Merthyr Tydfil Electric Tramways

Last updated

Merthyr Tydfil Electric Tramways
Operation
Locale Merthyr Tydfil
Open 6 April 1901
Close 23 August 1939
Status Closed
Infrastructure
Track gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Propulsion system(s) Electric
Depot(s) Trevithick Road

Merthyr Tydfil Electric Tramways operated a tramway service in Merthyr Tydfil between 1901 and 1939. [1]

Merthyr Tydfil town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000

Merthyr Tydfil is a large town in Wales, with a population of about 63,546, situated approximately 23 miles (37 km) north of Cardiff. At one time the largest town in Wales, Merthyr Tydfil is today its fifth largest urban area by population. Situated in the historic county of Glamorgan, it is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough and is administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. Both the town and the county borough are often referred to as simply 'Merthyr'.

Contents

History

The company was owned by the Merthyr Tydfil Electric Traction and Lighting Company, a subsidiary company of British Electric Traction. Services started on 6 April 1901. Sixteen tramcars were purchased from the Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Company and Electric Railway and Tramway Carriage Works for the initial services.

British Electric Traction

British Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Rentokil Initial.

Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Company

The Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Company was a Birmingham, England, based manufacturer of railway carriages and wagons. It was not part of the Midland Railway.

Closure

The company was purchased by the local authority in 1939 for the sum of £13,500 (equivalent to £768,000in 2016) [2] with the aim of closing down the service, and the final tram ran on 23 August 1939.

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References

  1. The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
  2. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 6 November 2017.