| Northampton Corporation Tramways | |
|---|---|
 Bridge Street, Northampton ca. 1918 | |
| Operation | |
| Locale | Northampton, England, United Kingdom |
| Open | 21 October 1901 |
| Close | 15 December 1934 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Electric |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 8+1⁄4 miles (13.3 km) |
Northampton Corporation Tramways operated the tramway service in Northampton between 1901 and 1934. [1]
The company was purchased from the Northampton Street Tramways Company on 21 October 1901 for the sum of £38,700 (equivalent to £4,470,000in 2021). [2] It continued to operate horse drawn tramcars whilst the electrification work was planned. Once the electric services were ready, the horse drawn assets were quickly disposed of at auctions run by W.J. Pierce in Northampton. Seventy horses and 6 tramcars were sold on 29 July 1904. The remaining 15 horses and 8 tramcars which had been held over to work the Kingsthorpe section were sold at auction in August 1904. The Duke of Buccleuch paid 38 guineas for a bay gelding, and the remaining horses sold for between 14 guineas and 30 guineas. The tramcars (originally purchased for £150 to £170 each) sold for between £4 and £7 each. [3]
A new depot was constructed in St James’ End with the provision for 24 cars in a building 120 feet (37 m) long and 70 feet (21 m) in two spans of 35 feet (11 m) with six lines of rails. The back of the building was closed with a temporary end to provide for future extensions. [4] The power generating station was constructed at the refuse destructor site in Castle Street. The generating station was equipped with two 200 kW sets in duplicate with a 120 kW set for taking light loads. Construction of both started in October 1903. [5]
The work of converting the permanent way into an electric tramway system started on 20 January 1904 when contractors began to lay new lines on Wellingborough Road. [6] The first electric service started on Thursday 21 July 1904 when an inauguration ceremony was held in Mercers’ Row. The inaugural car carried the Mayoress and departed along Abington Street to St Matthew’s Church, followed by two other cars. They then returned and ran to the other terminus at Franklin’s Gardens. By the end of the day all 20 cars were running in service. [7]
The initial services operated over 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km). In 1913 the Council approved a report from the Tramways Committee which recommended the expenditure of £10,850 (equivalent to £1,135,800in 2021) [2] for the purchase of additional plant and tramcars. The cost of four new tramcars was put at £2,600, the extension to the sheds was £2,400, an engine and generator for £2,300 and battery for £2,100. [8] The tram service was now carrying 7,500,000 passengers per annum, compared with 5,000,000 in 1906.
The extension to Far Cotton was built for the sum of £20,352 11s 10d (equivalent to £2,130,600in 2021) [2] by Messrs Stark and Co of Glasgow. Three new tramcars were ordered from the Brush Electrical Engineering Company of Loughborough for £460 (equivalent to £48,200in 2021) [2] per car, and Dick Kerr and Company of Preston provided the electrical equipment for £289 14s. 6. (equivalent to £30,300in 2021) [2] per car [9] The construction of the new line to Far Cotton required the widening of Northampton’s South Bridge from 30 feet (9.1 m) to 50 feet (15 m). The cost of widening the bridge was between £6,000 and £7,000. [10] The new line to Far Cotton opened on 23 October 1914. [11] It took the tramway to a total route length of 6.41 miles (10.32 km).
The First World War resulted in some restrictions in services. The halfpenny fare was abolished but it was agreed that wounded soldiers in blue uniforms would be allowed to ride free of charge. Like many tramways, the company struggled with the recruitment of male tramway employees into the armed forces and on 20 December 1915 the first female conductors were employed. [12] The women were employed on a contract to work 54 hours per week and they were paid at the same rate as men conductors, £1 0s. 3d. [13] (equivalent to £86.32in 2021). [2] Towards the end of the war it was reported that some of the women were working 70 hours per week due to the prevalence of sickness and consequent lost time. [14]
Sunday service was re-introduced in 1919. [15]
There was some financial difficulty after the war, in 1919 the losses were reported as £2,447 on expenditure of £50,058, and by 1921 losses had increased to £8,900. [16] However, by 1924 the situation had improved and a profit of £9,000 was reported. [17]
There were 37 tramcars in the Northampton fleet:
The livery was vermilion and white.
The system was closed on 15 December 1934.
Two tram stops survive in Northampton. One is near the Racecourse and the other is on Kingsthorpe Grove. [18]
Derby Corporation Tramways was the tram system serving the city of Derby, England. It opened on 27 July 1904.
Leicester Corporation Tramways was a tramway system in Leicester, England from 1901 to 1949.
The Derby Tramways Company operated horse-drawn tramway services in Derby from 1880 to 1904.
Lincoln Corporation Tramways operated an electric tramway service in Lincoln, England between 1905 and 1929.
The Northampton Street Tramways Company operated a horse powered tramway service in Northampton between 1881 and 1901.
The Tynemouth and District Electric Traction Company operated a tramway service in North Shields, Tynemouth and Whitley Bay between 1901 and 1931.
Chester Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Chester between 1903 and 1930.
Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Wolverhampton between 1902 and 1928.
The Worcester Electric Traction Company operated a tramway service in Worcester between 1904 and 1928.
Coventry Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Coventry, England, between 1912 and 1940.
The Potteries Electric Traction Company operated a tramway service in The Potteries between 1899 and 1928.
The Cheltenham and District Light Railway operated an electric tramway service in Cheltenham between 1901 and 1930.
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.
Cambridge Street Tramways operated a horse-drawn tramway service in Cambridge, England, between 1880 and 1914.
Wigan Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Wigan, England, between 1901 and 1931. The first tramway service in the town was run by the Wigan Tramways Company, whose horse trams began carrying passengers in 1880. They began replacing horses with steam tram locomotives from 1882, but the company failed in 1890 when a Receiver was appointed to manage it. The Wigan & District Tramways Company took over the system in 1893 and ran it until 1902. Meanwhile, Wigan Corporation were planning their own tramway system, obtaining an authorising Act of Parliament in 1893, and a second one in 1898. This enabled them to build electric tramways, and in 1902, they took over the lines of the Wigan & District Tramways Company.
At the peak of Britain’s first-generation tramways, it was possible to travel by tram all the way from Pier Head at Liverpool to the Pennines in Rochdale by tram.
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.
Darlington Street Railroad operated a tramway service in Darlington, England, between 1862 and 1865.
Wolverhampton Tramways Company operated a tramway service in Wolverhampton between 1878 and 1900.
The Dudley, Sedgley and Wolverhampton Tramway Company operated a tramway service between Wolverhampton and Dudley from 1883 to 1901.
The Leicester Tramways Company operated a horse-drawn tramway service in Leicester from 1874 to 1901.