The Darlaston Family Web Pages

Latest update: 26^th October 2011.

Contents:

1. Memories of Birmingham Corporation Tramways

2. A selection of old postcards of trams and railways

Please allow time for photographs to download.

Memories of …

Once familiar sights!

(Ward End 9 destination blind photograph by Geoffrey Skelsey)

Some of my earliest memories are of travelling on Birmingham’s trams. My mother would take me shopping in the city centre almost every week even when I was only three years of age. By the time I was six I was using the trams daily for my journey to school – about a mile from the terminus of the Washwood Heath 10 route as far as Ward End Park. When I was eleven I transferred to King Edward’s School in Edgbaston and for a year the Bristol Road trams were my daily route to school until those routes were replaced by ‘buses in July 1952.

No 792 (built 1928) in Washwood Heath Road in 1950, clearly showing the bow-collector. Tram ticket to school!

(An anonymous photo from the family archive) .

The first Corporation electric trams were introduced in 1904 and the system built up to reach a total of 80 route miles by 1930, after which decline set in, with the last tram running on 4^th July 1953. It is said that narrow streets dictated use of a narrow gauge, only 3’6”, which seemed to give Birmingham’s trams a slender grace and elegance lacking in the rather dumpy looking trams of London and most other cities. In total, Birmingham had 843 trams. Those up to number 511 were mostly four-wheeled cars built before 1913 with open tops which were later covered in although retaining open balconies front and rear. 512 – 636 were bogie cars built in 1913 and 1920 with covered tops and open balconies which were later closed in, and those numbered from 637 onwards were built from 1923-1930 with totally enclosed upper saloons.

With school friends, I started collecting tram numbers on my journey to and from school. I soon found that just the numbers 762 – 811 kept recurring, but 785 was never to be seen. The explanation was that those were the only trams fitted with self-reversing bow collectors for current collection and they were allocated to the Washwood Heath depot. The overhead wires were so arranged that other trams with conventional trolley poles could only be run at some inconvenience to the operating staff. 785’s absence was the result of a direct hit in an air raid. As children we soon identified the individual personalities of each tram. 805 had a stiffness in its bow collector which affected its ability to reverse automatically: this meant that the collector did not reverse until it encountered an irregularity in the overhead, at which point it would reverse violently, slamming on the tram’s roof to the alarm of passengers (and incidentally providing a good display of sparks after dark). Trams generally had attractive decor inside, the maple finish to the ceilings being particularly smart. For some reason 797 was chosen to have its ceiling painted cream. Other trams could be identified by combinations of colourful advertisements. Most trams had brown leather seats upstairs, but some had dark blue. Even the arrangement of seats either side of the aisle varied and was duly noted by our youthful minds. Sometimes trams would disappear for a while and we would worry that something was wrong, but then the old friend would reappear resplendent in new paint and, for a while, lacking any advertisements.

In the post-war years the volume of passenger traffic on the trams and ‘buses was growing rapidly. Thus, when tram routes were replaced by ‘buses, not all the old trams would be scrapped. The best of the redundant vehicles would be sent to reinforce other routes. In 1949 several elderly four-wheeled trams with open balconies, released on closure of other lines, were transferred to Washwood Heath depot to help 762-811 cope with the traffic volumes. This was despite the interlopers being fitted with trolley poles instead of bow collectors and it meant that at certain junctions it would be necessary to stop the tram and for the conductor to transfer the trolley pole to a separate wire. Conductors also had to remember to attend to the trolley pole at the terminus, as forgetting to do so was disastrous! I witnessed such an incident, not with one of the old open-balcony cars, but with Washwood Heath’s own 772 which was equipped with a trolley pole a few weeks before closure of the route, in readiness for transfer to the Bristol Road routes. But the crew were clearly ignorant of this change and I watched with amazement as 772 set off from the terminus with its trolley pole on the wrong wire. After only a couple of hundred yards it hit a tram coming the opposite way: 772 was dewired, the electric flash severing the trolley rope. I wanted to stay and see the fun, but I was with my mother who had ‘more important things to do’.

How the closure of the Washwood Heath route was seen by the

long-defunct Birmingham Gazette. The tram, no 309, was built in 1911.

