| Rotherham Tramways | |
|---|---|
 Map of Rotherham Corporation Tramways | |
| Operation | |
| Locale | Rotherham |
| Open | 31 January 1903 |
| Close | 13 November 1949 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Propulsion system(s) | Electric |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 11.55 miles (18.59 km) |
The Rotherham Tramway was a tramway system serving the West Riding town of Rotherham. Service began on 31 January 1903 and ended on 13 November 1949. [1]
A tram is a rail vehicle which runs on tramway tracks along public urban streets; some include segments of segregated right-of-way. The lines or networks operated by tramcars are called tramways. Historically the term electric street railways was also used in the United States. In the United States, the term tram has sometimes been used for rubber-tyred trackless trains, which are not related to the other vehicles covered in this article.
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding, was based closely on the historic boundaries. The lieutenancy at that time included the City of York and as such was named West Riding of the County of York and the County of the City of York.
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England, which together with its conurbation and outlying settlements to the north, south and south-east forms the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, with a recorded population of 257,280 in the 2011 census. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, its central area is on the banks of the River Don below its confluence with the Rother on the traditional road between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham was well known as a coal mining town as well as a major contributor to the steel industry.
The network of six lines spread across the town and was linked to the tramway networks of Sheffield and Mexborough & Swinton. [2]
Sheffield Tramway was an extensive tramway network serving the English city of Sheffield and its suburbs.
Rotherham tramways ran on six lines joining in the town's centre and serving Thrybergh, Silverwood Colliery and Broom Road to the East, Canklow and Sheffield to the South, Kimberworth to the West and Rawmarsh to the North.
Thrybergh is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) from Rotherham. It had a population of 4,327 in 2001, reducing to 4,058 at the 2011 Census.
Canklow is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.
Kimberworth is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, about 2.2 miles (3.5 km) north west of Rotherham town centre and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) north-east of the City of Sheffield.
The line to Sheffield was Rotherham's busiest as it served the main steel producing area of Great Britain. It required an almost constant flow of tramcars to meet demand. Track was re-laid in 1933 as well as single-ended double-decker tramcars purchased to serve on this particular line. Indeed, the line was built with loop termini. The tramcars used for the Sheffield-Rotherham service were equipped with only one entrance and staircase and like on traditional double-decker buses, seats were made to be comfortable. Tram service ended on this route in 1948 and Sheffield trams ended at Tinsley (where the change of owner occurred until 1926 when the Sheffield Corporation purchased the line up to Vulcan Road).
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of 209,331 km2 (80,823 sq mi), it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island, and the ninth-largest island in the world. In 2011, Great Britain had a population of about 61 million people, making it the world's third-most populous island after Java in Indonesia and Honshu in Japan. The island of Ireland is situated to the west of Great Britain, and together these islands, along with over 1,000 smaller surrounding islands, form the British Isles archipelago.
A double-decker tram is a tram that has two levels. Some double-decker trams have open tops. Double-deck trams were once popular in some European cities, like Berlin and London, throughout the British Empire countries in the early half of the 20th century including Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington in New Zealand; Hobart, Tasmania in Australia and in parts of Asia. They are still in service in Hong Kong, Alexandria, Dubai, Oranjestad and Blackpool.
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-decker buses are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and many former European possessions, the most iconic example being the red London bus.
An extension of the line to Broom Top to Maltby was opened for trolleybuses in 1912, this being the third trolleybus line in Great Britain. Trolleybuses were permitted to reach the town centre in 1924 along with trams. Tram routes to Rawmarsh Road, Broom Road, Kimberworth and Thrybergh were converted to trolleybuses in 1929 and 1931. The line to Canklow was converted to motorbuses in 1934.
Maltby is a former mining town and civil parish of 16,688 inhabitants (2011) in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It was historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is located about 6 miles (10 km) east of Rotherham town centre and 10 miles (16 km) north-east of Sheffield city centre. It forms a continuous urban area with Hellaby, separated from the rest of Rotherham by the M18 motorway.
The Rotherham trolleybus system once served the town of Rotherham, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Opened on 3 October 1912, it was the fourth trolleybus system to be established in the United Kingdom, after the systems in nearby Bradford and Leeds, which had opened simultaneously in 1911, and Dundee earlier in 1912. Between 1912 and 1949, the Rotherham system gradually replaced the Rotherham Tramway.
Double-decker trolleybuses were built from the single-deck fleet from 1955. Twenty-three of these were sold in Spain with the last trolleybus running in 1965.
