Trailer T7 to be reborn

Following a great deal of upheaval, it has been confirmed that the ownership of Blackpool Trailer 687 has changed once again, with the tram now becoming an official member of the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust’s collection. Plans have also been unveiled which should see the tram cosmetically restored in its original guise as T7 which will represent a welcome upturn in its fortunes after several years of uncertainty.

687‘s long-term prospects have always been clouded in doubt since its coupled partner, 677, was cannibalised to assist with the restoration of the illuminated Western Train. However, in spite of being little more than a shell it was acquired by Merseytravel who arranged for its transport to a storage site at Knowsley in 2012. Subsequently deemed surplus to requirements after the company’s tramway plans fell flat, it was privately purchased and moved to Fleetwood where it joined several other ex-Blackpool cars in storage at the fish docks. Its owner has now agreed to transfer the car into the ownership of the FHLT, although Brush car 625 will remain in his care for now at least, the last of the trams this individual bought from Merseytravel not to have subsequently changed hands again.

687 is now in the process of having its cab bulkheads removed and this will be followed by the controls being stripped out, effectively returning it to its original condition as a ‘dummy’ trailer. It will also be repainted, presumably in the original cream livery with green lining, and regain its original identity as T7. In this condition the tram will actually fill a gap in the history of Blackpool’s trams as all the other surviving Twin cars remain in their later form, when they were modified so they could be driven with the trailer leading to improve their operational flexibility. It is planned that the Trust will then use T7 to store various items they have collected, although hopefully one day it can go on display to the public to represent a trailer car in ‘as-built’ condition.

In another development, the FHLT is also hoping to carry out some cosmetic work on another of its trams, Ex-Towing Railcoach 678. This tram is in particularly poor condition having not received any major work since the early 1960s, and its body shape certainly suggests that the underframe has seen better days! The drab black paint, the remnants of an advert livery for Radio Wave, do the car no favours either so it is hoped to repaint it in a more attractive livery, probably the 1980s style of green and cream worn by this class. This is likely to depend on available funding and again, it is not known what plans exist for 678 to be put on public display, but presumably when and if the repaint goes ahead then it will be moved to somewhere it can be admired.

The Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust have a rather mixed track record of delivering with their ideas, but hopefully at least one of these new schemes will come to fruition and offer a brighter future to a tram which has been under threat more than once in the recent past.