| Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways | |
|---|---|
| Operation | |
| Locale | Wolverhampton |
| Open | 1 May 1900 [1] |
| Close | 26 August 1928 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Electric |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 13.85 miles (22.29 km) |
Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Wolverhampton between 1902 and 1928. [2]
On 1 May 1900, for the sum of £26,750, Wolverhampton Corporation bought the Wolverhampton Tramways Company which had operated a standard gauge horse-drawn tramway since 1878. At the start of operation, the drivers and conductors were equipped with a coat and trousers of blue cloth with orange piping, and a peaked “W.C.T.” cap. [1]
A modernisation scheme followed immediately re-gauging to 3'6" and electrification. The tramway was unique in using the Lorain stud contact system, [3] and because of this, connections to other networks in the area could not be made until 1921, when the council decided to convert to overhead wiring.
The first line from the depot to the Bilston boundary, 1 mile in length, opened on 6 February 1902. [4] The main service connected Wolverhampton railway station with the 1902 exhibition in West Park. Some of the costs of construction were offset by visitors to this exhibition, as it was reported that the tramway carried 3,000,000 passengers were carried. [5]
Additional lines soon followed:
Lines were converted to trolleybus operation and the last tram ran on 26 August 1928. [9]
The company ordered 24 tramcars for its initial operations
Later additions were:
The Manx Electric Railway is an electric interurban tramway connecting Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It connects with the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway at its southern terminus at Derby Castle at the northern end of the promenade in Douglas, and with the Snaefell Mountain Railway at Laxey. Many visitors take an excursion on the trams. It is the oldest electric tram line in the world whose original rolling stock is still in service.
The stud contact system is an obsolete ground-level power supply system for electric trams. Power supply studs were set in the road at intervals and connected to a buried electric cable by switches operated by magnets on the tramcars. Current was collected from the studs by a "skate" or "ski collector" under the tramcar. The system was popular for a while in the early 1900s but soon fell out of favour because of the unreliability of the magnetic switches, largely due to friction and rapid corrosion affecting its cast iron moving components.
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 United Electric Car Company was a tramcar manufacturer from 1905 to 1917 in Preston, Lancashire, England.
The Derby Tramways Company operated horse-drawn tramway services in Derby from 1880 to 1904.
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Chester Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Chester between 1903 and 1930.
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The Potteries Electric Traction Company operated a tramway service in The Potteries between 1899 and 1928.
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The Wolverhampton District Electric Tramways Company operated an electric tramway service between Dudley and Wolverhampton between 1899 and 1928.
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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 Staffordshire Potteries Street Railway operated a horse-drawn tramway service between Hanley and Burslem from 1862 to 1880.
The Dudley, Sedgley and Wolverhampton Tramway Company operated a tramway service between Wolverhampton and Dudley from 1883 to 1901.