Sheffield Tramway
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Sheffield Tramway was an extensive tramway network serving the English city of Sheffield and its suburbs.
The first tramway line, horse-drawn, opened in 1873 between Lady's Bridge and
The last trams ran between Leopold Street to
History
Horse tram era
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The Sheffield horse tramway was created under the
Prior to the inauguration of the horse trams, horse buses had provided a limited public service, but road surfaces were poor and their carrying capacity was low. The new horse trams gave a smoother ride. The fares were too high for the average worker so the horse trams saw little patronage; services began later than when workers began their day so were of little use to most. Running costs were high as the operator had to keep a large number of horses and could not offer low fares.
Electric tram era
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Sheffield Corporation (Sheffield City Council) took over the tramway system in July 1896. The corporation's goal was to expand and mechanise the system. Almost immediately a committee was formed to inspect other tramway systems to look at the improved systems of traction. Upon their return the committee recommended the adoption of electrical propulsion using the overhead current collection system.
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The
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The horse operated lines were left opened and track replaced with heavier rails. Along with lines opening to
Electric lines opened in succession;
The network was basically in place by 1905, further development included extending lines out of the city and connecting lines.
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In 1905,
The First World War made material scarce and progress in bus technology which meant that many cities abandoned their tram networks. Sheffield considered trolleybuses, but found no favours in the Council who preferred motor buses. Twenty second-hand double-deck tramcars were purchased from
The Prussian blue with cream bands with gold leaf lining livery gave way to the Cream with azure blue bands.
After the Second World War, the railway bridge on Sheffield Road was replaced and the through-tram service to Rotherham temporarily suspended. It was never reinstated. In 1951, the decision was taken to eventually close the tramway system and replace it with motor buses. The decision was not unanimous, Councillor R.W. Allott resigned from the ruling Labour Group in protest. The Council compared the price to replace tramcars with that of buses, ignoring the shorter lifespan of motor buses.
The first line conversion was the
The last route, Beauchief to Vulcan Road, closed on the afternoon of Saturday 8 October 1960. An illuminated car, followed by a procession of fourteen trams, carried passengers and Council dignitaries from
Network
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122
The Sheffield Tramway Company's original horse-drawn tram network was 91⁄2 miles long and radiated from the city centre to
in 1928.Adjacent lines were converted into circular route by sleeper-track connecting links. The line along Abbey Lane linking Beauchief to Woodseats was mostly reserved track.
The last extensions were opened in 1934 and extended the network to Lane Top, via Firth Park. Three small sections, Fulwood Road, Nether Edge and Petre St, were closed between 1925 and 1936.
In 1952 the Corporation closed two sections followed by the rest of the network between 1954 and 1960. The sortable table below shows opening and closing dates of routes -
Terminus | Route | Date opened to electric trams | Date closed |
---|---|---|---|
Abbey Lane | 14 April 1927 | 1 March 1959 | |
Brightside |
27 December 19011 | 7 December 1958 | |
Crookes | Old Grindstone | 1 April 1901 | 5 May 1957 |
School Road | 28 April 1902 | ||
Heavygate Road | 1913 | ||
Darnall | Prince of Wales Road | 11 April 1901 | 13 April 1958 |
Ecclesall | Hunters Bar | 13 April 1900 | 28 March 1954 |
Banner Cross | 1908 | ||
Millhouses Lane | 1922 | 1954[3] | |
Firth Park | Pitsmoor | 27 September 1899 | 3 April 1960 |
Barnsley Road | 1909 | ||
Firth Park | Pitsmoor | 26 October 1903 | 1 March 1959 |
Brightside Lane | 1909 | ||
Firth Park | Newhall Road | 27 October 1957 | |
Fulwood | Ranmoor P.O. | 1 August 1901 | 23 August 1936 |
via Broomhill | Nether Green | 12 October 1901 | |
