Following the recent announcement by Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours regarding the repaint of Centenary car 642 in an amended version of its 1990s Travelcard advert complete with green and cream ends, the tram made its debut on the promenade in its new look on Friday 10th August. Although this was only a test run, 642 attracted a fair bit of interest ahead of its public launch.
642 last ran in January 2016, an outing which ended prematurely with the car being towed in to the depot with a fault – and it had to wait over two years to be repaired, but it was something well worth waiting for! With a shiny new coat of paint, its dash panels restored with original style headlamp arrangement and vinyls promoting the various different heritage tram tour tickets available, the tram made a splendid sight on its maiden voyage. Having performed well on its first test run, it is expected that 642 will be launched into passenger service shortly, with a Centenary car event promised to celebrate its comeback. Watch this space for another announcement about this soon!
642 shows off its Travelcard advert livery, complete with the ends painted in 1990s style green and cream, whilst pausing at North Pier on its debut outing, on 10th August.
Another look at 642 in its smart new livery at North Pier during its test run on 10th August. (Photos by Rob Bray)