Southport Corporation Tramways

Southport Corporation Tramways
	Depot on Canning Road, Blowick
Operation
Locale	Southport
Open	1 January 1900
Close	31 December 1934
Status	Closed
Infrastructure
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Propulsion system(s)	Electric
Depot(s)	Canning Road, Blowick
Statistics
Route length	17.4 miles (28.0 km)

Last updated February 23, 2019

Southport Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Southport between 1900 and 1934.^[1]

Southport is a large seaside town in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.

History

In 1896, Southport Corporation purchased the Birkdale and Southport Tramways Company which had operated horse-drawn tramways since 1873. The tracks within its boundary was also purchased, with that in Birkdale being purchased by that Council

In 1899 Southport Corporation obtained permission to electrify and extend the tramways within its boundaries. Work moved quickly and on 18 July 1900, three routes opened in Southport and electric cars ran. By the end of the year the number of routes had increased to seven, a compact maze of routes serving Smedley, Birkdale, Bedford Park, Kew Gardens, Blowick, Crowlands, High Park and Churchtown.^[2]

The depot was in Canning Road, Blowick.

In 1912 Southport absorbed Birkdale and on 1 January 1918, the two tramway systems were finally joined at a cost of £35,000 (equivalent to £3,180,135 in 2016).^[3]

Fleet

Southport Corporation fleet eventually reached 45 vehicles.

1-12, 14, 16, 18, Electric Railway and Tramway Carriage Works 1900
13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, Electric Railway and Tramway Carriage Works 1901
21 United Electric Car Company 1914
23, 25, 27 United Electric Car Company 1915

The United Electric Car Company was a tramcar manufacturer from 1905 to 1917 in Preston, Lancashire, England.

From Southport Tramways Company the Corporation acquired the following

1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 35-44 Brush Electrical Machines 1918
29, 31, 33 English Electric 1919

Brush Electrical Machines is a manufacturer of electrical generators typically for gas turbine and steam turbine driven applications. The main office is based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, UK.

English Electric former aerospace and defense company

The English Electric Company Limited was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during the war, had been making munitions, armaments and aeroplanes.

Closure

The system closed on 31 December 1934.

External links

Rare 1902 film view of a trip on Southport tram

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References

↑ The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
↑ Great British Tramway Networks. Wingate H. Bett and John C. Gillham, Second Edition. 1944.
↑ 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.

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[1] The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.

[2] Great British Tramway Networks. Wingate H. Bett and John C. Gillham, Second Edition. 1944.

[inflation-UK-3] 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.