Friday 2nd March was yet another eventful day at Blackpool with another of the surplus
trams leaving for pastures new, as the eighth of the new low-floor trams arrived in town. The latest departure following hot on the heels (or should that be wheels?) of Boat 605 was Balloon 721, which has been sold into private ownership having spent more than two years in storage at Rigby Road since it last ran in service during the 2009 illuminations season. Like 605 before it, 721 has moved to the North East of England, and it is now in
temporary storage at a top secret location pending development of plans for its future.
After the team from Scott’s Heavy Haulage had transported Boat car 605 to Beamish
Museum, the expert tram movers then returned to Blackpool to collect car 721 which was loaded up late in the afternoon on Thursday 1st March, duly leaving Blackpool in the early hours of the morning after spending the night on Blundell Street. Unfortunately virtually nothing is known about who owns 721 or what will happen to it now that it has left Blackpool, which is a shame as it was probably in the best condition of all the Balloon cars that were offered for sale and would have made a brilliant addition to the fleet of an operating tramway. Hopefully this car will have a bright future ahead of it, and plans
for it will be revealed to the public domain before too long.
Soon after 721 had bid farewell to the seaside, another new tram arrived at Starr Gate in the shape of the eighth Flexity 2 class car. The identity of this tram is not known yet – logic would suggest that it is 008, but with previous arrivals coming in a seemingly random order it would be unwise to assume so. The tram is now tucked up safely in Starr Gate depot alongside its seven sisters, and also Cardiff 131 which continues to wait patiently
for a return to Crich. This means that half of the intended 16 Flexities are now in Blackpool; a disappointing total considering that the tramway is due to burst back into life in just a few short weeks. Even if the deliveries step up significantly it is almost certain that nowhere near all of the class will have arrived before Easter, adding to the belief that modified Balloon cars may well have a key role to play when the system re-opens next month.