The first horse tramway in London was the short-lived line operated by George Francis Train; this commenced operation in 1861 but was not to last for more than six months due to local opposition. Barry Cross Collection/ Online Transport Archive
It was not until the Tramways Act of 1870 that a legal framework existed to permit the construction of street tramways. The American entrepreneur George Francis Train discovered this during the early 1860s, when he endeavoured to build a number of street tramways in England. The Act authorised local authorities to grant the rights to operate tramways within the local area to companies for a period of 21 years; construction of the tramway could either be undertaken by the authority and leased to the operator or by the operator itself. The Act also imposed a duty upon the operator to maintain the strip of road 18in either side of the outer running rails; in many ways, this was the Achilles’ heel of the act; at a time when roads were generally badly maintained – if they were maintained at all – the creation of this well-managed strip in the middle meant that it became available to all road users and the tram increasingly became perceived as a cause of delays as a consequence. At the end of the twenty-oneyear lease, or periodically thereafter, the local authority was entitled to purchase the assets of the company at a written-down value. This was a further weakness in the act, in that it dissuaded the leaseholders from investing further in the business as the potential selling price would not reflect the investment undertaken. The 1870 Act was subsequently amended, most notably with the Light Railways Act of 1896, but represented the basis upon which most tramways were built.
The first horse tramway in London was the short-lived line operated by George Francis Train; this commenced operation in 1861 but was not to last for more than six months due to local opposition. Barry Cross Collection/ Online Transport Archive
HORSE TRAM ERA
The early history of the horse and nonelectric tramway operations within the Greater London area is complex; the following is a brief summary of events. Further – and more detailed – information can be obtained in the various publications detailed in the bibliography.
A horse car operated by the North Metropolitan Tramways Co pictured heading towards Stratford on the Romford Road route. C. Carter Collection/Online Transport Archive
The first horse tramways in the Greater London area predated the passing of the 1870 Act. Having introduced the first trams to the British Isles – in Birkenhead – the American George Francis Train constructed three lines in London. The first of these – from Marble Arch to Portchester Terrace along the north side of Hyde Park – opened on 23 March 1861 with the other two – from Westminster to Vauxhall Bridge Road and from the south side of Westminster Bridge to Kennington Park – following shortly thereafter. Opposition from Bayswater residents saw the first line close after only six months and the later two both followed in early 1862.
Again predating the 1870 Act, the North Metropolitan Tramways Act, which received the Royal Assent ion 12 July 1869, authorised the North Metropolitan Tramways Co to construct a number of lines and raise funds. A further Act, which received the Royal Assent on 10 August 1870, revised the original Act, reflecting the changes in legislation that had resulted from the 1870 Tramways Act. Initial construction commenced in December 1869 and the first section to open, from Whitechapel Church to Bow Bridge, opened on 9 May 1870. Over the next two decades, the company’s network expanded considerably to the north and east of the City. Central termini were located at Bloomsbury, Holborn, Aldersgate, Norton Folgate and Aldgate, with routes radiating out to Archway Tavern via Holloway Road, to Manor House, Stamford Hill Poplar and via Stratford to Leytonstone and Manor Park. In April 1892, the company took over the operations of the North London Suburban Tramways Co; this extended the company’s operation into Middlesex. Three years earlier, however, the creation of the LCC saw the new authority seek to take over the horse tram operations within its area. The process of the take-over was prolonged – as was often the case – as the company and council argued over the terms of the deal. However, matters were concluded in the summer of 1896 when the LCC took over 35¾ route miles – the largest single horse tramway network acquired by the LCC – with the company continuing to operate the lines under a lease from 24 June 1896. These lines were eventually to be electrified as part of the LCC’s electrification programme.
Leyton UDC operated horse trams for a brief period on the lines it acquired from the North Metropolitan and Lea Bridge, Leyton & Walthamstow Tramways. This example was operated on the section from the Bakers Arms to Clapton. The last UDC-operated horse trams operated in December 1908. Harry Luff Collection/ Online Transport Archive
The LCC’s purchase covered those lines within its area; the North Metropolitan, however, also operated in Middlesex and in Essex. The services in Middlesex eventually were to pass to the Metropolitan Electric Tramways. The routes in Essex were in the East Ham, Leyton and West Ham council areas. West Ham took over the sections of line within its area on 1 July 1903; these continued to be horse-operated pending conversion to electric traction. The process of conversion was completed on 9 August 1905 with the introduction of electric trams to the section from Bow Bridge to Stratford Broadway.
Leyton UDC acquired its short section of the North Metropolitan’s network on 25 June 1906. Hose operation continued – using three ex-LCC cars – from Leyton station to the boundary with West Ham. The last Leyton UDC horse trams operated on 9 December 1908.
East Ham Corporation exercised its powers to take over the short section of the North Metropolitan network within its area on 29 April 1908; by this date, this represented the last surviving remnant of the North Metropolitan’s once extensive network – at its peak the company operated over 56¼ route miles – and the new owners proceeded with the electrification of the section. As the work required the rebuilding of the railway bridge at Woodgrange Park, although electric services were introduced on 1 August 1908, it was not until 10 March 1909 that through services between East and West Ham commenced.
The Metropolitan Street Tramways Co commenced operation in May 1870. The company operated doublehorse trams supplied by three companies: the Starbuck Car & Wagon Co Ltd of Birkenhead, F. J. Rowan of Randers in Denmark and John Stephenson & Co of New York. Barry Cross Collection/ Online Transport Archive
One of constituents of the future London Tramways Co Ltd, the Pimlico, Peckham & Greenwich Tramways Co was authorised by an Act in 1869 to construct a number of lines in south London with work commencing on construction early in 1870. Further powers were obtained in 1870 to construct further lines. Operation of the first section, from New Cross to Blackheath Road, Greenwich, commenced on 13 December 1870 but a snowstorm caused services to be disrupted a few days later; they were not resumed until 7 January 1871. On 5 March 1871, the route was extended from Blackheath Road to Christchurch Road, Greenwich. Further extensions followed, taking the company to an eventual ten route miles. Following parliamentary sanction, the Pimlico, Peckham & Greenwich Tramways Co was acquired by the London Tramways Co in 1874.
The second constituent of the London Tramways Co Ltd was the Metropolitan Street Tramways Co. This was also initially authorised by parliament – via the Metropolitan Street Tramways Act – in 1869. The Act stipulated – as did that for the Pimlico, Peckham & Greenwich Tramways Co – a gauge of 5ft 3in; this was a misunderstanding and standard gauge was specified in both companies’ Acts in 1870. The first section to open – from The Horns at Kennington to Gresham Road, Brixton – commenced operation on 2 May 1870. The original line was extended at both ends on 5 October 1870 – from The Horns to Westminster Bridge Road and from Gresham Road to Brixton Church. The next line to open – from Kennington to Stockwell – followed on 7 December 1870. This section was further extended to Clapham on 1 May 1871 and the line between St George’s Church and Kennington Road followed on 11 September 1871. The company’s assets – including some six route miles of track passed to the London Tramways Co in 1874.