Canterbury Avenue | 12 July 1923 | ||
Fulwood | Hangingwater Road | 28 October 1901 | 6 January 1952 |
via Hunters Bar | Nether Green | 14 May 1904 | |
Canterbury Avenue | 12 July 1923 | ||
Handsworth | Norfolk Arms | 1909 | 5 May 1957 |
Orgreave Lane | 7 September 1934 | ||
Intake | Cemetery Gates | 10 January 1900 | 8 April 1956 |
Woodhouse Road | 17 April 1902 | (Manor Top-Intake) | |
Hollinsend | 8 February 1935 | 7 October 1956 | |
Birley Vale | 29 December 1935 | ||
Malin Bridge | 1909 | 6 January 1952 | |
Meadowhead | 12 July 1928 | 3 April 1960 | |
Middlewood |
Hillsborough | 30 May 1903 | 28 March 1954 |
Middlewood | 1913 | ||
Millhouses | Firth Road | 28 July 1900 | |
Bannerdale Road | 1 March 1901 | ||
Millhouses Lane | 17 April 1902 | ||
Waggon & Horses | 31 July 1926 | ||
Nether Edge |
5 September 1899 | 25 March 1934 | |
Prince of Wales Road | 24 February 1928 | 13 April 1958 | |
Rotherham | 11 September 1905 | 12 December 1948 | |
Sheffield Lane Top | 18 November 1934 | see Firth Park | |
Tinsley | 5 September 1899 | ||
Wadsley Bridge | Owlerton | 26 January 19012 | 4 October 1959 |
via Nursery Street | Halifax Road | 7 June 1924 | |
Walkley | 18 September 1899 | 8 April 1956 | |
Woodseats | Thirlwell Road | 1 November 1900 | |
Woodbank Cres | 1 November 19023 | 4 October 19594 | |
Chantrey Road | 6 April 1903 | 3 April 19605 | |
Abbey Lane | 1923 |
1 via Newhall Road
2 Owlerton via Penistone Road opened 12 February 1902
3 via the Moor; Shoreham Street and Queens Road opened 1904
4 via Shoreham Street and Queens Road
5 via the Moor[4]
Tram depots
Eight depots were built throughout the city to service a fleet of about 400 trams.
Tinsley depot
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Tinsley depot (53°24′28″N 1°24′45″W / 53.40778°N 1.41250°W) was built in 1874 and was the first depot built for the "Sheffield Tramways Company". It was originally built for horse trams but was converted for electric trams in 1898–99, after which it was capable of accommodating 95 trams. Following the abandonment of the tramway system in 1960, it was sold and was subsequently used as a warehouse. Much of the original 1874 building still exists and the entire depot is listed as a historically significant building. The Sheffield Bus Museum Trust used part of the depot as the
. Since then the Sheffield Bus Museum Trust has been renamed the South Yorkshire Transport Museum.The building was then all but empty, with just a tile dealer left, in the first two bays through the gate.
In 2009, the building was once again fully occupied. The rest of the bays are now home to the South Yorkshire Transport Trust's 75 vehicle collection - http://www.sytt.webeden.co.uk/ The SYTT announced plans in February 2010 that looks set to see Tinsley Depot restored and opened as a new Museum.[5]
Heeley depot
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Heeley depot (53°21′31.5″N 1°28′28″W / 53.358750°N 1.47444°W) was for horse trams only: the line to it was never electrified. The depot was built by the Sheffield Tramways company in 1878. When the building was no longer required it was sold off and used as a motor vehicle repair shop until 2005, when it was purchased to become part of a block of flats. The building, had 'Listed Status',[6] as part of which, the builder was told the archway, which included the carved stone "Sheffield Tramways" legend had to remain in place. Although promises were made by the builder to that effect, locals woke one morning to find it knocked down.
The builder told the council that it was unsafe and fell down in the night. Sheffield City Council instructed the builder that all work on site must stop until the archway was restored, however work continued regardless.
Flats were built in place of the depot and the central rooftop removed to make way for a courtyard. The original archway was finally rebuilt, partly with original material but noticeably different and with a lot of new material. Slate from the original roof was replaced. The arch looks 'new' and some locals have said it has lost its originality. It is far higher that it was before as it has been lifted to comply with regulations to allow access by the fire service.
Nether Edge depot
A small tram shed was built at the Nether Edge terminus (53°21′35″N 1°29′18″W / 53.35972°N 1.48833°W), opened in 1899. The Nether Edge line and two other small sections were abandoned due to the narrowness of the streets, which caused problems and were unsuitable for efficient service.
