Map of Leith Corporation Tramways routes | |
| Operation | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Leith |
| Open | 34 October 1904 |
| Close | 20 November 1920 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Electric |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 9.09 miles (14.63 km) |
Leith Corporation Tramways operated a passenger tramway service in Leith between 1904 and 1920. [1]
Leith is an area to the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, at the mouth of the Water of Leith.
On 23 October 1904, Leith Corporation Tramways took over operation of the Edinburgh Street Tramways routes within the corporation district. The electrification and modernisation was undertaken immediately, and the first electric service ran on 18 August 1905.
Edinburgh Street Tramways operated a horse-drawn tramway service in Edinburgh between 1871 and 1896, and Leith between 1871 and 1904.
The fleet livery was munich lake and ivory.
Passengers going from Leith to Edinburgh had to change trams (from electric to cable-drawn) at Pilrig on Leith Walk at the boundary between Leith and Edinburgh. [2] This confused exchange of passengers was known locally as "the Pilrig muddle", and lasted until the electrification of the Edinburgh Corporation Tramways system.
Pilrig is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The name probably derives from the long field (rig) on which a peel tower (pil/peel) stood. There is evidence of a peel tower situated on an area of higher ground above the Water of Leith. Pilrig lies midway between Leith and Edinburgh, west of Leith Walk. It is split by Pilrig Street, which marks the division between the EH6 and EH7 postcode districts. Along the north-east side of Pilrig Street lies Pilrig Park, within which is Pilrig House, the heart of the former estate of the Balfour family. The 19th-century Rosebank Cemetery is located at the west end of Pilrig Street, at the junction of Broughton Road.
Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the port area of Leith to the centre of the city. Forming the majority of the A900 road, it slopes upward from 'the Foot of the Walk' at the north-eastern end of the street, where Great Junction, Duke and Constitution streets meet, to the Picardy Place roundabout at the south-western end.
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.
The services were taken over by Edinburgh Corporation Tramways on 10 November 1920 and continued to operate until 1956.
The Kingston upon Hull tramway network was a network of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 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.
Metropolitan Electric Tramways Limited (MET) operated electric tram services in suburban areas of Middlesex and Hertfordshire from 1904 to 1933, when its services passed to the London Passenger Transport Board.
Trams operated in Edinburgh from 1871 to 1956, and resumed in 2014. The first systems were horse-drawn, while cable-haulage appeared in the city in 1888. Electric trams first ran on systems in neighbouring Musselburgh (1904) and Leith (1905), meeting the Edinburgh cable-trams at Joppa and Pilrig respectively. Electrification meant cable trams last ran in 1923, with through running now possible to Leith and as far east as Port Seton. The various systems were operated by different private and municipal entities over the years; the Edinburgh and Leith systems had been merged under Edinburgh Corporation by 1920, but it wasn't until 1928, after the partial closure of Musselburgh line, that all trams operating in Edinburgh were in the sole control of the corporation. The last electric trams ran in 1956, but electric trams returned in 2014 with the opening of Edinburgh Trams. Many of the trams from the horse/cable/first electric era were built in Shrubhill Works. Two trams have been preserved, a horse tram and an electric tram, built by Shrubhill in 1885 and 1948 respectively. A 1903 Dick Kerr cable-tram has also been purchased for preservation. Remnants of the cable-tram system can be seen in Waterloo Place and Henderson Row, and of the Musselburgh line at Morrison's Haven.
Cardiff Corporation Tramways operated an electric tramway service in Cardiff between 1902 and 1950.
Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Wolverhampton between 1902 and 1928.
Gloucester Corporation Tramways operated an electric tramway service in Gloucester between 1904 and 1933.
The City of Oxford and District Tramway Company and its successor the City of Oxford Electric Traction Company operated a horse-drawn passenger tramway service in Oxford between 1881 and 1914. The tramway was unusual for having a track gauge of only 4 feet (1.219 m).
Rawtenstall Corporation Tramways operated a passenger tramway service in Rawtenstall between 1908 and 1932.
The Dudley, Stourbridge and District Electric Tramways Company operated an electric tramway service between Dudley and Stourbridge and also other lines in the neighbourhood between 1899 and 1930.
Edinburgh and District Tramways operated a tramway service in Edinburgh between 1893 and 1919, and Leith between 1871 and 1904.
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 and expanded route carried electric trams operated by Bath Electric Tramways Company.
The Barrow-in-Furness Tramways Company operated a tramway service in Barrow-in-Furness between 1885 and 1932.
Darwen Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Darwen between 1899 and 1946.
Paisley District Tramways Company operated a tramway service in Paisley between 1903 and 1923.
Croydon Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Croydon between 1900 and 1933.
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.
