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Blackpool Tramway : Trams

Blackpool has a very varied tramcar fleet, with vehicles ranging from 1930's double-deck Balloon cars, to single-deck one-man trams built in the 1980s. There are also rebuilds of older trams, and a number of vintage vehicles which are regularly operated in service.

The standard current livery is variations of the colourful Metro Coastlines livery, which is also applied to the bus fleet. On the bus fleet the livery is designed to be implemented in different pairs of colours for different routes; on the tram fleet the actual colours used are arbitrary. Trams can also be seen in different variations of the traditional green and cream Blackpool Transport livery, and in a variety of all-over adverts.

Power is supplied from a 550vDC overhead system. Most trams use pantograph current collection, but a few retain trolley poles.

Here is a summary of the different types of tramcar in use in Blackpool. More details and a full fleet list will follow soon. For pictures of trams, click here.

Boats

Single-deck, open-top cars, built by English Electric in 1934. Numbers 600–607.

Brush cars

Single-deck cars, built by Brush in 1937. Numbers 621–637.

Centenary cars

Single-deck, one-man operated cars, built by East Lancs in 1984–8. Numbers 641–648.

Progress Twins

Single-deck, power+trailer cars, rebuilt from English Electric cars in 1958–62. Numbers 671–680 (power cars) and 681–687 (trailer cars). Cars operate in regular pairs (eg. 675+685) except for 678–680 which operate singly.

Balloons

Double-deck cars, built by English Electric in 1934–5. Numbers 700–726.

Jubilee class

Double-deck cars, rebuilt from Balloons in 1979 and 1982. Numbers 761 and 762.

Millenium class

Double-deck cars, rebuilt from Balloons in 2002–2005. Numbered in the Balloon series.

Illuminated cars

Variety of rebuilt single-deck cars, of different designs, rebuilt as illuminated 'theme' trams. No discreet numbering series.

Vintage cars

Variety of vintage cars from Blackpool and other operators, mostly owned by preservationists.