Birmingham and Aston Tramways Company

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Birmingham and Aston Tramways Company
Operation
Locale Birmingham, Aston
Open26 December 1882
Close30 June 1902
StatusClosed
Infrastructure
Track gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Propulsion system(s)Steam
Depot(s)Witton
Statistics
Route length 3.83 miles (6.16 km)

The Birmingham and Aston Tramways Company operated a steam-powered tramway service in Birmingham and Aston between 1882 and 1902. [1]

Birmingham Major city in the English Midlands, 2nd highest population of UK cities

Birmingham is a major city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. It is the second-most populous city in the United Kingdom, after London, and the most populous city in the English Midlands. It is also the most populous metropolitan district in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 1,137,123 inhabitants, and is considered the social, cultural, financial, and commercial centre of the Midlands. It is the main local government of the West Midlands conurbation, which is the third most populated urban area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2,897,303 in 2017. The wider Birmingham metropolitan area is the second largest in the United Kingdom with a population of over 4.3 million. It is frequently referred to as the United Kingdom's "second city".

Aston area within the city of Birmingham

Aston is a ward of Inner Birmingham, England. Located immediately to the north-east of Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a ward within the metropolitan authority.

Contents

History

The Birmingham and Aston Tramways Order of 1880 approved the construction of the first steam tramway in Birmingham which duly opened on 26 December 1882.

It ran from Aston Street in the centre of Birmingham via Aston Cross and then followed two routes to Witton, one via Park Road and Witton Lane and the other along Lichfield Road and Church Lane.

On 23 February 1885 a branch line to the foot of Gravelly Hill from Lichfield Road was opened.

Fleet

The rolling stock comprised steam locomotive engines in a crimson livery and Starbuck Car and Wagon Company double-deck trailer cars in cream. The locomotive fleet comprised acquisitions as follows:

Kitson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

Parameters

Closure

Aston Manor Urban District Council purchased the part of the tramway within their boundary on 30 June 1902 with the remaining section going to Birmingham Corporation on 1 January 1904. Aston Manor Urban District Council leased it back to the City of Birmingham Tramways Company.

Aston Manor

Aston Manor was a local government district in what is now northern Birmingham, from the 19th century to 1911, when it was added to Birmingham.

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References

  1. The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.