Regional Tramways - London Transport

The final volume in the ‘Regional Tramways’ series focuses on the history of tram operation in the London area. Starting the story with the pioneering horse tramways operated by George Francis Train in the 1860s, the book narrates how the various horse, steam, cable and electric tramways evolved in the period leading up to the creation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933. The primary focus of the book is the period immediately after World War 2 when, following the retention of the tramways for longer than anticipated, the process of conversion – codenamed ‘Operation Tramaway’ – saw almost 1,000 trams eliminated from the streets of London in less than two years. Also covered in the book are the two second-generation tramways – the Docklands Light Railway and Croydon Tramlink – which now serve parts of the Greater London area. The book concludes with an overview of those London trams that survive into preservation.

About the Author: Brought up in Bradford, Peter grew up as the city's trolleybus network gradually declined. In 1986, Peter commenced in a career in publishing, working for a number of years as Ian Allan Ltds Publisher (Books), where he oversaw the commissioning and publication of a wide range of books. The first book that he wrote was British and Irish Tramway Systems since 1945 in 1992. Since then he has written a number of books on transport subjects. Moving to Shropshire in 2007, Peter is now a full-time author and editor. He is also a director and secretary of the Online Transport Archive, a director of Shrewsbury Dial-a-Ride, a trustee of the West Shropshire Talking Newspaper, a committee member of the National Railway Heritage Awards and a past president of the Rotary Club of Shrewsbury.