We go “Old and New” again as we take a look at two trams in Blackpool in roughly the same location, one a heritage tram and one a modern Flexity2. We are at Cleveleys today.
Its 8th September 2005 and we feature the highest numbered Balloon Car which has not long arrived at Cleveleys with a terminating service and is now getting ready to return south, ultimately getting to the terminus at Starr Gate. 726 is carrying the attractive advertising livery for Thwaites Beer which with its green and cream colour scheme fitted in nicely with the corporate Blackpool Transport colours. The tram still survives today but can now be found at the East Anglia Transport Museum near Lowestoft.
Following the upgrading of the tramway, Cleveleys tramstop remained in the same place but received platforms to allow level boarding onto the modern Flexity2 trams which would now operate the core service on the tramway. Here we see Flexity2 003 which is standing at the platform as it operates a service to Fleetwood Ferry. We are a little bit further back in this image (partly because the tram is a lot longer!) bit the road crossing that 726 was just in front of is ahead of the tram, the signals will change in its favour once its ready to continue north. This was 28th September 2025. (Both Photographs by Gareth Prior)