In this edition of “15 Years Apart” we feature a tram which has not only changed livery but also locations.
This first photo of Blackpool Brush Car 630 was taken on 10th September 2009 and shows the tram just coming out of depot for what looks like some evening specials during the Illuminations season of that year, in a scene which was repeated many thousands of times over the years. As we can see the tram is an all over advert for Karting 2000, which was once situated at Starr Gate until such a time as it was moved to allow construction of the new tram depot. This particular version of the advert (a previous design preceded it from June 1998) was applied in June 2007.
630 has now found a new home at the Crich Tramway Village where it was preserved following the upgrading of the Blackpool Tramway. It received a repaint into a 1990s version of the green and cream fleet livery before entering preservation and it has remained part of the operational fleet since arriving there. We see it here just outside the depot on 15th September 2024. (Both Photographs by Gareth Prior)