| Sunderland Corporation Tramways | |
|---|---|
 Tram 16 at Beamish Museum | |
| Operation | |
| Locale | Sunderland, Co. Durham |
| Open | 30 March 1900 |
| Close | 1 October 1954 |
| Status | Closed |
| Owner(s) | Sunderland Corporation |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Propulsion system(s) | Electric |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 12.24 miles (19.70 km) |
Sunderland Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Sunderland (then part of County Durham) between 1900 and 1954. [1]
In 1900 Sunderland Corporation bought the Sunderland Tramways Company which had operated a horse-drawn tramway in the town since 1879.
Electrification of the service took place rapidly with the first converted service opening from Roker to Christ Church on 15 August 1900. The remaining services were upgraded by 1904.
During the First World War Sunderland, like many other local authorities, employed women on the tramcars as conductresses. There were 10 employed by 1915, although on lower wages than their male counterparts - 6s - 10s per week, compared with 11s - 15s per week for the men. [2]
In April 1916, the town was attacked by a Zeppelin, and tram no 10 was badly damaged, [3] along with the Tramway offices.
By 1920 the conductresses had retired, as the men who had returned from the war returned to their previous employment. [4]
On 3 January 1921 the company started a joint service with the Sunderland District Electric Tramways to Houghton-le-Spring. On 2 December 1925 a new route was opened along Durham Road to Barnes Park, and then further extended four years later to Humbledon Hill. Twelve years later, the route along Fulwell Lane was extended on 10 May 1937 along Dykelands Road to Seaburn.
In 1932 two tramcars were obtained from the Mansfield and District Light Railways.
In 1948 the Durham Road line was extended to Grindon Lane, and in 1949 on to Thorney Close Road.
In the 1950s tram services began to close, beginning with the Villette Road route on 5 November 1950. On 1 October 1954 a final procession of trams left the Town Hall for Seaburn. By 1959 the last of the tram lines had been taken up. [5]
There were two depots. The main tramshed and offices were at Wheatsheaf corner in Monkwearmouth, grid reference NZ 39748 57851 , and workshops were located off Hylton Road, grid reference NZ 38990 57262 .
Car 16 was withdrawn in 1954 and spent some time at a football ground and then as farm accommodation. It was purchased for restoration in 1989 and was restored in 2003. It is operational at the Beamish Museum. [6]
The system was closed on 1 October 1954.
The Chesterfield and District Tramways Company and its successors ran a tramway system in the Derbyshire town of Chesterfield, England. The first horse-drawn line opened in 1882, and in 1897, the system was taken over by Chesterfield Corporation, who extended and electrified it in 1904 and 1905. Additional tramcars were purchased, but two had to be scrapped after a disastrous fire at the depot in 1916. The system suffered from a lack of maintenance as a result of reduced staffing levels during the First World War, and the trams were replaced by trolleybuses in 1927.
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.
Derby Corporation Tramways was the tram system serving the city of Derby, England. It opened on 27 July 1904.
Reading Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Reading in the English county of Berkshire between 1901 and 1939.
Lowestoft Corporation Tramways was the operator of the electric tramway system that served Lowestoft from 22 July 1903 until 8 May 1931.
The Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company was incorporated in 1880, the result of a merger of the Manchester Suburban Tramways Company and the Manchester Carriage Company, to provide horse-drawn tram services throughout Manchester and Salford, England, and surrounding districts. Although the 1870 Tramways Act authorised local authorities to construct tramways, it prevented them from operating tram services, so the tramways were leased out to private companies who operated them on their behalf. Those companies also had the right to construct their own tramways.
Peterborough Tramways served the city of Peterborough from 24 January 1903 until 15 November 1930.
Southend-on-Sea Corporation Tramways served the town of Southend-on-Sea in Essex from 19 July 1901 until 8 April 1942.
Bournemouth Corporation Tramways served the town of Bournemouth in Dorset from 23 July 1902 until 8 April 1936.
Chester Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Chester between 1903 and 1930.
Burnley Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Burnley between 1901 and 1935.
Coventry Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Coventry, England, between 1912 and 1940.
Walsall Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Walsall between 1904 and 1930.
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.
Bolton Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Bolton between 1899 and 1947.
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.
The Sunderland Tramways Company operated a tramway service in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear between 1879 and 1901.
Halifax Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England between 1898 and 1939. After considering lifts and inclined planes to assist trams in negotiating the steep hills to the south of the town, they obtained permission to build a conventional system in 1897, and the first three routes opened in 1898. By 1905 there were 37 miles (60 km) of track and 96 tramcars, supplied by two manufacturers. In 1921, an additional route was added to the system, and the Corporation embarked on a programme of building their own tramcars, some of which replaced existing vehicles, while some extended the fleet. During the 1930s, the trams were gradually replaced by motor buses, either run by the Corporation or by private companies, and the last tram ran on 14 February 1939.
The Great Grimsby Street Tramways Company was a tramway serving Grimsby and Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, England. It was a subsidiary of The Provincial Tramways Company. They opened a horse tramway in 1881, running from the Wheatsheaf Inn in Bargate to the border with Cleethorpes, with a branch along Freeman Street, and extended the line into Cleethorpes in 1887. It followed the trend of many British systems, and was converted to an electric tramway in December 1901. Small extensions were made to the system at both ends, but the basic plan of the system remained the same throughout its life.
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.
Stockport Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Stockport, England, between 1901 and 1951. It was preceded by a horse tramway from Levenshulme to Stockport, which opened in 1880, and was ultimately run by the Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company. A second independent horse tramway opened in 1890, running to Hazel Grove. In 1899 the Corporation bought the first line, electrified it, and leased it back to the operating company. Their powers to buy the Stockport and Hazel Grove Tramway, authorised by the same Act of Parliament, were not exercised until 1905.