Grimsby District Light Railway

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The Great Grimsby Street Tramways Company was a tramway serving Grimsby and Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, England. It was a subsidiary of the Provincial Tramway Company.

The tramway opened in 1881 using horse-drawn trams on standard gauge track, stretching from the depot in Park Street, on the Grimsby/Cleethorpes boundary, to People's Park in Grimsby. In 1887 the route was extended to Kingsway in Cleethorpes. A branch departed the main line at Riby Square to serve Freeman Street. In 1901, electric trams replaced the horses. Six trailer cars were operated until 1918, mainly on football match days, in addition to 31 four-wheeled double-deck electric cars. An open touring car was built in 1922.

In 1925, after long proceedings, the Grimsby Corporation Tramways bought the tramway company. As the rolling stock was showing signs of age, the Corporation purchased sixteen tramcars from the Sunderland District tramway.

The Freeman Street branch was replaced by trolleybuses and extended to Weelsby Road and in 1927 the depot moved to Victoria Street Depot, an old seaplane hangar. The People's Park segment of the line closed in 1928. The line from the old market to Cleethorpes remained open with high traffic, but was replaced by trolleybuses in November 1936. A few trams remained in operation between Riby Square, Park Street and Cleethorpes until March 1937. This system closed in 1937, the tram depot was subsequently used as bus depot, still in use by Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes

In July 1936, the Cleethorpes Urban District Council bought the tramway company and operated the trams, only to convert the whole line to trolleybuses a year later. The line was extended to Bathing Pool. Operation was transferred to the Grimsby Cleethorpes Transport Joint Committee in 1957, and was replaced by motor buses in 1960.


Tramways in South Yorkshire and Humberside
(Closed systems)

Barnsley and District | Dearne District | Doncaster | Grimsby | Grimsby & Immingham
Hull | Mexborough & Swinton | Rotherham | Sheffield

Tram transport in the UK edit