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Old Tram Depots still in existence


melmerby
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Westhill/Plainmoor tram shed. Now displaced by a housing estate.  Some interesting pictures of old Torquay on there.

 

 

Paignton (Preston) tram shed.


post-6728-0-47118400-1475413270_thumb.jpg

Still there with subsequent track and door alterations. IIRC it now has/had two full length tracks and pits and a half length one. Was a tyre shop, now a garage or at least did still have tracks 10 years ago when l bought some tyres there.

post-6728-0-56106600-1475413523_thumb.jpg

post-6728-0-63038400-1475413823_thumb.jpg

 

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Paignton Model Shop is in the building by the woman in the white coat, still with original windows and doors. This was a stub end. The railway station is just behind the photographer over the road

post-6728-0-10826400-1475413346_thumb.jpg

Pics from Torbay Transport by Fisher Barham.

 

The last surviving artifact of the old tramways which is preserved and maintained by the council is this shelter (with brief history on the wall) in Torre. 

post-6728-0-11326100-1475413909_thumb.jpg

 

Last surviving pair of rails. There used to be a few lengths of rail used on Paignton Seafront which were used for supports to the ‘seaside business’ huts but alas the sea has corroded them away. I do have a snap of them that l took somewhere before they were removed.


 

Altogether a pity that it went in 1934 with 'bustitution'. Just imagine if the seafront part to Paignton still existed similar to the Blackpool system with the attraction to tourists that it most assuredly would be today!

 


 

 

 

 

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Stretching the term tramway a bit, the Tramways de l'Aude in southern France, a metre-gauge roadside railway, had a locomotive depot at Tuchan which is still standing and now in use for wine production by a local producer, Chateau Wiala. I think that it can be visited for tastings. 

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Stretching the term tramway a bit, the Tramways de l'Aude in southern France, a metre-gauge roadside railway, had a locomotive depot at Tuchan which is still standing and now in use for wine production by a local producer, Chateau Wiala. I think that it can be visited for tastings. 

 

What do tram locos taste like?

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.

 

Mansfield trams were actually run by the Mansfield Light Railway Company and closed in 1932 (or was it 35?)

9th October 1932 according to my tramway book.

 

It was owned by Balfour Beattie, which had interests in at least 14 systems, including the adjacent Nottinghamshire & DerbyshireTramways Co. and the Ilkeston Tramways which was taken over from the Corporation.

Most closed around 1930/3 apart from Llandudno (1956, the last)

 

 

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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Not sure if Wigan's had a mention, but the former Corporation depot at Melverley Street (latterly used by GMT, GM Buses and First) was demolished a while back.

 

The Old Shed still had tram lines in it, in the maintenance sheds (to the left of the shot depicted below).

Wigan Council (re)acquired the site to build a road through it, I suggested to them that they might want to save the track and embed it into Standishgate in the town centre, where trams used to ply their trade (Standishgate is now pedestrianised), sadly they didn't wanna know...

 

This photo is of the Old Shed, just prior to its destruction.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/barang_shkoot/8300365923/in/photolist-dDtCwz-dDtxBi-dDtCtX-dDz5mw-dDz5nY-dDz5jj-dDz5km-dDtCzc-dDtCAa-dDtCy8-dDtCve-dDtxBX-dDtxDc-dDtxEg-dDywtC-dDyDey-dDyDiW-dDtxFt-dDtxGe-dDyDh9

Edited by E3109
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The old Bristol tram depot on the Bath road is still standing.

 

Gordon A

Would that be this building?

 

https://goo.gl/maps/uPXR7Mb9WBq

Wrong!

It's this one:

https://goo.gl/maps/wyUuZwTBzuA2

https://goo.gl/maps/KSEDGbqZnkz

 

It seems to be in the right area being on the route to Brislington.

Still owned by Bristol CC

 

Keith

 

EDIT

Still in use with a purpose and the entrance arch is especially nice.

Edited by melmerby
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One I haven't posted before is Birmingham Corporation Liverpool Street Garage/Depot

Which is now NXWM Central Garage:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/255WivRNcWH2

https://goo.gl/maps/Fu24E5pddBt

 

Athough it includes "Tramways" above the doorway AFAIK it was never a tram depot and wasn't on a tram line!

 

EDIT

It was opened in 1936 when trams were still common so maybe there was a plan to keep trams there as well but the openings don't look high enough.

