Warning! Balloon 711 on test at Crich!

Whilst many tram enthusiasts were celebrating the 80th anniversary of the famous Balloon trams in Blackpool over the Easter weekend, one of the class was making history elsewhere. Modified car 711, which is on loan to the National Tramway Museum for the 2014 season, has been making its first moves around the museum under its own power since being delivered on Wednesday 9th April.

Almost as soon as the Balloon car was unloaded it was shunted into the museum workshop where commissioning work commenced, including the re-fitting of its pantograph and lifeguards, which had been removed for the road journey from Blackpool. Just over a week later, on Good Friday 18th April, 711 made its tentative moves out of the workshop under its own power after being treated to a thorough clean – the first such moves by a Balloon car at Crich since the visit of sister car 710 in the mid 1980s. The following day, Saturday 19th April, was even more significant, as 711 was taken for a test run to Glory Mine and back for the first time before the morning tram service began. This was primarily to ensure that the tram with its widened centre platforms would fit on the Crich tramway; but as some trials had already been undertaken with another tram simulating the enhancements to 711‘s width, this unsurprisingly passed without incident, thus completing another successful chapter in the tram’s long life. An impromptu photo opportunity with fellow Blackpool cars, Brush 630 and Jubilee 762, was also taken on the depot fan, showcasing some of the more modern-looking trams now resident at Crich.

No announcement has yet been made as to when 711 will enter service at the museum, although it is confidently predicted that it will operate at the ‘Beside the Seaside’ event which is being held over the late May school holiday period. The tram should stay at Crich until the end of the 2014 operating season, allowing the museum to show the closest to a second generation tram that is currently able to operate on their demonstration line as part of the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of electric tramcar operation at Crich.

Balloon car 711 makes its first appearance on the mainline at Crich, shown here at the Glory Mine terminus early on the morning of April 19th.

Another view of 711 at Glory Mine; this time the car is shown on the reversing stub track. Note the improved surface in front of the tram where visitors can now alight for a break between tram rides.

Modern developments in Blackpool illustrated in the depot yard at Crich with 711 joined by Jubilee car 762 and refurbished Brush Railcoach 630. (Photos x 3 by Dan Heeley)

 

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2 Responses to Warning! Balloon 711 on test at Crich!

  1. Howard Piltz says:

    Yes, these trams are ostensibly 80-odd years old but all three are hopelessly out of place at Crich. Why it was thought necessary to bring 711 to Derbyshire is beyond me whilst the Brush 630 is likewise so far rebuilt it is totally unrepresentative. There is another Brush car at Crich, a half-finished restoration project. Surely every effort should be made to finish this off. Jubilee 762 is a different matter, representing the final development of the double-decker tram (so far!) and as such commands its place, but PLEASE give it a repaint.

    • Andrew Waddington says:

      630 IS actually very representative – of a heavily modernised 1930s-built tram, which is its role in the national collection. The tram isn’t supposed to represent the ‘art deco’ period at all, but rather is a more up to date version of say Leeds 345 or Glasgow 812, i.e. an old tram that has been updated for continued use. Whilst we may not be used to seeing these trams in the period setting of Crich, I believe that they deserve to be there. After all, it is the National Tramway Museum and these cars help to bring the story of the British tram up to date. Crich is not set in a particular time period like say Beamish and ideally should be showing trams from across the ages.

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