Balloon 715 Swan Song

Setting the points so that 715 can enter the loop for its break at Fleetwood Ferry

This weekend (24th/25th September) is the last time that Balloon 715 will be in use on Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours for the foreseeable future. It has been several decades since 715 last received a major overhaul, and it has been decided that now is the right time to retire the tram from active use, pending such time in the future that it can be refurbished. After its withdrawal from use, 715 will be stored on static display in Rigby Road tram depot. The photos in this post were taken during the 14:40 Coastal Tour from North Pier on Friday 23rd September.

Balloon 715 parking up on the loop at Fleetwood Ferry on 23rd September

Balloon 715 heading along North Albert Street in Fleetwood

Flexity 018 passing Balloon 715 at Fleetwood Ferry

715 rounding the curve from North Albert Street into Lord Street in Fleetwood

Balloon 715 heading south on the tramroad at Rossall on 23rd September

Balloon 700 and Flexity 011 in Fleetwood

Flexity 011 and Balloon 700 at Fleetwood Ferry on 17th September

Balloon 700 and Mazuma all-over advert Flexity 011 met in Fleetwood on 17th September. 700 was visiting Fleetwood during the 14:05 Coastal Tour from North Pier, and while it was laying over at the Ferry loop, Flexity 011 passed by on its way to Starr Gate, enabling a nice side by side photo opportunity.

Mazuma advert Flexity 011 on North Albert Street in Fleetwood

Mazuma advert for Flexity 011

Flexity 011 in Fleetwood showing its new overall advert for Mazuma Mobile

Flexity 011 has received a blue overall vinyl wrap advert for Mazuma Mobile. There was a launch ceremony at the North Pier heritage stop on Tuesday 13th September, with local professional boxer Jack Catterall. The tram entered its first full day of passenger service with the Mazuma advert on Wednesday September 14th. (Note - 3 more photos added on 15th Sep.) 

Flexity 011 heading north at Fisherman's Walk on 14th September

Flexity 011 on North Albert Street in Fleetwood

Flexity 011 passing the Pharos Lighthouse in Fleetwood

Flexity 002 and 011 at Victoria Street tram stop in Fleetwood

Flexity 011 at the Fleetwood Ferry stop in Bold Street

A close-up of the Mazuma advert on the centre section of Flexity 011

August Bank Holiday Heritage

First out of the depot was Brush Car 631, passing the fire engines at work on Tyldesley Road

The 2022 August Bank Holiday weekend saw three days of intensive heritage tram operation in Blackpool, with six trams rostered to operate the service on each of the three days. There was a delayed start to operations on the Saturday morning, due to a derelict building fire on Tyldesley Road which had started in the early hours. Lytham Road and Tyldesley Road were closed to all traffic for several hours, while Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service brought the fire under control, using several fire engines and two aerial ladder platforms. The heritage trams were eventually allowed to gain access to the Promenade via the still closed Lytham Road, shortly after 11:00 am. All six heritage trams were required to run together in convoy, these being Brush 631, Boats 600 & 227, then the Frigate followed by Balloons 700 & 715. A selection of photos of the daytime heritage service over the three days of the bank holiday weekend are shown here.

Heritage trams 715, 700, 736, 227, 600 & 631 travelling down Lytham Road to the Promenade

Boat 600 passing the Alice in Wonderland illuminations tableau near Lowther Avenue

Balloon 715 passing the four seasons illuminations tableau near Lowther Avenue

The frigate passing through Cleveleys, returning from a trip to Fleetwood

Balloon 700 passing St Peter's Church on Lord Street in Fleetwood

The Western Train at Anchorsholme road crossing on its return journey from Fleetwood on 28th Aug

Boat 227 at Little Bispham returning from a heritage tour to Cleveleys

Balloon 723 at Little Bispham, substituting for Railcoach 680 on Saturday 28th

Balloon 717 passing Little Bispham on its way to Fleetwood Ferry

Brush Car 621 at Thornton Gate on a run to Cleveleys on Sunday 29th August

Centenary Car 648 passing Cafe Marina on North Albert Street in Fleetwood

Balloon 707 passing Anchorsholme Park on a trip to Thornton Gate in Cleveleys

Blackpool Airshow 2022 - The Trams

Northbound Flexity 016 pauses at the Tower tram stop, while 001 and 006 head south