A London Tramways Co horse car – on the route linking Blackfriars Bridge with New Cross – pictured at the Elephant & Castle. D.W.K. Jones/ Collection/Online Transport Archive
The London Tramways Co Ltd, which was registered on 12 December 1879, represented a merger between the Metropolitan Street Tramways Co and the Pimlico, Peckham & Greenwich Street Tramways Co – a merger that was effected following an Act of 28 July 1873. The inherited network was extended over the years – including the cable route up Brixton Hill (see page 25) – and resulted in the company possessing the second largest route mileage – 24½ – of any of the companies acquired by the LCC. Although initial approaches by the LCC to acquire the company were made as early as 1892, it was not until 31 December 1898 – following some years of negotiation and arbitration – that the company’s operations finally ceased, with operation by the LCC commencing the following day.
One of the larger horse tramways acquired eventually by the LCC – with a network taken over of 13¼ route miles – was the London Street Tramways Co. This was initially authorised by an Act of 1870 to construct a number of routes to the north and north-west of the City with further Acts extending the company’s powers; the company’s routes ultimately linked Farringdon, Holborn and Euston Road with Holloway, Archway Tavern, Parliament Hill and Hampstead. The first sections of route opened in January 1872 – although there had been some unauthorised operation late the previous year prior to the Board of Trade inspection – and the final extensions – linking Caledonian Road and Gray’s Inn Road via Pentonville Road – opened in mid-1889. Two years later, the LCC initiated the process that would ultimately lead – after arguments, arbitration and legal action – to the LCC’s take-over of a third of the company’s route mileage – Kentish Town to King’s Cross and Euston Road to Holloway – following a decision in the House of Lords on 30 July 1894. The remaining two-thirds of the company’s network was acquired by the LCC by agreements in January and May 1897 on 13 October 1897. Although the LCC acquired the routes of the company, the vehicles passed to the North Metropolitan Tramway Co. At the same time, company operation of these and the earlier sections acquired by the LCC (operated under lease since 1894) ceased, with operation then being leased to the North Metropolitan Tramway Co until 1906, when that company’s lease was ended.
One of the largest horse tram operations eventually acquired by the LCC was that of the London Street Tramways Co; here one of the company’s horse trams – No 622 – heads inbound with a service past King’s Cross station. Barry Cross Collection/ Online Transport Archive
The 4ft 8½in gauge Southall, Ealing & Shepherds Bush Tram Railway Co Ltd was incorporated in May 1870 and received parliamentary approval for its planned line from Shepherds Bush to Southall three years later. Work commenced on construction in late 1873 and operation commenced from Shepherds Bush to Askew Crescent – a distance of 1¼ miles – on 1 June 1874, although services were suspended between 20 February 1875 and 21 September 1875. A further mile extension – from Askew Crescent westwards to Acton Priory – opened on 18 February 1878. Following the failure of the original company, its assets were transferred initially to James and Robert Nicol Reid and eventually to the West Metropolitan Tramways Co (on 6 March 1882). As with the rest of the West Metropolitan company, the line passed to LUT in August 1894 and the route was extended further westwards along Acton High Street, to Gunnersbury Lane on 7 September 1895; work was also undertaken to improve the existing line. Horse operation of these lines continued through until the route from Shepherds Bush to Acton Hill was electrified on 4 April 1901.
A horse tram belonging to the Croydon Tramways Co is pictured on London Road, Broad Green (the area between Croydon and Thornton Heath), in 1894. Horse tram operation in Croydon finally ceased in 1902. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
The origins of the Croydon Tramways Co were in powers obtained in 1878. The first section of route – from North End to Thornton Heath Pond – opened on 9 October 1879; further routes were to follow, two of which were originally proposed by the Norwood District Tramway Co, established in 1882 but merged with the Croydon Tramways Co on 2 August 1883, prior to the opening of the lines to form Croydon & Norwood Tramways Co. There were two distinct sections; one route, from the Green Dragon, South Croydon, to the Red Deer along the Brighton Road, was physically separated. A connection was established between the two parts in 1897. In 1888, the Croydon & Norwood Tramways Co failed; its assets were purchased the following year by a new Croydon Tramways Co although a number of routes – most notably that from Addiscombe to South Norwood – had ceased operation by that date. The corporation took over ownership of the surviving routes with a view to electrification on 22 January 1900, with the operation leased to BET. Work started on conversion and the last horse trams operated on 9 January 1902.
South London Tramways No 55 is seen standing on North Street, Wandsworth, in 1895. D.W.K. Jones Collection/Online Transport Archive
The North London Suburban Tramways Co was empowered by a Board of Trade Provisional Order, confirmed by a Confirmation Act, to construct a line from Stamford Hill to Cheshunt in 1879. The first section – from Tramway Avenue, Edmonton, to Lower Edmonton – underwent its Board of Trade inspection on 12 April 1881 and, by mid-June 1881, the entire line south to Stamford Hill had been inspected and services introduced. The next section – from Tramway Avenue to Ponders End – opened on 7 January 1882. However, the company was in financial difficulties and its assets passed to the North London Tramways Co following an Act of 10 August 1882. The section from Ponders End to Cheshunt was never completed.
Originally authorised by the South London Tramways Company Act of 1879 and by further Acts in subsequent years, the South London Tramways Co operated a network of standard gauge lines on the south bank of the River Thames. At the eastern end, the company served the Hop Exchange (London Bridge), Waterloo station and Elephant & Castle, linking them via Vauxhall with Wandsworth via Lavender Hill and Clapham Junction and via Battersea Park and York Road. Services on the first section of route, along York Road and Battersea Park Road, commenced in early January 1881. The final sections were opened in late 1883. On 24 July 1891, the company leased the Waterloo Road section – which was losing money due to competition from horse buses – to the London Tramways Co. This lease was reconfirmed following the LCC’s take-over of the London Tramways Co on 1 January 1899. The assets of the South London Tramways Co – including 12¾ route miles of track and 95 horse trams – passed to the LCC on 21 November 1902.
Initially authorised by the Southwark & Deptford Tramways Act of 1879, with further Acts following in 1881 and 1889, the Southwark & Deptford Tramways Co eventually operated standard gauge horse trams from Tooley Street to Deptford, from Bricklayers Arms to Bermondsey and Rotherhithe and from a junction on the Old Kent Road to Bermondsey. Initial services commenced in late October 1880 with the final section – from Bermondsey to the Old Kent Road (Canal Bridge) – opening on 17 December 1882. In 1891, the company’s name was changed to the London, Deptford & Greenwich Tramways Co; this reflected the company’s ambition – unfulfilled – to extend its line through to Greenwich. The company’s assets were acquired by the LCC on 7 July 1904; these included almost seven routes miles of track and 42 horse trams.