On closure of the Washwood Heath routes in October 1950, the last of the old open balcony cars were scrapped (apart from 395 – see below), but the 762-811 series were transferred to Selly Oak and Cotteridge depots to augment services on the Bristol and Pershore Roads, including the popular day-tripper route (Rednal 70) to the Lickey Hills. I was thus delighted to renew acquaintance with my old friends when I started travelling across the city to school in Edgbaston. This provided a memorable incident on 20^th March 1951 when a power failure caused the suspension of services in the morning rush hour on the very day I was taking the school’s admission examination. Although I reached the school without problem, my mother, who had taken me on this momentous journey, had to walk back into the centre of Birmingham. The press cutting copied further below gives an idea of how many trams there were in use in those days: private transport was almost non-existent: everyone went by ‘bus or tram. Once settled in at the school, I enjoyed my daily tram rides until they too were ended by withdrawal of the service in July 1952.

Once-familiar destinations

on the Bristol Road routes

(Rednal 70 destination blind photograph by Geoffrey Skelsey)

A feature of both the Bristol Road and Lichfield Road routes (and also, before the war, of the Dudley route) were the low bridges at Selly Oak, Aston and Dudley Port railway stations. There was insufficient clearance above the roof of the tram for the trolley wire which was instead carried to one side at a height level with the tramcar roof. It was fascinating to watch from the upper deck as the trolley pole swung to one side and gracefully dipped down as the tram proceeded under the railway bridge. Needless to say, bow collector cars were precluded from working such routes.

A cutting from the Birmingham Mail describing the incident in March 1951 mentioned in the paragraph above.

Note the number of stranded trams – and the unusual number of pedestrians!

The sylvan delights of the Bristol Road in happier times with car 742 hurrying to the Lickey Hills (from The Birmingham Post, 1^st July 1952.)

Closure of the Bristol Road routes in 1952 left just three tram routes operating in Birmingham: Erdington 2, Short Heath 78 and Pype Hayes Park 79. They lingered on for another year, finally succumbing on 4^th July 1953. By good fortune, I was given a Kodak Brownie Box Camera for my 13^th birthday on 23^rd June, so on Saturday, 27^th June I spent the afternoon travelling those three routes and taking the photographs which follow.

587, built in 1920 with open balconies, waits in Sutton Road, Erdington, to pull forward into the terminus prior to returning to the city centre.

Trams of this type were equipped with two 63 h.p. motors giving good acceleration. Such performance (and the consequent braking) caused wear on the bodies and by the late 1940s it was necessary to strengthen the bodywork. As can be seen in the photograph, this involved fitting 1/4” steel plate on the bulkheads separating the passenger saloon from the platform, thus eliminating the usual window.

Photographed early on Saturday afternoon, 27^th June 1953 when the trams had just a week to survive.

Compare with these two postcards dating from about 1910 and 1925 respectively.

At the left car 233 waits at the terminus; at the right car 318 is waiting.

The buildings at the right of these photos are just beyond 587 in the photo above. The large tree at the right of the old photos can be seen above 578’s roof.

Returning to 1953 ...

Left: 662, built in 1923, passes through the Chester Road traffic island as it approaches the Erdington terminus.

Right: Nearly missed: a Morris 8 nips between my camera and 679 as it approaches Gravelly Hill on the 79 route from Pype Hayes Park.

Upstairs, passengers have the windows right down to enjoy the fresh air, and another passenger leans from the platform as he prepares to alight. Lower saloon windows could not be opened, but on summer days the driver would often leave open the sliding door to the passenger saloon ensuring a through current of air.

The platform of a tram about to start from Gravelly Hill for Erdington. The driver stands at the controls – an uncomfortable and draughty position, but acceptable in the first half of the 20^th century! The brake handle is in his right hand and his left hand would be on the power controller which is almost hidden from view. Note that the lady passengers all wear hats. On the side of the tram the General Manager’s name has clearly been changed from the longstanding A.C. Baker who had died in July 1950. The area of this photo is now covered by the M6 Motorway interchange.

Tram interiors: lower and upper decks.

