Balloon 700 on FTS Christmas Tour

700 exiting the turning circle at Little Bispham on the FTS Christmas Tour

Balloon 700 finally made its debut on a tram tour on 28th December, after having been repainted into wartime green and cream livery back in September. 700 was being used on a private hire for the 2021 Christmas Tour of the Fylde Tramway Society, which operated over the whole tramway. Balloon 700 is part of the 'B' fleet, and as such still retains its widened platforms, new doors and fibreglass skirts, having lost its lifeguards and steel bumpers when converted to a 'B' fleet tram for use on the newly upgraded tramway. 700 had been due to make its debut into heritage service in wartime livery on Sunday 26th September, and was expected with great anticipation, sadly a door fault prevented 700 from operating in service during the Heritage Tram Tours Blackpool Tramway 136th Anniversary weekend.

700 about to enter the turning circle at Little Bispham

Balloon 700 on the turning circle at Little Bispham

700 northbound at Rossall on its way to Fleetwood

Colourful Stagecoach in Preston

Scania N250UD Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC 15305 in a livery celebrating Stagecoach and Ribble service

During several visits to Preston in Lancashire over the last year, I managed to capture a selection of the varied and colourful liveries that can be seen on Stagecoach buses that operate throughout the region.

Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 MMC 15295 on the X2 service from Liverpool to Preston

Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 15911 advertising Blackpool on the rear of the bus

Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 15699 in "The Lakes Connection" livery on service 41

Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 15232 in Stagecoach Gold livery on service 125 to Bolton

Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 15818 in the new (mainly white) standard Stagecoach livery

Stagecoach MAN 18.220 Alexander ALX300 Driver Trainer 22078

Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 15247 in yellow long-distance Stagecoach livery

Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 15566 in heritage Ribble Timesaver livery

Stagecoach owned Megabus Volvo B11RT Plaxton Panorama 50407 on service M11 to London

Single Line Working on the Tramway

Southbound Flexity 003 using the northbound line as it passes the works at Talbot Square

Due to track welding taking place at Talbot Square this week, the Flexity trams have been operating a single line service between North Pier and Cabin. Although the Blackpool Transport service updates on their website and Twitter feed indicate that it is the southbound track that is being used, on the day of my visit it was the northbound line only that was in use, with the southbound line being blocked by the work at Talbot Square. Notices posted on the southbound platforms also indicate that it is the southbound line only that will be in use, although the opposite proved to be the case, at least on the day of my visit, all rather confusing to the public.

Customer service notice confusingly stating that the southbound track only is in use

Plastic barrier blocking the southbound track and carrying customer information

Flexity 014 at Pleasant Street, picking up a southbound passenger from the northbound platform

Southbound Flexity 017 crossing to the northbound track at Cabin for its onward journey

Southbound Flexity 001 passing the work at Talbot Square using the northbound track