West Metropolitan Tramways No 10 pictured at the Lawn, Shepherds Bush, in the early 1890s. The Goldhawk Road service was operated by Falcon-built trams between 1882 and 1894. D.W.K. Jones Collection/Online Transport Archive
The West Metropolitan Tramways Co Ltd was established in 1881 to purchase, from James and Robert Nicol Reid, the existing tramway from Shepherds Bush to Acton plus the authorised – but incomplete – route along Goldhawk Road from Shepherds Bush to Chiswick. Following inspection, this service commenced on 18 March 1882. In addition, the new company sought powers to construct a tramway from Hammersmith via Chiswick and Kew Bridge to Richmond station. This was approved, save for the section across the narrow Kew Bridge; opposition from the Kew Bridge Commissioners prevented track being laid across the bridge and this resulted in the section south of the river to Richmond being isolated. This continued even after the bridge was rebuilt in the early twentieth century and the isolated section was closed on 20 December 1912 – the last section of the ex-company lines to retain horse tram operation – and never electrified. The section to the north side of Kew Bridge opened on 16 December 1883; the section from Kew Bridge to Richmond followed on 17 April 1883. The company’s final extension – into Hammersmith itself – opened in July 1883 and took the company to a total route mileage of 8¾. The West Metropolitan Tramways collapsed financially and, following the failure of its proposed sale at auction on 13 June 1894, its assets were purchased on 6 August 1894 by the Imperial Tramways Co Ltd and transferred to a new subsidiary – London United Tramways Ltd – a fortnight later.
The 3ft 6in gauge Woolwich & South East London Tramways Co Ltd was authorised, as the Woolwich & Plumstead Tramways (the company was sold shortly after its authorisation), in 1880 to construct a line from Woolwich High Street, via Beresford Square, to Plumstead Church along with a short branch along Powis Street. The choice of the 3ft 6in gauge was due to the severe curvature of some of the planned route. Following construction, the line opened on 4 June 1881. Later that year, powers were obtained to extend the line westwards to Greenwich but an attempt to extend the Powis Street route were rejected in 1883 and the short line was closed shortly thereafter. The Greenwich extension opened on 21 November 1882. The company continued its operation through until 1 June 1905, when the LCC took over. The new owners were keen both to convert the line to standard gauge and to electrify it. The section between Greenwich and Tunnel Avenue was closed for reconstruction in two stages during November and December 1905; electric services over this route commenced on 18 June 1906. The work of conversion, however, took some years and it was not until 23 November 1913 that the final short section saw horse tram operation for the last time.
In all the Woolwich & South East London Tramways Co Ltd possessed thirtythree horse trams; three of these are pictured outside the main gate of the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. D.W.K. Jones Collection/ Online Transport Archive
The 4ft 8½in gauge Lea Bridge, Leyton & Walthamstow Tramways Co was authorised in 1881 to construct a line from Clapton, adjacent – but unconnected – to the North Metropolitan line, through to the Whipps Cross – a distance of 3½ miles. Following inspection, services commenced on 12 May 1883. However, the line was not a financial success, leading to a suspension of services in late 1884, and a new company, the Lea Bridge, Leyton & Walthamstow Tramways Co Ltd, acquired the assets in 1889. Along with the original route, a short extension from Whipps Cross to the Rising Sun, on the edge of Epping Forest and from Lea Bridge Road via Leyton Green to Leyton station were approved; these opened on 13 May 1889 and 31 March 1890 respectively. Operation of the bulk of the tramway passed to Leyton UDC on 31 October 1905, with a short section passing to the LCC three years later. Following conversion work, electric services over the former company lines with the Leyton UDC area commenced on 1 December 1906.
An August 1905 view sees a horse tram of the Lea Bridge, Leyton & Walthamstow Tramways Co standing at the Clapton terminus on Lea Bridge Road. Charles Martin/D.W.K. Jones Collection/Online Transport Archive
Initially authorised by an Act of 1882, the London Southern Tramways Co operated a network of lines centred on Loughborough Junction. These were from Camberwell Green to Brixton, from Loughborough Junction south via Herne Hill and Tulse Hill to West Norwood and from Coldharbour Lane to Vauxhall station. The first services were operated on 30 May 1884, with the final section – from Stockwell to Vauxhall station – opening three years later. Although the LCC considered acquiring the company in 1903 – on the expiry of the 21-year period – the poor quality of the track allied with the unwillingness of the various parties to agree on a scheme for electrification, resulted in a delay of the transfer until 20 December 1905. At this date, the LCC acquired 5¾ route miles from the company.
The original horse trams operated by the London Southern Tramways Co were fitted with knifeboard seating on the upper deck; in 1895, however, the trams were modified to make them lower in order to accommodate reversible seats on the upper deck. It is in this condition – with the axle boxes and springs set into the rocker panel – that one of the later six-window cars is recorded here. D.W.K. Jones Collection/Online Transport Archive
A horse tram of the North London Tramways Co pictured at Seven Sisters, Edmonton; the line from Stamford Hill through Seven Sister to Ponders End had originally been built by the short-lived North London Suburban Tramways Co. D.W.K. Jones Collection/Online Transport Archive
Following the failure of the North London Suburban Tramways Co, a new company – the North London Tramways Co – was established by Act in 1882 to take-over the earlier company’s assets. The new company was empowered to construct new lines – from Seven Sisters to Finsbury Park and from Manor House to Wood Green – although these were steam-operated when opened (see page 26). By the end of the decade, the company’s financial position was poor and, in December 1889, it failed. Following approaches to the North Metropolitan Tramways Co – with which the North London connected at Stamford Hill, Manor House and Finsbury Park – the larger company took over the assets on 12 April 1892; by this date all of the ex-North London network was horse operated as the company’s licence to use steam power had ceased on 1 August 1891.
Pictured at the Peckham Rye terminus of the London, Camberwell & Dulwich Tramways Co is one of the company’s open-sided toastrack cars; these were manufactured by the Midland Wagon Co and, as can be seen, offered only minimal protection for passengers in bad weather. J. Joyce Collection/Online Transport Archive
Comprising three route miles and operated by six single-deck trams, the London, Camberwell & Dulwich Tramway Co was originally authorised in 1882 as the Peckham & East Dulwich Tramways. Further Acts followed in 1883 and 1885, with the company changing its name following a further Act. Work started on the line’s construction and the first section was officially inspected in January 1886. However, despite further construction, nothing was operated and, in 1895, the relevant local authority approached the Board of Trade seeking the removal of the unused lines. A further inspection followed, after which the company agreed to make improvements and commence operation; this was achieved and the first services ran in early 1896 but were to be intermittent and ceased completely in 1900. The LCC acquired the assets of the now failed company in 1901; the entire route – with the exception of two sections in East Dulwich Road and Lordship Lane that were converted into part of the LCC network – was abandoned.
The Harrow Road & Paddington Tramways Co obtained powers in 1886 to construct a 4ft 8½in horse tramway from the Royal Oak in Harlesden to Lock Bridge, Amberley Road, on the north side of the Grand Junction Canal. A short branch serving Cambridge Road was also authorised. Services commenced on 7 July 1888 but the section along Chippenham Road and Cambridge Road proved unsuccessful and services on this section ceased in the early 1890s. In all, the company operated over some three route miles with a maximum fleet size of twenty-one. The trams were supplied by both G.F. MIlnes & Co and by Starbuck. The company – through Acts in 1903 and 1904 – was sold to the MET on 16 August 1906 and subsequently the route electrified; electric services over the erstwhile company section commenced on 22 December 1906.
