{"id":64779,"date":"2026-10-01T22:00:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T21:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/?p=64779"},"modified":"2026-09-29T18:08:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T17:08:22","slug":"in-pictures-blackpool-159-returns-to-service-at-eatm-festival-of-transport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/?p=64779","title":{"rendered":"In Pictures: Blackpool 159 returns to service at EATM Festival of Transport"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saturday 26th<\/sup> September was a day of trams returning to service in green and cream liveries obviously as not only did we see Blackpool Flexity2 012<\/strong> make its official debut with its new look but some 217 miles (as the crow flies) to the east there was another return after a repaint. The tram returning to service was Blackpool Standard 159<\/strong> which returned to service during the East Anglia Transport Museum\u2019s Festival of Transport.<\/p>\n

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159<\/strong> had last run at the end of last season and was taken out of use over the winter to allow for it to receive an overhaul which has included a full repaint into its familiar green and cream livery. With the tram set to celebrate its 100th<\/sup> birthday next year the team at the EATM wanted it to be looking its best and judging by its return it is certainly doing that!<\/p>\n

The Festival of Transport is a new event for the East Anglia Transport Museum this year, taking the long-standing end of September slot once occupied by Trolleybus Weekend and then in 2025 a London weekend. With heritage bus trips around the local area, the East Suffolk Light Railway in operation plus intensive services on both the trolleybus and tram routes this was a busy weekend. It also featured the after-dark running that the end of September event has become famous for on the Saturday.<\/p>\n

Over the weekend five different trams ran in service. Of course, there was Blackpool 159<\/strong>\u2019s return to action along with fellow Blackpool car Marton VAMBAC 11<\/strong>, Sheffield 513<\/strong>, London Transport 1858<\/strong> and Amsterdam 474<\/strong>.<\/p>\n