Queens Road works
Queens Road works (53°22′8″N 1°27′52″W / 53.36889°N 1.46444°W) opened in 1905. Many of Sheffield trams were built here. The building survived for many years following abandonment, but was demolished in 1993.[2]
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Shoreham Street depot
Construction of Shoreham Street depot (53°22′36″N 1°27′54″W / 53.37667°N 1.46500°W) started in about 1910 on the site of an 18th-century lead mill. Following the abandonment of the tramway the depot was used as a bus garage until the 1990s. Much of the building has since been demolished and redeveloped as student flats. Those parts that surround the entrance at the junction of Shoreham Street and Leadmill Road are still standing and in good condition, though a new use for them has yet to be found.
Crookes depot
Crookes depot, which was on Pickmere Road (53°23′1″N 1°30′25″W / 53.38361°N 1.50694°W), was started in 1914 but not completed until 1919.[7] It closed on 5 May 1957 and has since been demolished and a church now stands on the site.
Tenter Street depot
Tenter Street depot (53°23′2″N 1°28′21″W / 53.38389°N 1.47250°W) opened in 1928 and was the last operational tram depot. There was a bus garage on the upper level, accessed from Hawley Street.
Holme Lane depot (Hillsborough)
The depot at Holme Lane (53°24′7″N 1°30′12″W / 53.40194°N 1.50333°W) closed on 23 April 1954. The facade of the building still stands, although the rest of the building has been demolished and a medical centre built in its place.
Rolling stock
For a comprehensive list of Sheffield trams of the tramway see Tramcars of the Sheffield Tramway.
Unlike other tram companies, whose trams were often rebuilt and made to last 30 to 40 years, Sheffield Corporation adopted a policy of replacement by new vehicles after a 25-year life. By 1940, only 11 of its 444 trams were older than 26 years, more than half of them were less than ten.
Sheffield Corporation operated 884 trams. Its last livery was blue and cream, worn on the preserved trams at Crich and Beamish.
The 'Preston' cars
The United Electric Car Company of Preston built 15 double deck balcony cars for Sheffield Corporation Tramways in 1907.[2] Initially numbered 258–272 they had wooden seats for 59 passengers, and were mounted on a four-wheel Peckham P22 truck with two Metrovick 102DR 60 hp motors operated by British Thomson-Houston B510 controllers. The braking systems consisted of a handbrake acting on all wheels, an electric brake for emergency use and a hand-wheel operated track brake. Between December 1924 and July 1927 they were rebuilt with a totally enclosed upper deck.
The 'Rocker Panel' cars
Following the production of a prototype at Queens Road works in 1918, between 1919 and 1927 Brush at Loughborough built 100 of these cars, and another 50 at Cravens in Darnall.[2]
The 'Standard' cars
The prototype Standard car (number 1) was built by Cravens at Darnall, and entered service in 1927. Subsequently, about 150 were built at Queens Road works and 25 by W.E. Hill & Sons in South Shields. From 1936 to 1939 Queens Road works built redesigned Standard cars, known as the 'Domed-roof' class, which had improved lighting and seats.[2]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Sheffield_Tramway_-_tramcar_510_29-04-06.jpg/200px-Sheffield_Tramway_-_tramcar_510_29-04-06.jpg)
The 'Roberts' cars
The prototype for this series, number 501, was built at Queens Road works in August 1946.
Sheffield trams in preservation
The National Tramway Museum, Crich
The National Tramway Museum at Crich in Derbyshire holds eight Sheffield trams.[8] Sheffield Corporation Tramways car 15 is a horse tram dating from 1874; it was the first tram to be used at the museum in 1963 and still remains serviceable. Car 74 is another Victorian Sheffield tram, sold to the Gateshead tramway and ran until 1951. Although only its lower deck survived, as a garden shed, it has been restored to original condition by the museum and is operational. The museum also has Standard car 189 (on display), Domed-roof car 264 (on display), and Roberts car 510 (operational). In addition there is also Sheffield works car 330 and early single-deck tram 46 that are not in working condition.