One of the twenty-one horse trams operated by the Harrow Road & Paddington Tramways Co is seen at the company’s terminus outside the Royal Oak in Harlesden. D.W.K. Jones Collection/ Online Transport Archive
The corridor through Lewisham was to be the target for a number of tramway companies but it was not until 1888 that the South Eastern Metropolitan Tramways Co Ltd was authorised to construct a line south from Greenwich, via Lewisham High Street, to the Black Horse at Rushey Green – a distance of some two miles. Work on construction commenced in 1890 and the line opened throughout on 11 October of that year. In order to operate the route, ten double-deck horse trams were built by the North Metropolitan Tramways Co. Ownership and operation of the line passed to the LCC on 1 April 1902. Work was undertaken progressively to convert the route to electric operation; the section from Lewisham to Rushey Green – accessed via a new route via New Cross – saw electric services introduced on 10 June 1906. For a brief period, horse trams ran in parallel from Lewisham to Catford – the Lewisham to Greenwich section was undergoing reconstruction – but these ceased in late 1906 to be replaced by a temporary horse bus service to Catford. Full electric services between Catford and Greenwich commenced on 4 April 1908.
The massive growth of London during the nineteenth century required radical overhaul of local government in the area outside the traditional City of London and, following the Local Government Act of 1888, the London County Council was established on 31 March 1889. From the early 1890s, the new council started to look at taking over – in pursuance of the terms of the 1870 Tramways Act – the tramways that were operated by companies within its area. The first operation to be acquired was that of the London Street Tramways Co, which was purchased (after some haggling over the price) on 1 March 1895; operation, however, was leased back to the company. It was not until the London County Council Act of 1896 that the council was formally given powers to operate tramways within its area; the acquisition of the assets of the London Street Tramways Co on 31 December 1898 saw LCCoperated trams appear for the first time the next day. Between 1895 and 1909, the LCC acquired 113 routes from the earlier companies; the largest contributor was the North Metropolitan Tramways Co with 113¾ route miles and the smallest was the Lea Bridge, Leyton & Walthamstow Tramways Co, which contributed about half a route mile in 1908. The process of conversion resulted in the last LCC horse tram operating on 30 April 1915.
For a brief period during 1906 the LCC operated new electric trams alongside horse trams on the section of line from Lewisham to Rushey Green. Here ‘C’ class No 290, one of a batch of 100 built by Brush on Brill 21E four-wheel trucks, is seen alongside horse tram No 338. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
An LCC horse tram pictured near the Swan, Clapton, in about 1905. D.W.K. Jones Collection/Online Transport Archive
In all, the Highgate Hill cable tramway employed four self-contained double-deck trams. No 4 is seen here ascending Highgate Hill. The southern half of the route was double track but the northern half was single with two passing loops, one of which was located towards the northern terminus. D.W.K. Jones Collection/ Online Transport Archive
OTHER FORMS OF PROPULSION
Although London had an extensive network of horse tramways, there were a number of areas where steep hills meant that horse tramways were unsuitable. As a result, two cable tramways were constructed.
The first of these was in Highgate; the Highgate Steep Grade Tramways & Works Co was constructed by the Hallidie Patent Cable Tramways Corporation Ltd. When the 3ft 6in gauge line up Highgate Hill, from Archway Tavern to Southwood Road, opened on 25 May 1884, it was the first cable tramway in Europe. On 5 December 1892, the line suffered an accident resulting in the temporary suspension of operations and the insolvency of the original operator. However, despite repairs being undertaken, the local authority was not willing to sanction resumption until 12 April 1897. A further accident, on 21 June 1906, led to a further temporary suspension while the authorities were reassured about the efficacy of the trams’ braking; thereafter, licences were issued annually. The line’s assets were transferred to the LCC on 24 August 1909 and the line closed the same day; it was re-opened as a 4ft 8½in electric line on 25 March 1910.
The fleet, all of which was constructed by the Falcon Iron Works of Loughborough, comprised initially three tractor cars, three double-deck trailers and two self-contained double-deck cars. A further two self-contained double-decks trams were added later in 1884. All were scrapped following closure.
Initially, passenger services on the cable line between Kennington and Streatham were provided by horse cars from the London Tramways Co hauled by purpose-built ‘tractor or ‘dummy’ gripper cars as seen in this view outside the depot at Telford Avenue. In all, some forty-two gripper cars were supplied to the operator in two different batches; thirty similar to the unit illustrated here and twelve to a modified design. D.W.K. Jones Collection/Online Transport Archive
The second cable line was in south London and ascended Brixton Hill. The existing horse tramway terminated at Water Lane, at the bottom of Brixton Hill, and recognising that horse power would be inadequate to ascend the hill, cable became the preferred option and powers for the construction of the line was obtained by the London Tramways Co in 1890. This work included the conversion of the existing route from Kennington to Water Lane to cable operation, although horse operation continued over this section pending the completion of the line up Brixton Hill to the initial terminus adjacent to the new Telford Avenue depot. Following inspection on 7 December 1892, the line opened. In 1894, further powers were obtained to extend the existing line from Telford Avenue to Streatham; this was completed in late 1895.
Operation of the line was initially by the use of gripper cars hauling existing horse trams; eventually, however, a number of horse cars were converted to operate as cable cars in their own right. The London Tramways Co continued to operate the line until 1 January 1899, when the LCC acquired all of the company’s assets. The cable tramway was to cease operation on 5 April 1904 to permit conversion of the route to conduit.
In 1883, the North London Suburban Tramways Co Ltd obtained powers for the operation of steam trams. Following construction, operation of the line from Ponders End to Stamford Hill commenced on 1 April 1885; initially steam trams operated alongside horse trams but the latter ceased operation on 31 May 1885. On 24 October 1885, the line from Seven Sisters to Manor House was opened; this was followed on 12 December 1885 by the extension from Manor House to Finsbury Park. Two years later, on 24 December 1887, the route from Manor House to Wood Green opened. The new routes resulted in the acquisition of a further ten locomotives, this time from Dick, Kerr & Co Ltd and seven more Falcon-built trailers. However, the company failed in June 1890 and its assets were acquired by the North Metropolitan. The last steam trams operated on 31 July 1891, being replaced by North Metropolitan horse trams the following day. The North Metropolitan itself passed to the MET in 1902.
In order to operate its steam services, the North London Suburban Tramways Co obtained in 1885 fourteen steam locomotives from Merryweather & Sons – a fifteenth was added later in the year – and twenty trailers from the Falcon Engine & Car Works Ltd. No 2 was Merryweather Works No 143. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
Croydon was to be the location for an experimental use of battery – or accumulator – trams when, at the instigation of a local cleric (Rev J.M. Braithwaite) and a Mr Jarman, the Tramways Co converted two horse trams to operate using electricity supplied from batteries. The two vehicles operated between North End and the depot during December 1891 and January 1892. However, they were not a success, being costly to operate, giving off sulphuric acid fumes and with a tendency for the acid to leak and cause damage.
The Croydon system was also to play host to another experiment. This was a gas-propelled vehicle that had originally been designed by the German inventor Lührig, whose vehicle had been adopted by Traction Sindicate (sic) Ltd and used in Dessau and Dresden. It was tested in Croydon in October 1893 but not adopted. Gas-powered trams were, however, to be operated elsewhere in the UK at Lytham St Annes, Neath and Trafford Park.
