| Chester Corporation Tramways | |
|---|---|
 Map of Chester Corporation Tramways | |
| Operation | |
| Locale | Chester |
| Open | 6 April 1903 |
| Close | 15 February 1930 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Electric |
| Depot(s) | Car Street |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 3.58 miles (5.76 km) |
Chester Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Chester between 1903 and 1930. [1]
Chester Town Council seemed less than enthusiastic to purchase the assets of the Chester Tramways Company which had been providing horse drawn tramcar services since 1879. In September 1899 it had been offered to them by the company for the sum of £36,320 but then in early October they applied to the council for a 7 year extension. [2] At the end of October the Council finally agreed to their purchase. [3]
in 1900 the Chester Corporation applied for an act of parliament to rebuild and operate the tramways. [4]
Under the Chester Corporation Act of 1901, the council took up its option to purchase for a cost of £18,000. Reconstruction work started in 1902 and by 27 December 1902 had shortened the routes which were used by the horse trams to such a significant amount, that the final horse tram service on Grosvenor Road was withdrawn. The horses, 12 trams and effects were disposed of by auction on 31 December 1902. The 32 remaining horses fetched an average of £21 13s each. [5] The system was rebuilt to the narrow gauge of 3'6", and 12 new tramcars were ordered from G.F. Milnes & Co.
Colonel Yorke of the Board of Trade arrived on Saturday 4 April 1903 and inspected the new tramway. The inspection was satisfactory and the service was opened to the public on Monday 6 April 1903 with 8 services per hour on the 45 minute journey between Chester railway station and Saltney. [6] On the first day of operation the trams carried 5,290 passengers with receipts of £26 11s 9d. This compared with an average daily taking of between £14 and £15 on the horse tram service.
The residents of Boughton campaigned for an extension to their district and in March 1906 the council approved the plans. [7] Two new routes were provided to Tarvin Bridge and Cherry Orchard which opened on 21 November 1906. [8]
In 1907 the service was enhanced with 5 new tramcars from the United Electric Car Company of Preston.
The final public service trams ran on the Saltney route on 12 February 1930 and on the Tarvin and Christleton road routes up to 15 February 1930. [9] As a send off, Alderman Dutton ran a “last tram” to and from Saltney on 15 February 1930. On arrival back at the depot, the tram was broken up within 30 minutes of arrival. [10]
Chester Corporation Tramways electric tram number 4, built by G.F. Milnes & Co. in 1903, has been preserved by Hooton Park Trust and is currently undergoing restoration. [11]
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, close to the England-Wales border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011, it is the most populous settlement of Cheshire West and Chester and serves as its administrative headquarters. It is also the historic county town of Cheshire and the second-largest settlement in Cheshire after Warrington.
Chester was a non-metropolitan local government district of Cheshire, England from 1974 to 2009. It had the status of a city and a borough, and the local authority was called Chester City Council.
Ilkeston Corporation Tramways was a tramway network in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands of England run firstly by Ilkeston Borough Council and from 1916 by the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Tramways Company. The system ran between 1903 and 1931. Ilkeston was the first town in Derbyshire to adopt and operate a fully electrical tramway system.
Derby Corporation Tramways was the tram system serving the city of Derby, England. It opened on 27 July 1904.
Between 1901 and 1949 Manchester Corporation Tramways was the municipal operator of electric tram services in Manchester, England. At its peak in 1928, the organisation carried 328 million passengers on 953 trams, via 46 routes, along 292 miles (470 km) of track.
Leicester Corporation Tramways was a tramway system in Leicester, England from 1901 to 1949.
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Northampton Corporation Tramways operated the tramway service in Northampton between 1901 and 1934.
Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Wolverhampton between 1902 and 1928.
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Coventry Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Coventry, England, between 1912 and 1940.
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Cambridge Street Tramways operated a horse-drawn tramway service in Cambridge, England, between 1880 and 1914.
Bath Tramways Company and its successors operated a 4 ft horse-drawn tramway service in Bath between 1880 and 1902. From 1903 until its closure in 1939 an expanded route carried electric trams operated by Bath Electric Tramways Company.
Chester Tramways Company operated a horse-drawn tramway service in Chester between 1878 and 1901.
Wolverhampton Tramways Company operated a tramway service in Wolverhampton between 1878 and 1900.
The Great Grimsby Street Tramways Company was a tramway serving Grimsby and Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, England. It was a subsidiary of The Provincial Tramways Company. They opened a horse tramway in 1881, running from the Wheatsheaf Inn in Bargate to the border with Cleethorpes, with a branch along Freeman Street, and extended the line into Cleethorpes in 1887. It followed the trend of many British systems, and was converted to an electric tramway in December 1901. Small extensions were made to the system at both ends, but the basic plan of the system remained the same throughout its life.
Bradford Corporation Tramways were a tramway network in the city of Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England which operated trams from 1882 until 1950 and trolleybuses from 1911 until 1972. The track gauge of the tramways was 4 ft.
The Dudley, Sedgley and Wolverhampton Tramway Company operated a tramway service between Wolverhampton and Dudley from 1883 to 1901.
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