North of England Open Air Museum, Beamish
The North of England Open Air Museum at Beamish had two preserved Sheffield trams. Number 264 is a Preston car dating from 1907 and is in service after a major overhaul was completed in 2016,[9] Number 513, a Roberts car dating from 1950, was there also until a few years ago. It first travelled to Blackpool, then Beamish and finally on to the
513 was stored for some time on disused railway sidings and lost its control equipment and most of its glass due to vandalism. It was fitted with replacement controllers from a different vehicle, and is therefore no longer the same as when it was built.[10]
South Yorkshire Transport Museum
The SYTM owns Sheffield Corporation tramcar 460.[11] The tramcar was built by Cravens in Darnall, Sheffield and was part of a batch of fifty cars, all numbered between 451 and 500. The car was equipped with upholstered seats in April 1939 and survived the Blitz on Sheffield in December 1940. She was withdrawn in February 1950 and stored at Tinsley Tram Sheds until 1951 when the car was dismantled with the lower and upper saloon bodies being disposed of separately. The lower saloon of No 460 fetched £25 and was used on a farm in Lincolnshire.
The lower body was generously donated by Mr and Mrs K.S. Jacklin of Susworth near Scunthorpe and returned to Tinsley in May 1987.[11]
Remnants
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Sheffield_Corporation_Tramway_grate.jpg/200px-Sheffield_Corporation_Tramway_grate.jpg)
There are very few remnants of the once extensive tramway.
The tram shed at Tinsley survives more or less intact, as do parts of those at Holme Lane and Shoreham Street. Parts of Heeley shed remain but it has been stripped out and substantially altered, turning it in to an approximation of its former self.
In many places the tram tracks were not removed: the road was resurfaced over the tracks, which survive (albeit covered). An example of tracks covered in this way was uncovered and made a feature of The Moor pedestrian precinct for a time, but this was re-covered when the area was re-modelled a few years back.
At Firth Park, the short section of reserved track, running through the middle of a roundabout, still exists.
There were about ten traction poles still standing in 2006, such as the matching pair in Firth Park, and single poles at Manor Top, Woodseats, Abbeydale Road, Angel Street and also the last pole outside Tinsley Depot.
On the pavement of Howard Road in Walkley, near the junction with Commonside, several manhole covers marked "Sheffield Corporation Tramway" are still in place. A manhole survives on Abbeydale Road between the junction with Sheldon Road and Abbeydale Picture House with the inscription "Sheffield Corporation Electric Tramways".
In places where the trams ran on a reserved track, such as on Abbeydale Road South and Abbey Lane at Beauchief, the reservation has been converted into a dual carriageway. The former line lives on in the name of Terminus Road, Abbeydale.
At Kelham Island, the power station that generated the electricity for system still stands and is now the Kelham Island Museum.
Resurfacing projects across the city in 2019 have uncovered a large amount of old tram rails, which have since been removed.
References
- ^ Now used as the Kelham Island industrial museum. See "Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust - Kelham Island Museum, Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, Shepherd Wheel - Kelham Island Section -1 a History of Kelham Island". Archived from the original on 14 October 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2006.
- ^ ISBN 0-7110-2535-5
- ^ "Picture sheffield". www.picturesheffield.com.
- ^ page 348 Buses Illustrated: Ian Allan No.67 October 1960
- ^ plans to purchase and restore the entire Tinsley Tram Depot building. See http://www.tinsleytramdepot.webeden.co.uk
- ^ Historic England. "Albert Road (South West side) Nos.20-42.] (1271352)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 March 2006.
- ^ Hobbs, C. The Tramshed at Pickmere Road Crookes Sheffield (URL accessed 31 March 2006).
- ^ Tram Fleet, National Tramway Museum (URL accessed 31 March 2006).
- ^ Burchell, A. Sheffield 264 Archived 20 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine (URL accessed 31 March 2006).
- ^ Burchell, A. Sheffield 513 Archived 4 September 2005 at the Wayback Machine (URL accessed 31 March 2006).
- ^ a b "Sheffield 460". Retrieved 12 February 2015.
External links
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