TRAMS # 2.

 

CARDIFF TRAMWAYS COMPANY No 21  1890.

 

A horse drawn tram service was introduced by Cardiff Tramways Company on 12th July 1872. The initial service ran from High street in what was then the town centre ( Cardiff did not become a city until 1905 ) to the docks and eventually six miles of route were operated. The company was a member of the Provincial Tramways Group which also operated horse tramways in Plymouth, Portsmouth and Grimsby. This particular tram operated on the towns Cathays route. Unlike earlier double deck horse trams which tended to have back to back `knifeboard seats` this one had reversible transverse garden seats on the upper deck enabling it to carry up to 40 passengers, though two horses were needed for such loads.

 

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SHEFFIELD CORPORATION TRAMWAYS No 15  1874.

 

Built in 1874 by the Starbuck Car and Wagon Co of Birkenhead UK ( in the days before the name had become associated with coffee shops ), Sheffield horse tram No 15 is one of the oldest exhibits in the museum. The single deck car weighed 29cwt when built, cost £200 and could accommodate 16 passengers. The car was initially used on the Brightside Line and was stabled, along with the horses at the Tinsley Tram Depot. Instead of it being scrapped when Sheffield's Tramway was electrified in 1902, number 15 was converted into an electric breakdown car at the Nether Edge depot.

 

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GLASGOW CORPORATION TRANSPORT No 1115  1929.

 

Glasgow city had exclusively operated traditional four wheeled tramcars despite their tendency to induce an unpleasant tail wagging motion when passing over rail joints. But in order to improve the ride quality for passengers a new batch of 50 tramcars was ordered in 1928 that incorporated a then radical new design of eight wheeled  maximum traction bogies that were renowned for their smooth running. The bogies were supplied by the Ayrshire based Kilmarnock engineering company and for that reason the trams became known as `Kilmarnock Bogies`, though they were actually manufactured in the parent company's English Electric works based in Preston.

 

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SHEFFIELD CORPORATION TRANSPORT No 264  1937.

 

Although only three years younger than its stable mate number 189, Sheffield's 264s altogether sleeker and more modern appearance shows the benefit of Sheffield Transport Departments continuing quest to keep pace with the latest advances in tramcar development. The result was a batch of improved standard tramcars that were often referred to as `Domed Roof Cars` since this was the most obvious visual feature that set them apart from their flat roofed predecessors.

 

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DEN HAAG TRAMWAYS No 1147  1958.

 

Den Haag 1147 represents one of the most iconic and influential tramcar designs of all time, known as the `PCC`. Most remarkably of all, perhaps is the fact that the design emanated from a committee. The Electric Railway Presidents Conference Committee, that was established in 1929 to come up with a new type of street car capable of fending off growing competition from diesel buses and private automobiles. The end result was a very distinctive streamlined design, smooth and efficient acceleration and braking combined with a superior level of passenger comfort. One of its distinctive features involved the extensive use of rubber mountings in springs, wheel tyres and truck components. Another innovation involved the use of Hypoid gears that were more efficient and silent in operation than conventional worm gearing. The manufacturer of the trams body was La Brugeoise, Bruge ( Belgium ). Manufacturer of truck was PCC - Type. The tram was withdrawn from service in 1993.

 

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LEEDS CITY TRANSPORT No 602  1953.

 

Leeds 602 was one of two prototype trams that were built in 1953 at a time when serious thought was being given to the development of a new tram subway system serving Leeds city centre as a way of avoiding the severe traffic congestion that it already suffered from. If the ambitious project had been completed, it would have seen most of Leeds extensive fleet of ageing double deck trams being replaced by a new fleet of 200 continental style single decker`s like 602 at a cost of £2 million. The design of the tram was influenced in part by American Pcc type single deck tramcars then operating in Belgium and the Netherlands. The 602s tapered ends were intended to provide increased clearances on tight curves while its continental style entrances were combined with reduced seating capacity to enable more standing passengers to be accommodated and loading times reduced with a view to improving operating schedules by 25%.

 

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GLASGOW CORPORATION TRANSPORT No 1297  1948.

 

Glasgow 1297 is one of the last double deck tramcars to have been built in Britain before all but one of the first generation tramways were phased out and of the few post war tramcar designs to enter service during that era, this was by far the most numerous. It was built in 1948 and was one of the first of a new class of 100 tramcars that came to be known as `Cunarders`.The Cunarders were supplied with more modern Maley and Taunton inside frame bogies and Metro Vic EP control gear. Even with these refinements however they never achieved the popularity of the pre war coronations, indeed it is likely in the interests of standardisation toward the end of tramway operations that they would have been withdrawn in advance of their predecessors had it not been for a disastrous fire at the Dalmarnock Depot on 22nd March 1961.

 

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