The London, Deptford & Greenwich Tramways Co sought permission in 1892 to operate an oil-driven engine – the Connelly Motor – on an experimental basis. Constructed by Weymann & Co of Guildford, the vehicle was powered by a 13hp two-cylinder water-cooled engine. Ignition was by a spark generated by a dynamo whilst transmission was achieved through a friction disk clutch. Following inspection, the company was granted permission on 12 December 1892 to operate the engine with trailer along the Rotherhithe New Road line for six months. The company sought regular extensions to operate the car, the last being a twelvemonth permit granted on 17 October 1895. The fact that no subsequent permit was sought suggests that operation of the Connelly Motor ceased during 1896. A second trial operation was also undertaken in Croydon – using the same vehicle – between 1 July 1893 and December the same year.
The second of the two Croydon trams converted to operate on battery power during late 1891; following the failure of the experiment, both were re-converted back to operate as conventional horse trams. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
Almost a generation after these services were operated, the LCC, faced by the reluctance of the local councils to sanction the electrification of the line from West India Docks to South Hackney, sought permission to operate petrol-electric trams. In order to progress this, three trams – Nos P1-P3 – were built in early 1913, utilising the bodies of redundant horse trams and specially constructed four-wheel trucks, to test the principle. Trial operation on the line from Abbey Wood to Woolwich was undertaken in early May 1913 and, following inspection, the first entered service on route 70 from London Bridge to Greenwich later that month. However, the experiment was not a success and the petrol-electric trams were withdrawn on December 1913. With their bodies removed, the trio then spent the remainder of their career shunting trailers at Marius Road depot, Balham, until the end of trailer operation in November 1922.
One of the LCC’s trio of petrol-electric trams is pictured outside Charlton Works during the six-month period that the trams operated on the route from London Bridge to Greenwich. Designed to operate north of the river, the trams were destined never to serve their intended route. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
The driver starts up one of the trio of LCC petrolelectric tramcars using a starting handle; although the technology proved unsuccessful in London, petrol powered trams did operate for some years in Morecambe. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
ELECTRIC ERA
BARKING
Destined to own the smallest electric tramway in London, Barking UDC obtained powers in 1898 to construct a line from Barking to Beckton, in order to serve the works of the Gas, Light & Coke Co. One feature of the new route was the construction of the tramway over the Scherzer bascule bridge over the River Roding. Overhead was not possible on this, with the result that trams coasted across and regained access to the overhead on the other side.
Barking UDC took delivery of seven open-top trams Nos 1-7 – from Brush on Peckham Cantilever four-wheel trucks for the opening of the system in 1903; one of these is pictured in service on East Street. Four of the batch – Nos 1-3 and 7 – were fitted with top covers quickly, largely as a result of the inclement weather, and three more trams – Nos 8-10 – were received during 1911 and 1912 (these were, however, sold by 1915). The remaining seven cars were scrapped following the closure of the Beckton route in 1929. Barry Cross Collection/ Online Transport Archive
Services were introduced over the 2¾-mile long route on 1 December 1903, using a fleet of seven trams all built by Brush. These were based at a depot at Beckton; when the system opened, this was designed as a temporary facility but was never replaced and the structure, built in corrugated iron, was demolished shortly before the route was converted to bus operation on 16 February 1929.
In addition to the Beckton route, there were two other sections of line in Barking, from Barking Broadway to the boundary with Ilford at Loxford Bridge and along London Road to connect with East Ham on London Road. These opened on 7 June 1905 and 17 November 1905 respectively.
The Barking fleet expanded to 10 cars with the purchase of Nos 8 and 9 in 1911 and No 10 in 1912. These were acquired to operate through services, but Barking’s involvement was short-lived due to the operator’s parlous financial position and the three new trams were sold. Ilford UDC took on the lease and operation of the Broadway-Loxford Bridge section on 1 June 1914, whilst East Ham took on the section from Broadway to the East Ham/ Barking boundary. In 1931, the junction between the tracks leased by Ilford and East Ham was removed, leaving the sections separated.
The two remaining sections passed to the LPTB in 1933. Route 67 Aldgate to Barking was replaced by trolleybuses on 8 June 1940, whilst routes 91/93 Barking to Barkingside/Chadwell Heath last operated on 6 February 1938, being replaced by trolleybuses.
Bexley UDC No 5, seen here in Plumstead, was one of 12 open-top trams acquired from ERTCW on Brush A four-wheel trucks in 1903. All bar one of the twelve received Peckham P22 trucks in 1914; the exception – No 9 – received a Brill 21E truck four years later. All 12 survived to be taken into stock by the LPTB in July 1933 but all were rapidly withdrawn for scrap. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
BEXLEY
Bexley UDC commenced operation its 4ft 8½in trams on 3 October 1903. In all, the UDC possessed just over five route miles of track. The main route ran from Plumstead, where it formed a connection with the LCC route to Abbey Wood to Bexleyheath market place, with a branch from there to Northumberland Heath, where a connection was formed with the trams of Erith UDC. Following the fire that destroyed the Dartford UDC fleet in 1917, Bexley took over operation using hired– and later bought – trams from the LCC. This situation persisted until 1921, when a joint committee of the two UDCs was formed to run the system. The LPTB inherited 33 trams and almost 13 route miles from Bexley UDC in July 1933, although the 1¼ route miles from Bexleyheath to Northumberland Heath was by that date operated by Erith UDC. Although fleet numbers 2066-098 were allocated to the ex-Bexley cars, none ever carried their LPTB numbers, though some did carry a ‘C’ suffix for a brief period. All had been withdrawn and replaced by mid-October 1933. The Bexhill trams were replaced by trolleybuses (route 696) on 24 November 1935.
CROYDON
Croydon Corporation decided to acquire the assets of the Croydon Tramways Co on 19 June 1899 and, following the acquisition, operation of the surviving horse tramway routes – West Croydon station to South Norwood High Street, South End to South Croydon and Addiscombe to Thornton Heath High Street – was leased to BET from 1 January 1900 pending electrification.
Pictured on London Road, Thornton Heath, is Croydon Corporation No 43. This was the second tram owned by the corporation to bear this number and was one of ten – Nos 36-45 – open-top four-wheel cars supplied by Brush in 1906. Nos 43 and 44 were sold to the South Metropolitan Co in June 1927, although No 43 was not used in passenger service and was to become MET breakdown car No 07, which was scrapped in 1938. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
The first corporation-owned electric tramcars commenced operation on the route from Norbury to Purley on 26 September 1901. Further extensions followed: Addiscombe to Crown Hill (4 January 1902); Thornton Heath Pond to High Street (10 January 1902); Selhurst to West Croydon (24 January 1902); Norwood Junction to Selhurst (14 March 1902); Norwood Junction to Selby Road (14 December 1905) and Whitehorse Road (9 November 1906). The last horse trams operated on 3 January 1902. To the east, Croydon operated from South Norwood to Penge over SMET track whilst the SMET operated from Crystal Palace to West Croydon via South Norwood. Following the opening of the Whitehorse Road route, the corporation network reached its maximum extent – almost twelve route miles – but this was to be reduced by the closure of the Whitehorse route on 13 March 1913 and that to Addiscombe on 31 March 1927. From 7 February 1926, the corporation operated a joint service with the LCC from London to Purley. Although the corporation had powers to take over the SMET lines west to Sutton and Tooting, these were never exercised.
