – and of course to comb his hair.

Not everyone got an ice cream and someone wasn't happy about that!

By the time breakfast was over more bikes arrived and eventually we had at least twenty GoldWings with a good spread of all models and ages. It was the best turn out of GoldWings at Tram Sunday that anyone could remember.

A Splendid Grey Old Timer

They were mostly owned by Members of either GoldWings NorthWest or Pennine Wings but there might have been an one or two others.

It was a happy day of wandering and old and collector vehicles.

A choice of taxis

My particular favourite display was a group of WW2 vehicles, mostly American, parked together is a side street complete with uniformed military crew and suitably dressed civilians – complete with period music to which they were dancing.

Boy's Toys come in all sizes

There was a procession of local dignitories heralded by a marching jazz band and they were followed down the road by a lifeboat being pulled by it’s crew, a dancing Chinese Dragon and a tram.

Some are even bigger than others.........

All good old-fashioned English fun.

Our next door neighbour display space was occupied by some big birds, the feathered type, and when a great big eagle came out of their tent for a bit of air on the arm of a pretty blonde girl I didn’t hesitate to ask her to pose next to our bikes for a photo.

40's Music to dance to...........

The pair of them quickly attracted a huge crowd and the combination of the birds and bikes went very well together.

The Eagle is landing............

Bill’s bike was handiest and in a mad moment he gave permission for the bird to sit on it. First attempt, to perch it on the rider’s back rest, didn’t work when the backrest folded itself down. But the handler recovered the situation quickly and it was soon perched happily, or fairly happily, for photos. The tallons were extremely powerful and sharp and we all worried for Bill’s seat fabric, but it survived. I suppose after five years of Bill rubbing his backside on it, nothing is too tough to handle.

Here kitty kitty......

Storm, the Steppe Eagle in the pictures, is to be adopted by GoldWings North West as a Mascot. Apparently the Eagle Owl, also seen pictured on Bill’s bike, although smaller than the Steppe Eagle, is much the stronger and could easily tear the Eagle apart if they ever fell out, so maybe we backed the wrong bird.

The weather steadily brightened throughout the afternoon and we enjoyed a sunny afternoon. By 4pm, as I was leaving , my bald patch was quite pink and sore!

It was a very enjoyable day. I hope you enjoy the rest of the photos.

Click on any photo to see a full size version.