Blackpool 722, Manchester Square, 1973
Taken at a time when there was still much transport interest to see in the Lancashire seaside town. Having come from Rigby Road depot, Blackpool 'Balloon Car' 722 enters Manchester Square from Lytham Road to take up service to Talbot Square in September 1973. The car still retains its double screen destination layout, most Balloon cars having lost this distinctive feature to a large single destination box layout by this time. However, it was eventually rebuilt as per the rest of the fleet.
722 led a fairly routine service life until July 2001, when it was derailed by a sand drift across the track work between Central Pier and Foxhall colliding with a traction pole. It was late at night, and the tram was returning to depot when the incident occurred. It took recovery crews many hours to recover the tram and replace the damaged traction pole. Despite the accident damage, 722 was repaired and returned to service within a few weeks.
At the end of the 2004 season, it was deemed that Balloon cars 703 and 722 required major overhaul having not received serious works attention for many years. 722 was an odd candidate for withdrawal having had new roof domes fitted and remedial work carried out to waterproof the roof. In a turn of fate, 722 was reinstated in July 2005 due to an over subscription of advertisers and a lack of suitable trams to carry adverts. 722 was painted into all-over white and its advert was for the TGWU.
Disaster struck once again for 722, when in 2008 it collided with tram 711 at Admiral Point, and was permanently withdrawn as a consequence. Stored out of use, 722 was slowly robbed of electrical and body parts. However, the tram was used as a testbed to trial the construction of widened central doorways for easier access on the Balloon tram fleet. This was deemed a success and other Balloon cars were altered to this new specification. However, this did not save 722.
In 2009, the decision was taken to scrap the now heavily cannibalised tram, with 722 being dismantled during October 2009. 722 was the second of the Balloon car fleet meet this fate, 705 being the first following accident damage.
Scanned from the original 35mm colour transparency held in the Wulfrun Way Archive.
No unauthorised use permitted of this or any other images featured on the Wulfrun Way Archive.
Background historical information courtesy of - blackpool-trams.yolasite.com
Blackpool 722, Manchester Square, 1973
Taken at a time when there was still much transport interest to see in the Lancashire seaside town. Having come from Rigby Road depot, Blackpool 'Balloon Car' 722 enters Manchester Square from Lytham Road to take up service to Talbot Square in September 1973. The car still retains its double screen destination layout, most Balloon cars having lost this distinctive feature to a large single destination box layout by this time. However, it was eventually rebuilt as per the rest of the fleet.
722 led a fairly routine service life until July 2001, when it was derailed by a sand drift across the track work between Central Pier and Foxhall colliding with a traction pole. It was late at night, and the tram was returning to depot when the incident occurred. It took recovery crews many hours to recover the tram and replace the damaged traction pole. Despite the accident damage, 722 was repaired and returned to service within a few weeks.
At the end of the 2004 season, it was deemed that Balloon cars 703 and 722 required major overhaul having not received serious works attention for many years. 722 was an odd candidate for withdrawal having had new roof domes fitted and remedial work carried out to waterproof the roof. In a turn of fate, 722 was reinstated in July 2005 due to an over subscription of advertisers and a lack of suitable trams to carry adverts. 722 was painted into all-over white and its advert was for the TGWU.
Disaster struck once again for 722, when in 2008 it collided with tram 711 at Admiral Point, and was permanently withdrawn as a consequence. Stored out of use, 722 was slowly robbed of electrical and body parts. However, the tram was used as a testbed to trial the construction of widened central doorways for easier access on the Balloon tram fleet. This was deemed a success and other Balloon cars were altered to this new specification. However, this did not save 722.
In 2009, the decision was taken to scrap the now heavily cannibalised tram, with 722 being dismantled during October 2009. 722 was the second of the Balloon car fleet meet this fate, 705 being the first following accident damage.
Scanned from the original 35mm colour transparency held in the Wulfrun Way Archive.
No unauthorised use permitted of this or any other images featured on the Wulfrun Way Archive.
Background historical information courtesy of - blackpool-trams.yolasite.com