At the take-over by the LPTB in July 1933, Croydon’s network extended over 9¼ route miles with a fleet of fifty-five cars passing to the new owners.
Dartford UDC No 9, pictured on West Hill in a postcard franked 19 August 1915, was one of twelve opentop trams supplied by UEC on Brill 21E four-wheel trucks for the line’s opening. A 13th car – a demicar (No 13) – was acquired secondhand from Erith UDC in 1915. All of the fleet was to be destroyed by fire in 1917. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
DARTFORD
Extending for almost seven routes miles, the Dartford UDC Light Railways stretched from a connection at the boundary with Bexley at Gravel Hill to Horns Cross with two short branches in Dartford itself, north to Victoria Road (where the depot was situated) and south to Wilmington. The system opened on 14 February 1906. A total of thirteen trams was owned but all and the depot were to be destroyed in a fire on 7 August 1917. Following this, Bexley UDC undertook operation – using hired and then bought ex-LCC trams – until 1921 when the two UDCs established a joint committee that controlled the system through to its take-over by the LPTB. The section of line from Gravel Hill to Dartford was taken over by trolleybuses on route 696 on 24 November 1935; the section further east to Horns Cross was abandoned.
EAST HAM
East Ham UDC (later Corporation) was empowered in 1898 and 1900 to construct a number of standard gauge routes serving the borough. Following construction, the first electric trams operated on 22 June 1901. The initial network comprised effectively a cross centred on East Ham town hall – east to the Barking boundary, south to Beckton, west to the Boleyn and north, along Manor Park Broadway. A number of extensions followed: from Manor Park Broadway north to the City of London cemetery on 27 March 1902; from East Ham station west to Plashet Grove on 29 November 1902; and from Beckton to the Royal Albert Dock on 25 March 1903. There still remained the rump of the North Metropolitan Tramways network from Manor Park Broadway west along the Romford Road, however, and the corporation decided to exercise its powers to take over this service in order to create a new through route from Aldersgate to Ilford. The horse trams were taken over on 29 April 1908 and the line converted to electric traction. On 1 October 19.05 Ilford took over operation of the Ilford Hill section. The rebuilding of the railway bridge at Woodgrange Park resulted in the new section not finally being completed until 10 March 1909 – the last extension to the East Ham network. A total of just over 7½ route miles, along with fifty-six trams, passed to the LPTB in 1933. The last surviving sections of the erstwhile East Ham network were converted to trolleybus operation on 9 June 1940.
East Ham No 22 was one of thirty-five open-top cars – Nos 1-35 – that ERTCW supplied to the corporation between 1901 and 1903. Fitted with Brill 21E four-wheel trucks, all bar four of the type were fitted with open-balcony domed-roof top covers. A total of twenty of the class passed to the LPTB in July 1933 but only nine carried their allocated LPTB numbers. No 22 – allocated LPTB No 54 (but never carried) – was withdrawn in early 1934. All of the type had been scrapped by the end of 1935. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
ERITH
Opened on 26 August 1905 and extending on a single route from Abbey Wood via Lower Belvedere and Erith to Northumberland Heath for just short of 4¾ route miles at its peak (but only just over four miles at the take-over), Erith UDC’s tramway system was the smallest network acquired by the LPTB in July 1933. In addition to its own routes, Erith trams also operated the 1¾ route miles of Bexley’s system from Northumberland Heath to Bexleyheath Market Place. In addition to the main route, there was also a short branch that ran from Erith to North End. This was not a commercial success and closed prior to the First World War. In all, Erith operated some twenty-one passenger cars during its history, of which nineteen passed to the LPTB. After the take-over, the LPTB installed a connection at Abbey Wood between the erstwhile LCC and Erith routes, but this was shortlived as trolleybuses (on route 698) replaced the trams on 9 November 1935 from Abbey Wood to Bexleyheath.
In all, Erith UDC operated twenty-one passenger trams; fourteen were built by Brush on M&G 21EM fourwheel trucks for the system’s opening in 1905. Nos 1-6 and 9 were open-top whilst Nos 7, 8, 10-14 were fitted with open-balcony top covers. The open-top cars remained unmodified throughout their operational career. On the formation of the LPTB, all the ex-Erith cars were given a temporary ‘D’ suffix – so No 9 became No 9D – pending renumbering. Although the surviving ex-Erith cars were allocated the numbers 2099-118, none of these were carried. All of the open-top cars were withdrawn by the end of September 1933. The original Nos 15 and 16 were single-deck demi cars supplied by G.C. Milnes Voss & Co Ltd of Birkenhead but these were sold during the First World War being replaced by two-second-hand cars hired initially from LUT. The new Nos 15 and 16 were supplemented by a further two ex-LUT cars – Nos 17 and 18 – later in the war; these were originally built by G.F. Milnes & Co of Birkenhead on Brill 22E bogies and new in 1902. Originally LUT Class W1 Nos 187, 192, 221 and 252, they were rebuilt in the early 1920s. The final passenger car – No 19 – was Hull Corporation’s sole bogie car – new in 1901 and again fitted with Brill 22E bogies – that arrived, via barge, during the war. The larger cars were required to help move the large numbers of workers heading to and from Woolwich Arsenal during the First World War. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
ILFORD
The first sections of Ilford’s network – from the boundary with East Ham to Chadwell Heath and from Ilford Broadway to Newbury Park and Barkingside – opened on 14 March 1903. The only extension came on 27 May 1903 when the route from Ilford Broadway to Loxford Bridge opened. This took the system to its maximum extent of just over 6½ route miles; however, on 1 October 1905, Ilford assumed operation over the Ilford Hill section of East Ham Corporation, whilst a further half-mile section – from Loxford Bridge to Barking – was leased from Barking UDC on 1 June 1914. In July 1933, the LPTB inherited forty trams from Ilford UDC; these were to be renumbered 5-44 by the new owners but all were withdrawn by 1938 with the eight newest being sold to Sunderland Corporation. The tram services in Ilford were converted to trolleybus operation on 6 February 1938.
For the opening of the Ilford system in 1903, Hurst Nelson supplied twenty-two trams; of these, Nos 13-18 were open-top cars fitted with Hurst Nelson-built bogies. In early 1921, the sextet became Nos 31-36; three years later Nos 31 and 32 were again renumbered, this time to 37 and 38. The six were destined not to survive to be taken over by the LPTB; they were withdrawn in 1932 and replaced by eight new Brush built cars (Nos 33-38). Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
LEYTON
In all, Leyton UDC (later Corporation) Tramways operated a network of about nine route miles; it comprised routes from Epping Forest to Lea Bridge Road (where a connection was made to the LCC system), from the Bakers Arms to Wanstead (where a connection was made with the trams of West Ham Corporation) via Leyton and from the Thatched House at Leytonstone (where another connection with West Ham was made) to Whipps Cross. The system opened on 1 December 1906. In addition to the lines constructed under its own powers, the UDC also took over the short section of the North Metropolitan Tramways Co in its area on 25 June 1906 and operated horse trams over this section pending electrification, as well as over the short section of the former Lea Bridge, Leyton & Walthamstow Tramways Co to the west of Lea Bridge that was ultimately electrified as part of the LCC network. Leyton UDC’s final horse trams operated on 9 December 1908. The UDC struggled with staff and equipment shortages after the First World War and, following agreement, operation was taken over by LCC with effect from 1 July 1921. The final conversion of the erstwhile Leyton network to trolleybus operation took place on 11 June 1939.
