Meanwhile at Manchester, the Heaton Park Tramway will re-open on Sunday 30th March after an extended winter closure. With the work on Lakeside Depot now nearing completion, attention has been turned to Blackpool Vanguard 619<\/strong> which is expected to return to use on the first day, having not carried passengers since 2011. Following the removal of its protective boards and sheeting, the car was treated to a heavy clean last weekend. Despite a lengthy period of open storage, the tram looks remarkably smart following this attention, and whilst a few jobs remain to be completed, it should be ready for action by the end of the month as planned. Both 619<\/strong> and Blackpool Brush car 623<\/strong> have recently been taken out on test runs to dust off the cobwebs accumulated over the winter lay-off, and both should be available for March 30th. As reported previously, this will be the last ever chance to see 619<\/strong> running with its false identity as number 7<\/strong>, before new vinyl fleet numbers are applied. With Stockport 5<\/strong> currently out of action, this open car will play a key role in the tram service being provided this spring and should see extensive use.<\/p>\n Finally, the commissioning of Blackpool’s heritage tram fleet at Starr Gate depot continues with the transfer of Open Boat cars 227<\/strong> and 600<\/strong> to the southern terminus for attention on Friday 14th March, whilst Twin set 272+T2<\/strong> was returned to Rigby Road on the same day. Once this pair have been serviced, all three Boat cars remaining in Blackpool will be available for use, and hopefully the weather will be kind enough to allow them to run over Easter, when a three-day heritage tram event will primarily celebrate the 80th anniversary of the iconic Boat and Balloon cars.<\/p>\n Vanguard 619 - sorry, 7 - seen on the extension at Heaton Park during an appearance in the open air on March 16th, when the tram was being cleaned ready for service. (Photo by Joe Savage)<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As the start of the main 2014 season approaches for most of Britain’s heritage tramways, preparations for the onslaught of visitors is now well underway at several different locations across the country. Trams at Blackpool, Crich and Manchester have all … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Vanguard-7.jpg\" "\\"Vanguard")
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