Blackpool Transport have confirmed that their online fundraiser for money to bring back Balloon 710 from Wyre Dock to Rigby Road Depot has been successful. Launched in mid-November the campaign was looking to raise £2,500 to pay for the transportation of the tram along the Fylde Coast and within a couple of weeks this has been surpassed allowing plans to be made for its move.
Balloon 710 has been acquired by Blackpool Transport to go on display at Tramtown with it set to be initially cosmetically restored to its late 1980s condition when it was “involved” in one of Coronation Street’s biggest storylines at the time with Alan Bradley being knocked over by the tram and killed on North Promenade. Since that time an oft asked question has been “which tram killed Alan Bradley?” and with it becoming available again the decision was taken that it would be a valued exhibit at Tramtown to become an attraction in its own right.
710 last ran in service as far back as 2007 and was acquired for the then Friends of Fleetwood Trams (later to become the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust) who were planning to have a tram museum in the town. It departed Rigby Road in 2011 and after a trip through the centre of Fleetwood as part of that year’s Tram Sunday event it has been in outside storage ever since. Unfortunately, despite the best of intentions plans for a museum in Fleetwood did not happen and with the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust putting their collection up for disposal thoughts fell to what would happen to the tram.
There were several false dawns for 710. At one stage it looked as if it could be going to Rossall School but they instead took Twin Trailer 687 and then it was reported that the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft would be taking it on. But that too fell through which is when Blackpool Transport came in and started a campaign to fund the transportation of the tram to Rigby Road.
Now that funding is in place preparations will start to loading the tram and moving to across to Rigby Road. Its planned that it will receive a cosmetic restoration to start with – this will be undertaken by Tramtown volunteers so as not to take any resources from the engineering side of the Heritage Tram Tours operation.
At last, arguably the most important tram from the outdoor storage collection is to be safe home where it belongs. It seems appropriate that plans are in place for a return to the late 1980s livery as this identifies it with its brief TV role – hopefully it will prove a major attraction. A pity the railcoaches (673 and 678) have not been rescued, but I suppose they are less appealing to the preservation movement and hardly unique in any way. Wonder whether Sandtoft will acquire the trailer or 641 as a play tram – either would pose fewer health and safety issues due to the lack of a steep staircase. Schools have already acquired ex-Blackpool single deck trams as has Farmer Parr, no doubt with children in mind.
There’s an interesting story as to why it was 710 that killed Alan Bradley.
In the mid 1980s 710 was exchanged with a vehicle from the National Tramway Museum at Crich so the Crich vehicle could take place in the centenary celebrations in Blackpool. 710 actually made it’s first TV appearance while on it’s Derbyshire vacation, popping up briefly in an episode of the Channel 4 action game show ‘Treasure Hunt’. At this stage 710 carried the 1980’s stripey livery.
On return to Blackpool it was decided that 710 was due a repaint into the brand new current livery. I was told many years ago that 710 was then selected to bump-off the Corronation street villain because having just been repainted it was the only member of the class that was clean at the time!
As an asside to this… If BT are getting 710 back because of it’s TV heritage, can we also look forward to the return of the Alan Bradley tram stop? This was a specially painted stop pole and flag on North Shore, complete with red ‘blood’ splatter that priclaimed ‘The Alan Bradley Death Stop!’ In a masterpiece of marketing it also included below the strap-line ” He might have made it with a 7-day travelcard!” 😀