Leyton No 15 was one of forty – Nos 11-50 – supplied by G.C. Milnes Voss on M&G radial four-wheel trucks in 1906. All were fitted from new with open-balcony top covers as were the next – and final – batch of trams acquired (Nos 51-70). All sixty trams passed to the LCC when operation was transferred, although not all were in an operable condition. The ex-Leyton cars were gradually replaced by LCC trams transferred in. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL
The process of converting the extensive horse tramway system owned by the LCC commenced with electric trams being introduced to three routes on 15 May 1903: Westminster Bridge to Tooting via Kennington Road, Clapham and Balham; Blackfriars to Kennington Road via St George’s Circus and Brixton Road; and Waterloo station to St George’s Circus. All the early electric routes were conduit; it was not until the opening of the section from Beresford Square (Woolwich) to Plumstead Church on 17 April 1908 that the LCC acquired its first overhead route. In addition to conduit and overhead, the LCC also operated – briefly from 25 June 1908 – a section using the Griffiths- Bedell stud contact system. This route, from Whitechapel to Bow Bridge, was reconstructed to conduit operation, with work commencing on 24 May 1909. Another facet of the LCC system was the Kingsway tram subway which was opened in two stages, from Southampton Row to Aldwych on 24 February 1906 and thence to the Embankment on 10 April 1908. Initially, the subway was designed for single-deck trams but it was closed for reconstruction to accommodate double-deck cars on 2 February 1930, being reopened on 14 January 1931.
The LCC acquired sixteen Class F single-deck cars – Nos 552-67 – for operation through the Kingsway Subway from UEC in 1906 when the northern section was opened. These were fitted with M&G maximum-traction bogies and were designed to be as non-flammable as possible. A further thirty-four cars – Class G Nos 568-601 – were subsequently acquired. All the ‘F’ and ‘G’ cars were withdrawn in 1930 when the subway was closed for reconstruction. The bogies and other equipment were used in the construction of the final batch of ‘E/1’ double-deck cars, Nos 552-601. Harry Luff Collection/Online Transport Archive
Although the expansion of the electric network was impressive, it was not until 1914 that the last horse cars – run under lease by the North Met – operated north of the river; the last LCC horse trams, operating south of the river, ran in 1915. After the First World War, the system continued to grow, aided by the take-over of operation of the Leyton UDC system on 1 July 1921 and the purchase of the LUT routes within the LCC boundary on 2 May 1922. The last extensions occurred shortly before the LPTB took over; these were from Eltham Well Hall Road to Briset Road on 1 October 1931 and thence to Eltham Road on 30 June 1932. This was part of a planned route to link Eltham Well Hall with Grove Park via Mottingham; although shown as a planned extension on early LPTB maps, the section beyond Eltham Road (Westhorne Avenue) was never completed.
By the time of the LPTB take-over in July 1933, the LCC was the country’s single largest tramway operator; it possessed a route network of almost 167¼ route miles (including the 8¾ route miles in Leyton), of which 123¼ were conduit. A total of 1,663 trams passed to the LPTB’s ownership. Much of the LCC network north of the Kingsway Subway was converted to trolleybus operation as part of the LPTB’s programme in the 1930s; the only routes to survive were those – the 31, 33, 35 and 35A – that provided a link between north and south London via the subway. These services were to operate through until the final abandonment programme. South of the river, the bulk of the ex-LCC network remained intact until the commencement of ‘Operation Tramaway’ in late 1950.
LUT No 117 stands in Brentford as the conductor swings the trolleypole. This was one of fifty trams – Nos 101-50 – supplied in 1901 by G.F. Milnes & Co with McGuire bogies. The batch was purchased primarily for the Uxbridge Road services but proved less than successful, with noise being a serious issue. Towards the end of the decade, with the threat that the LCC might exercise powers to take over the LUT lines in the Hammersmith area, the batch was effectively withdrawn and stored with a view to inclusion in any sale to the LCC. In the event, this did not occur but the batch never re-entered service, being replaced on the Uxbridge Road routes by other trams. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
LONDON UNITED TRAMWAYS
Established in 1894 as a subsidiary of the Imperial Tramways Co, LUT was created to take over the assets of the West Metropolitan Tramways Co, which was then in receivership. The existing services had ceased operation on 6 March 1894 and the purchase was effected on 20 August of the same year. Following reconstruction work, services were restored. Initially, horse trams continued to be employed but, in 1900, the company was empowered to construct a number of new routes and to convert the existing services to electric traction. Initial services were introduced on 4 April 1901 – the first electric trams to operate in London – on the routes from Acton to Shepherds Bush, from Chiswick to Shepherds Bush and from Hammersmith to Kew Bridge. Extensions soon followed to Hampton Court, Hounslow, Kingston, Twickenham and Uxbridge. The last extensions – from Merton to Summerstown and from Wimbledon to Longley Road – opened on 27 June 1907. The company became a subsidiary of the London & Suburban Traction Co (a joint venture controlled by the Underground group and BET) on 1 January 1913. At its maximum extent, the LUT operated over some 53¾ route miles but this was reduced on 2 May 1922 by the LCC’s take-over of lines in the Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush area. Two routes were abandoned during the 1920s – from Hounslow to Hounslow Heath on 5 July 1922 and from Richmond Bridge to Twickenham on 1 October 1924. In 1930, the company obtained powers to operate trolleybuses and, on 16 May 1931, introduced them in place of trams on the section from Tedington to Twickenham and other routes followed. On 1 July 1933, some twenty-nine route miles of tram services passed to the LPTB along with some 150 trams. All of the surviving LUT routes were converted to trolleybus operation during the 1930s, the last to survive being route 8 (Shepherds Bush to Uxbridge) and route 55 (Brentford to Ealing) which succumbed on 15 November 1936 and 13 December 1936 respectively. One ex-LUT electric tram survives in preservation; this is No 159, which was fully restored in 2012, having originally been withdrawn in 1923 and rescued more than 50 years later.
MET No 74 was one of sixty ‘A’ class bogie cars supplied Brush in 1904. This tram was to survive to become No 2448 under LPTB ownership but was to be withdrawn in October 1935 during the conversion programme that saw the erstwhile MET tram network replaced by trolleybuses. Barry Cross Collection/ Online Transport Archive
METROPOLITAN ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS
The MET was first registered – as the Metropolitan Tramways & Omnibus Co – on 21 November 1894, with a view to constructing a number of horse tram routes in north London. Whilst none of these progressed, the company entered into an agreement with Middlesex County Council to operate the tramway system that the council was proposing following the Light Railways Act of 1896. In 1901, the company was acquired by BET and its name changed to the more familiar MET.
The same year saw MET enter into an agreement with the North Metropolitan to acquire the existing horse tramways operated by the latter. Powers were obtained by the North Metropolitan company for the conversion of the routes to electric operation and the MET acquired a majority stake in the North Metropolitan. Work commenced on the electrification of the lines in June 1903 and, on 22 July 1904, electric services were introduced from Finsbury Park to Manor Park and to Wood Green. These were followed on 3 December 1904 by the electrification of the route from Cricklewood to Edgware via Hendon. The MET network expanded between 1905 and 1911, reaching a peak of 53¾ route miles; this included the conversion of the steam tram route operated by the North Metropolitan between Ponders End and Wood Green.
