Initially brought into service in 1934, the Balloon formed the backbone of the Blackpool tram fleet until the tramway's conversion to a modern light rail network in 2012.

Following the network's re-opening, nine Balloons were converted to meet the disability regulations to serve as a supplement to the modern Flexity 2 vehicles.

They also had their roof windows painted over and coverings were fitted to their headlights in order to reduce the chance of them being spotted from the air.

After the war years, the Balloons were neglected slightly in place of the new Coronation Cars, as they were considered old fashioned and too slow to load.

Blackpool Corporation soon changed its mind after experiencing the temperamental nature of the Coronations and the Balloons began to make a comeback in the late 1950s.

[2] The reconstruction of 725 included moving the stairs to the ends, removing the central doors to increase capacity and extending its body length.

In 1989, Alan Bradley, a character in the soap opera Coronation Street, was killed when he was hit by Bispham bound tram 710 outside the Strand Hotel on North Promenade.

This advert featured unique curvaceous seating inside and a sales counter in one of the saloons where ice cream could be bought on board.

It also featured two big illuminated ice cream cone models outside on the upper deck, with one on each end and other various shapes all over the body of the tram.

From 17 October 2002, the Balloons (and all other double decker trams) were banned from going north of Thornton Gate due to the poor condition of the track.

When their plans to build a museum in Fleetwood failed to materialise and due to 710s recognition for appearing on Coronation Street, the tram was moved back to Rigby Road depot for eventual restoration as a static exhibit.

More cars were expected to follow over the winter closure period,[4] however, this did not occur, as all the stored trams that had been put up for sale were sold.

[5] In the late 1970s, Blackpool Corporation decided that the tramway fleet needed modernising after the closure of the inland routes during the 1960s.

The bogies were replaced with fabricated ones able to accommodate "Metalastik" rubber/ metal bonded suspension in the manner of the "OMO" vehicles and the tram officially entered service in 1979 after testing as Jubilee 761.

Balloon 714 was later rebuilt in a similar fashion, though it retained its original central doors as well as the front ones to improve passenger flow at stops.

Both cars were withdrawn in 2011 having become surplus to requirements due to the arrival of the Flexity 2 trams and were unsuitable for conversion to run alongside them.

Therefore, they entered preservation, with 761 being acquired by the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust and 762 being donated to the National Tramway Museum at Crich.

715 was one of the trams sold in 2011 to a local group named the Lancastrian Transport Trust, but its aim to build and open a museum alongside the tramway failed to materialise.

However, it was preserved privately and put on loan to Blackpool Heritage Trust for an indefinite period and is currently undergoing a major overhaul to 1950s condition numbered as 241.

703 was also preserved by the Lancastrian Transport Trust, but was later sold to the Beamish Open Air Museum and was repainted in a red and cream livery as Sunderland 101.

In December 2024, the entire Heritage Fleet, including the heritage Balloon cars, was suspended until further notice, with Blackpool Transport Services citing "issues such as depot space, tram movements, general safety and maintenance conflicts making it difficult to continue running the service effectively".