 

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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One I haven't posted before is Birmingham Corporation Liverpool Street Garage/Depot

Which is now NXWM Central Garage:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/255WivRNcWH2

https://goo.gl/maps/Fu24E5pddBt

 

Athough it includes "Tramways" above the doorway AFAIK it was never a tram depot and wasn't on a tram line!

 

EDIT

It was opened in 1936 when trams were still common so maybe there was a plan to keep trams there as well but the openings don't look high enough.

 

Keith

 

folks your also forgetting the arriva depot in southport its an old tram shed on Canning road 

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One I haven't posted before is Birmingham Corporation Liverpool Street Garage/Depot

Which is now NXWM Central Garage:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/255WivRNcWH2

https://goo.gl/maps/Fu24E5pddBt

 

Athough it includes "Tramways" above the doorway AFAIK it was never a tram depot and wasn't on a tram line!

 

EDIT

It was opened in 1936 when trams were still common so maybe there was a plan to keep trams there as well but the openings don't look high enough.

 

Keith

Birmingham has quite a few plans that never happened a few years ago while dealing with a power supply issue for the day job and working with Wester Power Distribution I questioned the slightly bizzar distribution arrangements on Oak Tree lane Selly Oak only to be told I was rewired before the war ready for tramway operation between Selly Oak and Cotteridge, a line as far as I was aware was never built. Not suppressing the regular issue with power supply in that area are not helped that that prewar, German lead and paper insulated cable is still trying to do the job in 2018!
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Birmingham has quite a few plans that never happened a few years ago while dealing with a power supply issue for the day job and working with Wester Power Distribution I questioned the slightly bizzar distribution arrangements on Oak Tree lane Selly Oak only to be told I was rewired before the war ready for tramway operation between Selly Oak and Cotteridge, a line as far as I was aware was never built. Not suppressing the regular issue with power supply in that area are not helped that that prewar, German lead and paper insulated cable is still trying to do the job in 2018!

Unfortunately Birmingham's unfulfilled expansions are not well documented.

I have a few tram books and there isn't any mention of proposed expansions that weren't carried out, although plenty of info for those in surrounding districts!

That is not to say there weren't any, they just seem to have been lost in time.

Selly Oak to Cotteridge seems reasonable as it would have run along the Outer Circle 11 (established 1926) bus route from one depot to another.

 

The Birmingham network wasn't particularly well balanced with no cross city centre routes at all

Passengers wanting to go from the South to the North would need to walk between termini e.g. Navigation St to Colmore Row/Snow Hill Station

 

BCT fell out of love with the tram early on (1930s) so that could be why it appears it was not fully developed network-wise in the same way as e.g. Glasgow

Tram revenue/passengers peaked about 1924 and fell into decline after that, so the system took just under 30 years to "die" completely.

 

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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Unfortunately Birmingham's unfulfilled expansions are not well documented.

I have a few tram books and there isn't any mention of proposed expansions that weren't carried out, although plenty of info for those in surrounding districts!

That is not to say there weren't any, they just seem to have been lost in time.

Selly Oak to Cotteridge seems reasonable as it would have run along the Outer Circle 11 (established 1926) bus route from one depot to another.

 

The Birmingham network wasn't particularly well balanced with no cross city centre routes at all

Passengers wanting to go from the South to the North would need to walk between termini e.g. Navigation St to Colmore Row/Snow Hill Station

 

BCT fell out of love with the tram early on (1930s) so that could be why it appears it was not fully developed network-wise in the same way as e.g. Glasgow

Tram revenue/passengers peaked about 1924 and fell into decline after that, so the system took just under 30 years to "die" completely.

 

Keith

I have been offered a number of drawings saved from BCT by a draftsman who was working for the PTE and rescued them from the skip, as yet I have not collected them but with all these archives you have to wonder what treasures are likely to appear, it’s never ceases to amaze me how many proposed drawings survive compared to the stuff that was regularly used.
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I have been offered a number of drawings saved from BCT by a draftsman who was working for the PTE and rescued them from the skip, as yet I have not collected them but with all these archives you have to wonder what treasures are likely to appear, it’s never ceases to amaze me how many proposed drawings survive compared to the stuff that was regularly used.

One authorised group of extensions that could have affected Birmingham but was never built was Halesowen Tramways.

A small network was planned for the town with connections eastward to Birmingham's system at Bearwood via the Hagley Road and a couple of connections with the Dudley & Stourbridge system to the North

Alas nothing became of it

 

Keith

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