LTT Tram Repaints

The two LTT trams in the paint shop at Blackpool Transport are progressing well. 703, in Sunderland livery, is almost complete whereas Brush Car 632 is now undercoated in green & cream ready for 1980s livery.

Meet Sunderland 101

Balloon car 703 is looking superb in Blackpool Transport's paint shop and in the final stages of its transformation into Sunderland red and cream livery. The tram will assume a new identity as Sunderland 101 - the next fleet number that could have been applied to a bogie car in the Sunderland tramcar fleet. Still to come are "Shop at Binns" advertising and side adverts for co-sponsor, bus operator Go North East.

Brush Car 632 returns to service

Brush Railcoach 632 is to return to passenger service this year in a partnership arrangement between TRAMS magazine, the TRAM SHOP at North Pier, Blackpool Transport and the LTT.

632 last operated in October 2004 but on 30 March it was extracted from long term store and transferred to the paint shop. Here it will be repainted in late 1970s green & cream livery and advert boxes fitted with advertising for the Tram Shop. In this guise 632 will operate until November 2011.

143's top deck arrives!

Although covered more extensively in 143's own restoration blog, this news update records the arrival of 143's new top deck from Gillett's of Wesham. It arrived on Wednesday 24 March and was fully assembled by the following day. Next week it will be trial fitted on the lower deck so the internal bulkhead partitions can be finalised - and then the lower deck can be shipped off to Blackpool Transport whilst the upper deck is painted, varnished and wired up.

Take a last look at 703 in green...

Take a last look at Balloon car 703 in Blackpool green and cream livery - it will soon be wearing Sunderland red and cream. Interestingly, car 703 has worn this 1980s style livery since 1999 but never wore the scheme during the 1982-1987 period when the majority of Balloon cars repainted were given the style. This was because 703 had been amongst the last repaints in the plain 1970s style back in 1981 and it wasn't repainted again until 1989 when Blackpool Transport had reverted to a much plainer livery style but in the post-deregulation shades of green & cream.

Keep viewing this blog for other announcements of the LTT's tram fleet.

New home for Balloon car 703

Balloon car 703, acquired for preservation by the LTT in October last year, is now in the paint shop. However, following a repaint the car will soon be moving away from the seaside town for operation at the North of England Open-Air Museum in Beamish, County Durham thanks to sponsorship from bus operator Go-North East and the BusWorks in Blackpool.

But tram 703 will take on a new identity as a Sunderland tram following a makeover by Blackpool Transport funded by the two principal sponsors.

Sunderland used to operate trams of a design reminiscent to these Blackpool icons and to give 703 local significance to the Beamish museum, the tram will adopt Sunderland's streamlined 1930s red and off-white livery style. The 94-seat tram, built in 1934 should prove to be a popular crowd mover on the Beamish tramway which is used to transport visitors from the main entrance to the attractions located around the 300 acre site.

An impression of what 703 will look like, based on a photograph edited by Jason Cross, is shown opposite. It is not intended to restore the double destination screens before it moves to Beamish but this may happen during its initial 5-year loan.

Ribble 1997 repainted

Ribble 1997 has now left the Busworks paintshop after a complete repaint into original livery. It will now receive mechanical attention ready for an MoT and a return to the road for the rally season.