Newcastle Corporation Tramways
 Newcastle tram No. 114 at Beamish Museum | |
| Operation | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Open | 16 December 1901 |
| Close | 4 March 1950 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Electric |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 51 miles (82 km) |
Newcastle Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Newcastle upon Tyne between 1901 and 1950.[1]
History
Services began on the 16 December 1901. A fleet of twenty ‘A- Class’ tramcars built in 1901 by Hurst Nelson and Co. Ltd. of Motherwell were used in Newcastle.[2] The main routes were complete by 1904. Newcastle Corporation built Manors Power Station to supply electricity to the new tramway system.[3]
Later extensions were made to Fenham 1907, Shieldfield 1912, and Throckley 1914.[4] Progress was limited during the First World War but the tramway eventually reached Forest Hall, Westmoor, and Gosforth Park in 1921. In 1925 it reached Fenham to Westerhope.
There were three depots, Byker, Haymarket and Wingrove. By 1928 there were 300 trams in service.
The name was changed in 1915 to Newcastle Corporation Transport and Electricity Undertaking.
Closure
The system finally closed on 4 March 1950. Some tram services continued to be operated until 4 August 1951 by the Gateshead tramway system.
References
- ↑ The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
- ↑ http://beamishtransportonline.co.uk/transport-stocklist/tramway/newcastle-114/
- ↑ R Whaley, J Morrison and D Heslop (2008). "Archaeology of the Twentieth Century Defence Sites of Tyne and Wear: An Illustrated Guide" (PDF). Newcastle City Council. p. 59. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ↑ http://www.tyneandweararchives.org.uk/DServe2/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo==%22MD.NC/TR%22)