The 2022 Blackpool Airshow took place over the weekend of 13th and 14th August under glorious blue skies and blessed with warm weather, maybe a bit too warm for some! This was the first time that the airshow had been held for three years, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However this post isn't about the aircraft, but the trams that were operating on the Promenade under extremely difficult operating conditions, mainly due to the large crowds that surrounded and spilled over onto the tram tracks between Central and North Piers. Due to the density of the crowds, each tram had to be preceded by a guide walking along in front of the tram, on the busiest section of the central Promenade. Note, all the photos shown here were taken on Saturday 13th August.

Flexity 002 and Bolton 66 slowly making their way through the crowds near North Pier

An unidentified Flexity heading north from the Tower tram stop

"I'm sure there's a tram track around here somewhere!"  Flexity 011 heading north

Pedestrians walking in front of Flexity 008 at the Tower, while 001 heads north

Balloon 700 heading north on a Coastal Tour near the Tower

Boat 227, seen through the crowds, on a northbound Promenade Tour

Bolton 66 following one of the walking guides at the Tower

Flexity 009 and passing cyclists near the Tower tram stop

The Avro Lancaster of the BBMF banking around over North Pier during its display routine

Wrightbus battery-electric demonstrator on loan to Blackpool

The Wright Electroliner heading north on service 1 in Cleveleys

Blackpool Transport currently have a Wright StreetDeck Electroliner dual-door battery-electric demonstrator bus on loan. The Wright Electroliner (LY71 GJE) has been noted in use on Promenade service 1 over the last couple of days, complete with a roving conductor, and was shadowing BTS ADL Enviro 445 on the morning of Tuesday 9th August. The demonstrator is finished in a rather attractive shade of blue, standing out from the rest of the grey buses in use along the Fylde Coast.

Electric bus and tram (Flexity 002) alongside each other in Bold Street, Fleetwood 

The Wright demonstrator on The Esplanade in Fleetwood

The Electroliner leaving the Affinity shopping outlet at Fleetwood

A rear view of the demonstrator as it turns right onto Dock Street in Fleetwood

Brush 627 leaves for a new home in East Anglia

Brush Car 627 at the Pleasure Beach in May 2002 carrying an overall advert for Coral Island

Brush Car 627 (original number 290) departed from Blackpool for a new life across the other side of the country in East Anglia on Thursday 28th July. Brush 627 (290) was owned by the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust (FHLT), and had been purchased in 2011, along with several other trams, for a proposed new tram museum in Fleetwood. Since plans for the Fleetwood museum fell through, other uses for the collection of trams stored on Fleetwood Fish Dock have been pursued. Brush Car 290 (as it had been renumbered) was put on display on a short section of track within the Pleasure Beach turning circle for a number of years, until finally being moved to Rigby Road tram depot for dry storage in 2015. The East Anglia Transport Museum, at Carlton Colville near Lowestoft, have purchased 627 (290) to add to their existing collection of operating trams, which include Marton Vambac 11 and Blackpool Standard 159. Late on the morning of 28th July, a low loader of Reid Freight Services arrived in Blundell Street to collect 627 for the long journey to the opposite side of the country. Before 627 could be loaded it had to be turned around, as the towing box on the end of the tram facing the trailer was missing. After 627 had been turned with the aid of the depot fork lift truck, the loading process could begin. Once 627 was safely loaded and chained down, Reid's low loader departed for the long journey to East Anglia around 1425.

Brush Car 627 being towed out of the depot along Hopton Road by the fork lift truck

Brush 627 on Blundell Street (notice the missing towing box)

John Woodman and Colin Macleod of the FHLT bidding farewell to 627 (290) on Blundell Street

Brush 627 being hauled onboard the trailer using the tractor unit's electric winch

627 being winched onto the low loader trailer of Reid Freight Services

Enthusiasts and spectators watching the loading process of Brush 627

A rear view of Brush Car 627 loaded onboard Reid's transporter

Reid Freight Service's low loader ready to depart from Blundell Street

Reid's low loader making the tricky manoeuvre from Blundell Street into Hopton Road

627 on display at the Pleasure Beach in June 2015, with Brush 631 on Heritage Tour service