Late last year, the future of Blackpool Balloon car 716 was placed in considerable doubt after its owners, Ptarmigan Transport Solutions, went into liquidation. The tram ended up being offered for sale at a hefty price on eBay, but this failed to attract much interest and the car’s future looked bleak. However, against all odds, 716 has lasted into 2014 and could well survive to see its eightieth birthday next year.
At the end of 2013, 716 was moved from the site in Perth (Scotland) where it had resided since departing Blackpool in July 2010, and was reportedly transferred to a scrapyard where it was confidently predicted that the tram would end its days. However, after doing some investigation we can now confirm that the car remains in existence thanks to a late expression of interest in acquiring it. Remarkably, this has come from overseas, and if this materialises then 716 would become the first Blackpool Balloon car ever to leave the UK. It is not known what future plans exist for the tram, and consideration is now being given to the extent of work that will be required to renovate it. As the car was withdrawn with underframe defects more than a decade ago and has since been heavily stripped of many useful components, the task of restoring it to an operational condition would be considerable, but any scheme to refurbish it as a static exhibit of some sort would certainly be achieveable.
So, for a while longer, 716‘s fate continues to hang in the balance. If the latest proposal for its preservation does not come off, the tram is almost certain to be scrapped, in which case it would become the third Balloon car to be lost forever, following on from sisters 705 and 722. However, for the time being at least, the tram lives on and the possibility of it being rescued remains!
Hopefully, it will go to the same location as the (dare I say it) boat car, was it San Francisco?
Even if it is in a museum at least it will live on and people can get to experience a 1930s British double decker tramcar.