Another of the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust collection of Blackpool trams has been rescued – and its one which should please most Blackpool tram enthusiasts as it is Balloon 710. The tram – made famous for its part in killing Alan Bradley in Coronation Street way back in December 1989 – is to be preserved at the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft where it will be put on display.
Built in 1934 and numbered 247, the tram was originally an Open Top Luxury Dreadnought before it was fully enclosed in 1941. By 1989 it had spent over 50 years in service when its biggest claim to fame came into being with it selected to be the tram which dealt the fatal blow to Alan Bradley as he ran across the tram tracks outside the Strand Hotel chasing Rita Fairclough. It would run 18 years before it was withdrawn from service at the end of the 2007 season, by which time it was in a coat of Metro Coastlines Magenta and Yellow.
The Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust preserved the tram and its last public appearance came in 2011 when it was transported through the streets of Fleetwood as part of that year’s Tram Sunday event. It has since been in outside storage and remains at Wyre Dock with other members of the Trust’s tram collection – all of which are looking for new homes with plans to build a museum in the town having not got off the ground and the area in the dock they are housed required for development later this year.
The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft have now been confirmed as the new owners of the tram and they plan to put it on static display. It will be the third tram body on site with the lower saloons of two Sheffield trams also at the museum.
After over 10 years of outside storage the condition of 710 has significantly deteriorated and it will require careful transportation when it makes the trip to Sandtoft. It should depart Fleetwood later this year.
This will leave Centenary Car 641, Twin Car 673+683 and Ex-Towing Railcoach 678 at Wyre Dock looking for new homes. Although 678 had previously been said to be heading to the East Anglia Transport Museum it now looks like this won’t be happening judging by the latest news posted on the Tramtalk website. If no new owners can be found for these trams they will be scrapped.
Potentially good news for 710 – I just hope it survives the journey! I always wanted this tram to survive but had accepted it wouldn’t, so this is a welcome twist in its tale. I’m very intrigued to see what Sandtoft want to do with it though!
Its already been stated by them that its not going to be preserved as a historical relic , its going to be the tram equivalent of a playbus!!!!
If that’s the case it’s a really stupid move by Sandtoft.
1. It will alienate transport enthusiasts.
2. It will encourage snod-drivelling kids to climb all over their other exhibits too.
Good that this will not be scrapped. Every Balloon in whatever condition is a historic relic.
Pleased to hear another balloon saved, good news
This is an excellent outcome and will allow 710 to promote interest in the Blackpool Heritage Tram operation from another part of the country. It is important that examples of the English Electric Balloon are kept in covered preservation, safe from the elements and potential accident damage, which is why it is also good that 715 is to enjoy a well-earned rest, hopefully out of harm’s way.
Of the other trams still languishing at Wyre Dock, the only one of real possible interest would likely be 641, simply because it was the Centenary Car prototype, although without its original advertising roof box it appears very little different from any other Centenary Car in preservation. Sadly, the railcoaches with and without trailer are sufficiently well represented elsewhere, although spare parts would probably be more than welcome by any organisation that could put them to good use.
I’m baffled by your comments about the Twin set – surely it is far more valuable to the preservation movement than another Balloon car? The only museum/preservation group with a Twin set is the North East Electrical Traction Trust. As it currently stands I highly doubt that any of the class will run again, whereas the future of a selection of Balloons seems pretty secure.
I’ve seen at least one comment by BHTT on social media that they intend to reactivate 675/685 in the near future. As far as I’m aware it only needs rewiring.
272/T2 isn’t irreparable either I’m sure.
They’ve been saying that for six years. They did start the work on Set 5 a few years ago but then stopped and that was it. I stand by my comment and I would be surprised (but very pleased!) to see it run again in Blackpool.
I am absolutely delighted!
The problem with any museum wishing to acquire a twin car is that they need space for two trams, which of course is what a twin car is. When it comes to heritage operation, a twin car takes up about the same depot space as two Balloons. Whereas a twin car can hold up to 110 passengers, two Balloons each with a maximum capacity of 94 provide seating for an additional 78. Were these full to capacity on an Illuminations Tour at £10 per adult, that could bring up to a potential £780 more revenue than a twin car could provide. More revenue earning capacity per square foot of depot space means more to spend on maintaining the depot among other financial commitments. Whilst it can be argued that these heritage trams are rarely full to capacity on Coastal Tours, Illumination Tours have recently been reported to be a sell-out.
Of course, it is important that the twin car is represented within the Heritage fleet and I gather that the plan is to return set 5 to service some time next year. As for a second set, I believe that set 6 would prove more interesting than set 2, given it includes the original motor unit from the 1958 prototype. Considering that 272 will require both a structural repair and a total rewire, I doubt that set 6 would prove very much more challenging. In the meantime, I believe the focus should be on the completion of work on 675/685 so that this twin car, also including part of the 1958 set, can return to service as planned.
Of course, the flaw in that argument is that the vehicle with the smallest capacity per square foot of depot space taken is the Western Train…
If seats per foot was the primary consideration, that should be the first thing to go… The priority, from a curatorial perspecive quite rightly is for a balanced variety, though operationally there is an understandable skewing to the general public’s favourites – open cars, illuminateds, vintage, double deckers…
Operationally, Twins and the Train are a pain, needing 3 crew…
I think you vastly overestimate the demand for Balloon cars here – even on illumination tours they tend to be less popular than other trams and often run with empty seats even when demand is great.
As for the Twin cars; regardless of what you consider ‘more interesting’, I think that a typical set should be preserved, ideally if not at Blackpool then in the national collection. Set 2 is a more typical production Twin set than 5 or 6, and 272 has a lovely traditional interior which I imagine would appeal much more to the public than the rather plasticky look of 676. So in short, I’d ideally like to see 675+685 treated as the priority as its presumably the easiest to get back into service, with 272+T2 a potential long-term restoration candidate. I remain skeptical that any of this will actually happen though; from memory I think 675+685 has been planned to return to service next year for about 6 years!
PS. Apologies for derailing a thread on 710, but the Twin car topic is an interesting one!
Preservation of vehicles is always contentious. It is rare if not impossible to see a vehicle in a museum dedicated to the art and design of any period. The balloons in original condition are prime examples of Art Deco and when, in the future, a museum dedicated to all aspects of Art Deco is set up, a Balloon should feature in it alongside all aspects of machine art of the 1920s and 1930s. That would include a Gresley A4 pacific. But art museums are narrow in remit and curators, educated in art, rarely see vehicles as instances of human artistry, which in reality they are..