At 1 July 1933, when the entire operation passed to the LPTB, the MET owned 316 trams; of the route mileage, the vast bulk – almost fortythree miles – was owned by Middlesex County Council, 1½ miles was owned by Hertfordshire County Council, with the remainder owned by the company. The conversion of the erstwhile MET routes – to trolleybus – commenced on 5 July 1936 with two routes – the 66 from Acton to Canons Park and the 68 from Acton to Harlesden – succumbing and on 3 August 1936 a further two routes – the 45 from Cricklewood to North Finchley and the 60 from Paddington to North Finchley – followed. Two more routes – the 62 from Paddington to Stonebridge Park and the 64 from Edgware to Cricklewood – were next on 23 August 1936. This affected primarily the western section of the MET network; the northern section was converted – largely to trolleybus – during 1938, with the final section – route 27 (previously a joint service with the LCC) from Tottenham Court Road to Edmonton – succumbing on 6 November of that year.
Three ex-MET trams survive in preservation. The prototype ‘Feltham’ No 331 is now housed at the NTM whilst the LPTB accommodates production ‘Feltham’ No 2099 (ex-MET 355). A second production ‘Feltham’, No 2085 (ex-MET 341) is preserved at the Seashore museum in Massachusetts, USA.
SOUTH METROPOLITAN ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS
Like the LUT and MET a subsidiary of the London & Suburban Traction Co, from 1913 the South Metropolitan Electric Tramways was the smallest of the three company-owned electric systems in London prior to July 1933. The company had its origins as the County of Surrey Electrical Power Distribution Co, registered on 19 April 1899; following an agreement with BET in March 1904, it became the South Metropolitan Electric Tramways & Lighting Co in August that year. The company’s first route – a section of the Penge routes from the Selby Road boundary to the Pawleyne Arms – commenced operation on 10 February 1906. Eventually, the company operated two separate sections. One part comprised the routes from West Croydon station to Sutton and Tooting Junction plus the branch from Fair Green to Mitcham Cricket Green, whilst the other saw routes from the boundary at Selby Road through to Crystal Palace and Penge. At its maximum, the system extended for just over thirteen route miles but this was slightly reduced in 1926, when the LCC took over operation of the line from Mitcham Cricket Green to Tooting Junction, leaving the SMET to run from West Croydon to Fair Green. The LPTB inherited the surviving routes along with some 62, predominantly open-top four-wheel, tramcars. The Sutton to Croydon service was replaced by trolleybuses on 8 December 1935; the section from Selby Road to Crystal Palace followed on 9 February 1936 when trolleybus route 654 was extended.
On 24 March 1918 South Metropolitan No 10 is seen on Ringstead Road, Carshalton. This was one of 16 cars – Nos 1-16 – that were supplied by Brush on Brush radial trucks in 1906 for the opening of the Penge routes. Designated Class J, the type underwent some body strengthening in the 1920s and were reconditioned in 1930. All passed to the LPTB in 1933, although some were withdrawn and scrapped later that year whilst the remainder were all scrapped by the end of 1935. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
WALTHAMSTOW
Walthamstow UDC (later Corporation) Light Railways were authorised by the Walthamstow & District Light Railway Order of 1903. The entire network, which comprised three main routes – Chingford Mount to the Baker Arms at Leyton, Ferry Lane to Woodford and Higham Hill to Markhouse Road – plus a short branch from the Rising Sun in Epping Forest to Waterworks Corner in Woodford, opened on 3 June 1905. In all, the system extended over nine route miles, all of which – along with sixty-two trams – passed to the LPTB in July 1933. The Chingford Mount to the Baker Arms at Leyton service was withdrawn on 4 April 1934. Trolleybus operation commenced on the Ferry Lane to Woodford service on 18 October 1936, to be followed on 17 January 1937 by the conversion to trolleybus of the Higham Hill to Markhouse Road route.
Walthamstow No 50 was one six trams – Nos 47-52 – acquired secondhand from LUT in 1920. These opentop ‘W’ class cars had originally been built by BEC on Brill 22E bogies in 1902. All were withdrawn and scrapped by 1932, being replaced by ‘E/1’-type cars, eight of which were purchased that year. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
WEST HAM
In 1899, West Ham Corporation commenced negotiations with the North Metropolitan Electric Tramways with a view to acquiring the company’s lines in the borough but it was not until February 1903 that agreement was reached. The company was to continue operating the horse trams pending conversion of the routes to electric operation. In the meantime, the corporation obtained powers in 1900 and 1902 to construct a number of additional routes.
Work commenced on the construction of one of the new routes and the conversion of one of the horse routes. Following inspection, the first electric services – on the new route from Stratford Broadway to the Abbey Arms – commenced on 27 February 1904. The first electric trams operated on the ex-horse tram route to Canning Town on 1 April 1904. Further routes followed, taking the system to a maximum extent of 16¼ route miles at the start of the First World War, although this was to be slightly reduced in 1916 when the short section along Beckton Road was abandoned. In addition to operating services within the borough, West Ham trams also operated joint services with the LCC to and from Aldgate.
On 1 July 1933, West Ham Corporation’s tramways passed to the LPTB; in all, 134 trams passed to the new owners, one of which, LPTB No 290 (West Ham No 102), was to survive in preservation after withdrawal in 1938. The ex-West Ham routes were converted progressively with the last services being replaced by trolleybuses on 9 June 1940.
For the opening of the West Ham system, G.F. Milnes & Co supplied fifty open-top trams – Nos 1-50 – on Brush Radial four-wheel trucks. No 10 is pictured on Leytonstone High Road. All fifty were rebuilt by the corporation with open balcony top covers during 1922 and 1923. All were also to receive replacement 7ft 0in wheelbase trucks. Two of the batch – Nos 27 and 44 – were withdrawn before the creation of the LPTB but the remainder became LPTB Nos 211-58. No 234 was scrapped in 1934 to be followed in 1935 by a further 25 the following year; the last survivors – Nos 211/12/16/17/24/26/31-33/35-39/42/46/47/51/53/54/ 56/58 – were all scrapped in 1936. Barry Cross Collection/Online Transport Archive
The first electric tramway in London was the short-lived Alexandra Park Electric Railway. This standard gauge line, some 600 yards in length, was constructed by a German company, Elektrizitäts-gesellschaft Wandruszka of Berlin, and opened on 13 May 1898. The line was operated by four semi-open cars supplied by Waggonfabrik Falkenreid of Hamburg, as shown in this manufacturer’s view of one of the quartet. The tramway ceased operation on 30 September 1899, when Alexandra Palace closed at the end of the summer season, and, despite plans to reopen in 1900, these came to nothing as the business fell into bankruptcy. The four trams were sold to the Great Grimsby Street Tramways Co Ltd and rebuilt as double-deckers. In their modified form the quartet survived into the 1920s. Hamburger Hochbahn AG/John Meredith Collection/Online Transport Archive