Great Yarmouth Corporation Tramways

Great Yarmouth Corporation Tramways
Great Yarmouth Corporation Tramways
	Map of the routes of Great Yarmouth Corporation Tramways
Operation
Locale	Great Yarmouth
Open	4 July 1905
Close	14 December 1933
Status	Closed
Infrastructure
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Propulsion system(s)	Electric
Statistics
Route length	9.94 miles (16.00 km)

Last updated June 08, 2019

Great Yarmouth Corporation Tramways served the town of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England from 19 June 1902 until 14 December 1933.^[1]

Great Yarmouth, often known as Yarmouth, is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, straddling the mouth of the River Yare, some 20 miles (30 km) east of Norwich. A population of 38,693 was quoted in the 2011 Census, making it the third most populous place in Norfolk. It has been a seaside resort since 1760, providing also a gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the North Sea. Its longstanding fishing industry, depending mainly on herring, suffered steep decline after the mid-20th century and has now all but disappeared. The North Sea oil discovered in the 1960s led to a brisk oil-rig supply industry that now services offshore natural gas rigs. More recent offshore wind power and other renewable energy have created further opportunities for support services.

Norfolk is a county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the northwest, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea and, to the north-west, The Wash. The county town is Norwich. With an area of 2,074 square miles (5,370 km²) and a population of 859,400, Norfolk is a largely rural county with a population density of 401 per square mile. Of the county's population, 40% live in four major built up areas: Norwich (213,000), Great Yarmouth (63,000), King's Lynn (46,000) and Thetford (25,000).

History

The tramway system comprised two separate sections divided by the River Yare. The Haven Bridge over the River Yare was a lifting bridge and not suitable for a tramway.

To the east of the river was the larger part which opened on 19 June 1902. It ran from Wellington Pier, along Marine Parade, St Peters Road, King Street, Market Place, Northgate Street and Caister Road, and from Vauxhall station, along North Quay, Hall Quay, Regent Street, Market Place, Regent Street, Marine Parade and to Wellington Pier.^[1]
The depot for the eastern section was located on the east side of Caister Road just south of its junction with Hamilton Road at TG 52463 09080 . The site is now used as a motorbus depot.

Great Yarmouth railway station is one of two eastern termini of the Wherry Lines in the East of England, serving the seaside town of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. The other terminus at the eastern end of the lines is Lowestoft, and the western terminus to which all trains run is Norwich.

The smaller western section was previously the horse drawn Yarmouth and Gorleston Tramway system. It commenced operation as an electric tramway on 4 July 1905 and ran from Yarmouth South Town railway station, along Southtown Road, Gorleston High Street and Springfield Road, and had a branch from Gorleston High Street, along Pier Plain, England Lane to Brush Quay and the beach at TG 52984 03818 .^[1] The depot for the western section was located on the east side of Lowestoft Road just south of its junction with Baker Street at TG 52626 04280 .

Yarmouth South Town, sometimes known as Yarmouth Southtown, was a railway station in Great Yarmouth, England, that is now closed. It was one of three major stations in the town, the others being Yarmouth Vauxhall and Yarmouth Beach, of which only Yarmouth Vauxhall now remains.

Fleet

1-14 Brush Electrical Engineering Company 1905 - allocated to the Eastern section
15-26 Brush Electrical Engineering Company 1905 - allocated to the Gorleston section
27-35 Brush Electrical Engineering Company 1906, 1907

Tramcars

The fleet, in a livery of maroon and cream, consisted of:

35 Brush open top double deck tramcars^[1]

Closure

The Corporation started to introduce motorbuses in 1920, and tram routes were closed from 1924 onwards. The western section finally closed on 25 September 1930, and the eastern section on 14 December 1933. Some of the tramcar bodies were used as chalets at Caister Holiday Camp.^[1]

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References

1 2 3 4 5 Turner, Keith (1996). The Directory of British Tramways. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-549-9.