Huddersfield Corporation Tramways
| Huddersfield Corporation Tramways | |
|---|---|
| Operation | |
| Locale | Huddersfield |
| Open | 11 January 1883 |
| Close | 29 June 1940 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 7 3⁄4 in (1,416 mm) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Horse, Steam and Electric |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 39.12 miles (62.96 km) |
Huddersfield Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Huddersfield, England, between 1883 and 1940.[1]
History
Services started on 11 January 1883. Huddersfield was the first local authority in England to operate its own tramcar services, as well as own the tramlines.[2] The benefits of this were mostly felt by the employees, notably in being required to work fewer hours per day than employees of neighbouring systems run by private companies.[3] Huddersfield corporation employees worked 8 hour days, compare to 14-16 for private employers.
Steam and horse power
The initial services were steam hauled. The initial fleet consisted of small Wilkinson-type tram engines and four-wheeled open-top cars built by the Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Company Ltd and the Starbuck Car and Wagon Company. Further orders increased the fleet with engines from Kitson and Company and Thomas Green & Son.
The first steam tram ran on Thursday 11 January 1883. It was the first tramway to be operated, as well as owned, by the Corporation.[4]
Some horse trams were deployed between 1885 and 1888, but these were replaced by steam trains.
Electric services
The corporation undertook a £47,780 (£4,510,674 in 2015) [5] programme to modernise and electrify the system in 1900. This included the erection of a power station, car shed and offices at Longroyd Bridge. The contractors were Greenwood & Batley of Leeds. Electric services started running from Huddersfield railway station in St. George's Square to Outlane and Lindley both via Marsh and Edgerton on 14 February 1901.
Closure
Services ended on 29 June 1940.
References
- ↑ The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
- ↑ Capital, Entrepreneurs and Profits, Richard Peter Treadwell Davenport-Hines, Routledge, 1 April 1990
- ↑ Official Papers of Alfred Marshall: A Supplement, Alfred Marshall, Peter D. Groenewegen, Cambridge University Press, 30 May 1996
- ↑ Huddersfield Passenger Transport Group - HUDDERSFIELD CORPORATION TRAMS - photos and detailed history
- ↑ UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Gregory Clark (2014), "What Were the British Earnings and Prices Then? (New Series)" MeasuringWorth.