Darwen Corporation Tramways

Last updated

Darwen Corporation Tramways
Operation
Locale Darwen
Open1 January 1899
Close5 October 1946
StatusClosed
Infrastructure
Track gauge 4 ft (1,219 mm)
Propulsion system(s)Electric
Statistics
Route length 4.36 miles (7.02 km)

Darwen Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Darwen between 1899 and 1946. [1]

Contents

History

The Corporation took over the services operated by the Blackburn and Over Darwen Tramways Company within its boundary on 1 January 1899. Under the leadership of Mr Robert William Smith-Saville (General Manager of the Tramways Dept) a programme of modernisation and electrification was proposed, but in the meantime between January 1899 to October 1900 the old steam trams continued to run services between Darwen and Blackburn operated by Blackburn Corporation Tramways under an agreement with Darwen Corporation.

On 31 August 1900 Smith-Saville appointed Mr William Grant (of Blackpool) as Tramway Foreman and the first electric service between Darwen and Blackburn ran on 16 October 1900. Through services were operated into Blackburn under an agreement with Blackburn Corporation Tramways.

On 12 October 1901 a further extension of the tramway system opened between Darwen and Hoddlesden. William Grant departed to Rotherham Corporation Transport in early 1903 and was replaced on 9 February 1903 by Mr Frederick J S Hosken (of Taunton) - who on 23 December 1912 was promoted to Tramways Manager on a wage of "£200 per annum - without house". [2]

On 2 June 1915 Smith-Saville, who Hosken had replaced as General Manager, died aged 48.

On 25 March 1918 Hosken's resignation was accepted after he was asked to work for the Ministry of Munitions and the management post was advertised on a wage of £250 per annum. [2]

On 6 May 1918 Mr George A Newsome (of Dumbarton) was appointed the new Tramway Manager. Newsome kept the post for over 20 years until 22 December 1938 when he was dismissed (with 3 months salary) for misconduct in office.

On 24 April 1939 Mr Lee Wilkes was appointed Acting General Manager. Later that year (13 September 1939) he became General Manager and Chief Engineer and remained in post until he departed in April 1945 to become General Manager at Chester Passenger Transport. [3]

On 1 June 1945 Mr George Beckett - who had been Traffic Superintendent at Stockport Transport - was appointed the new General Manager and he saw out the last days of Darwen Trams in October 1946 and remained in post at Darwen Corporation Transport until he died in July 1961.

Closure

Services ended on 5 October 1946.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburn Transport</span>

Blackburn Transport was a municipal bus company based in Blackburn from 1881 until 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Kingston upon Hull</span>

The Kingston upon Hull tramway network was a network of 4 ft 8+12 instandard gauge tram lines following the five main roads radially out of the city centre of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Two of these lines went west, and two east. The fifth went to the north, and branched to include extra lines serving suburban areas. Additionally a short line linked the city centre to the Corporation Pier where a ferry crossed the Humber Estuary to New Holland, Lincolnshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Tramways Trust</span> South Australian government transport operator

The Municipal Tramways Trust (MTT) was established by the Government of South Australia in December 1906 to purchase all of the horse-drawn tramways in Adelaide, Australia. The Trust subsequently also ran petrol and diesel buses and electric trolleybuses. It ceased to exist on 8 December 1975, when its functions were transferred to the State Transport Authority, which also operated Adelaide's suburban train services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrington Corporation Tramways</span>

Warrington Corporation Tramways was the owner and operator of an electric tramway system in the early 20th century serving the town of Warrington, at the time a county borough of Lancashire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton Corporation Tramways</span>

Southampton Corporation Tramways were in operation from 1879 to 1949. They were initially horse-drawn, but latterly powered by electricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton Tramways Company</span>

Southampton Tramways Company operated a tramway service in Southampton between 1879 and 1898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dundee Corporation Tramways</span>

Dundee Corporation Tramways formerly served the City of Dundee in Scotland. The corporation had financed the construction of a horse tramway in 1877, but had then leased it to the Dundee and District Tramways Company. They had replaced most of the horse trams with steam tram locomotives pulling trailer cars from 1884, but in 1897 the corporation decided that it would run the tramway system itself. After some negotiation and the payment of compensation, they took over the system in 1899, with a view to electrifying it. Electric trams started running in 1900, and the changeover was completed in 1902.

Edinburgh Corporation Tramways formerly served the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. The city used four-wheeled double-decked trams painted dark red (madder) and white – a livery still used by Lothian Buses and the post-2014 Edinburgh Trams.

Dover Corporation Tramways was the operator of the second tramway system built in the United Kingdom. It was in operation from 1897 to 1936. The worst ever tram accident in the United Kingdom occurred on the system in 1917.

The Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company was incorporated in 1880, the result of a merger of the Manchester Suburban Tramways Company and the Manchester Carriage Company, to provide horse-drawn tram services throughout Manchester and Salford, England, and surrounding districts. Although the 1870 Tramways Act authorised local authorities to construct tramways, it prevented them from operating tram services, so the tramways were leased out to private companies who operated them on their behalf. Those companies also had the right to construct their own tramways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester Corporation Tramways</span> Municipal operator of electric tram services in Manchester (1901-1949)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Henry Gaunt</span>

Walter Henry Gaunt was an English transport engineer who began his working life developing and building gas-powered trams. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School before joining the Ashbury Company in Manchester as an apprentice. The works at Ashbury supplied the trams for Britain's first gas-powered tramway, the Blackpool, St Annes and Lytham tramway, operated by the British Gas Traction Company. Gaunt transferred to the tramway company in 1896, and then became manager of a similar gas-powered scheme at Trafford Park in 1896. Following the financial collapse of the Gas Traction Company in 1898 Gaunt was appointed manager of Trafford Park's gas and electric tramways, a position he held until 1905, when the operation of the electric line was taken over by the corporations of Manchester and Salford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway</span>

The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway operated an electric tramway service between Llandudno and Rhos-on-Sea from 1907 and extended to Colwyn Bay in 1908. The service closed in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunderland Corporation Tramways</span>

Sunderland Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Sunderland between 1900 and 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coventry Corporation Tramways</span>

Coventry Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Coventry, England, between 1912 and 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburn and Over Darwen Tramways Company</span>

The Blackburn and Over Darwen Tramways Company operated a steam tramway service between Blackburn and Darwen between 1881 and 1898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Carlisle Electric Tramways</span>

The City of Carlisle Electric Tramways Company operated an electric tramway service in Carlisle between 1900 and 1931.

Blackburn Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Blackburn, Lancashire, England between 1887 and 1949.

Frederick Andrew Fitzpayne AMIEE (1878-1935) was a British electrical and transport engineer responsible for building Scotland's first electric tram system and running the Edinburgh Corporation Tramway system.

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.

References

  1. The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.[ page needed ]
  2. 1 2 Darwen Council minutes[ full citation needed ]
  3. Commercial Motor Magazine[ full citation needed ]