![]() |
Leicester's first electric tram - May 18, 1904 |
It may not seem important to us, but in
early 20th-century Leicester, when public transport was used every day by just
about everybody, the moment really is one never to be forgotten. Not only was
the public transport system dramatically improved, but Leicester was entering
into a new technological age of transportation, revolutionising everyday life
for the common man. The story of Leicester’s tramways starts on Christmas Eve,
1874, when a second-hand vehicle was led by a horse down Leicester’s newly-laid
tramline, from the Clock Tower to Belgrave. This was Leicester’s first
operational tram service, offering the public a smooth and relatively fast
ride, in an age when the streets were mainly cobbled and uneven.
![]() |
Another view of Leicester's first tram |
The unique travelling experience was
hugely popular with the public and, as a business, was an early financial
success story. Leicester Corporation, however, confident it could do a better
job and not wanting to miss out on the huge potential profits, exercised its
right to buy out the private owners of the tram when their lease expired. With
no room to negotiate, the deal was made at a cost of £134,110 for 39 trams, 30
buses, 375 horses, nine miles of track and all associated buildings and
equipment.
By 1900, the newly created Tramways
Department compiled a report looking at every possible method of propulsion for
the future of the tram. After much deliberation it was determined that, looking
forward, the most cost-effective way to revolutionise the system was by using
an electrified overhead wire system with new electric cars, a method adopted by
most of England’s major cities around this time. The only problem was that the
original horse tram tracks could not support this new heavier system, so
between 1902 and 1904, the tracks had to be reconstructed. The overhead trolley
system was then built, and a delivery of 58 tramcars was made to the borough.
By May 18, 1904, the new electrified system was finally declared open.
![]() |
Before electric trams we had horse trams |
After a 2pm reception at the Town Hall,
some 300 guests travelled in 12 horse trams to Painter Street, where the power
was officially switched on. The party then transferred to three decorated
electric trams and made ceremonial tours of Leicester. Leading the way was the
number three (pictured above) which transported the mayor, councillors and
tramway officials through Leicester towards Stoneygate, and back again. Hundreds
of people turned out to witness the celebrations and, that evening at 7pm, the
system was opened to the general public for the very first time.
All through the night until 11pm, when
the service finished for the day, each and every tram was packed solid with
excited passengers eager to experience the ride. Most of these passengers would
be amazed if you told them that the whole complicated system would only last 45
years.
Throughout the early 20th century, the tram
was very much “king of the road”, but as Leicester began to expand in the
1920s, the problems began to arise. More tracks were needed so that the newly
built estates could link up with the system – but the Corporation could not
afford it. Also, the amount of motor traffic began to steadily rise, making the
old trams more and more of an obstruction. If two trams stopped opposite each
other in Belgrave Road, for example, nothing larger than a push bike could get
through. It could cause a major hold-up on increasingly busy streets.So, in
1938 it was decided that the main method of public transport – the tram – would
eventually change over to the less-restricted “motor bus”.
A 15-year plan was drawn up, but as the
intervening war caused major damage to the tramlines and, as the system had
become greatly run down, the end came as early as 1949. Leicester’s last tram
ran to Humberstone on November 9 that year, with the words “Buses take it from
here” written on the side. The tracks were dumped on waste ground and the cars
were mainly burnt, although a handful still survive in places such as the
National Tramway Museum, near Matlock.
Today, more than 50 years since their
demise, there’s only the odd clue that trams ever ran in Leicester. Just two of
the old terminus buildings still stand, in Stoneygate and Narborough Road, and you
can find many of the original tram shelters around the city – one stands
outside Humberstone Park.
![]() |
Tram at Humberstone, Leicester. The tram stop still remains today |
But what Leicester lacks in terms of
the physical remains, it makes up for with the numerous eyewitness accounts. “The
ride wasn’t as smooth as you’d think,” recalls Norma Mackness, from Netherhall.
“You had to hold on to children, the whole tram would rock from side to side. I
saw so many people fall off their seats and on to the floor!” Norma’s husband,
Don, encountered his own problems, not with the trams, but with the tracks. “I came out of work at Castles Garage and got
my bicycle tyre stuck in a tramline,” he said. “The road was so busy I had to
follow the tramline all the way from Abbey Park to Argyle Street!’’ Other
eyewitness accounts include a lorry crashing into a tram in Gallowtree Gate and
numerous “illegal” races with the motor bus.
Today when cars have everything from a
coffee warmer to satellite navigation, it seems hard to imagine the excitement
and adrenaline caused by the “rickety old tram”.
by Matthew Sibson
by Matthew Sibson
No comments:
Post a comment