The lower deck (car 649, photographed at Short Heath terminus) shows the narrowness of the vehicle with single seats one side of the aisle. To the left of the door to the platform is the notice listing speed restrictions and various operational prohibitions. Unlike 587 shown above, this car retains the bulkhead window to the platform as it was fitted with 40 h.p. motors which did not cause as much wear as the more powerful equipment and body reinforcement was unnecessary.

The upper deck picture (car 662, photographed at Erdington terminus) shows the reversible seats and also the longitudinal seat (on which the lady passenger is sitting) adjacent to the closed in stairway. Note the match striker plate screwed to the pillar at the front. The destination indicator box is just visible above. Note also the decorative moulded ‘china’ light fittings and the high gloss maple ceilings. Downstairs upholstery was in brown patterned moquette; upstairs was leather - usually brown, occasionally dark blue.

The Steelhouse Lane terminus near Snow Hill station. Car 725 (built in 1926) is ready to depart on route 78 to Short Heath.

Beyond is the Gaumont Cinema, now also a memory. This whole area is now pedestrianised and given over to modern office blocks.

Two views at Short Heath terminus, later on the afternoon of Saturday, 27^th June 1953, showing the reserved formation once typical of many modern dual carriageway roads in Birmingham.

Left: 725 awaits passengers while 649 awaits its turn to pull into the terminal stub.

Right: 649 has now pulled forward following departure of 725, and the conductress is about to bring the trolleypole round

A SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL BIRMINGHAM TRAM ROUTES

In clockwise order around the city, starting in the north.

Routes listed in normal type were withdrawn in the 1930s (except route 7 see note *).

Routes listed in bold type were withdrawn between March 1947 and July 1953.

No. Destination (Main road taken out of city)

6 Perry Barr (Birchfield Road)

3 Witton via Six Ways (Witton Road)

3X Witton via Aston Cross (Lichfield Road)

78 Short Heath -do-

2 Erdington -do-

79 Pype Hayes Park -do-

7 Nechells * (Great Lister Street)

10 Washwood Heath (Washwood Heath Road)

8 Alum Rock (Alum Rock Road)

90 Stechford via Fazeley St (Bordesley Green)

84 Stechford via Deritend -do

15 Yardley (Coventry Road)

22 Bolton Road -do-

44 Acocks Green (Warwick Road)

17 Hall Green (Stratford Road)

4 Stoney Lane -do-

42 Alcester Lanes End (Alcester Road)

39 Alcester Lanes End via Balsall Heath -do-

37 Cannon Hill (circular route via Balsall Heath)

36 Pershore Road (ie Cotteridge) (Pershore Road)

70 Rednal (Bristol Road)

71 Rubery -do-

34 Hagley Road (ie King’s Head) (Hagley Road)

33 Ladywood (Ladywood Road)

29 Bearwood (Dudley Road)

87 Oldbury and Dudley -do-

31 Soho -do-

32 Lodge Road (Frederick St)

74 Dudley (Soho Road)

75 Wednesbury -do-

26 Oxhill Road -do-

* The Nechells route was converted to trolley-bus operation in 1922.

N.B. Route numbers not listed above were mostly short workings, turning back before the final destination shewn above.

(All numbers from 1 – 91 were used, except 58 which was allocated to a route which never operated).

There was also an inter-suburban route, 5 Lozells and Gravelly Hill with extensions to Erdington and to Pype Hayes.

Finally, a reminder of the sole surviving Birmingham tram: no 395 which was placed in the city’s Science Museum:

The striking front of 395, built in 1911 and withdrawn from service in October 1950, showing the open upstairs balcony with slatted wooden seats, popular with school children - if with few others! This photo was taken in 1998 when 395 was still in the wonderfully evocative Georgian museum building in Newhall Street where it could be viewed free of charge by any interested citizen. Now it has sadly been moved to the coldly clinical modern building east of the city centre – a long walk with a stiff entrance charge for those prepared to make the effort.

= = = = =

A Selection of old Postcards showing Trams and Railways

A postcard showing a tram running past Cardiff Castle. The card was sent to my great aunt in July 1904 when the service would have been quite new.

I saw Cardiff’s trams on several occasions, but they ceased running in February 1950.

This card, showing a tram in Stow Hill, Newport, Monmouthshire, is undated but probably dates from much the same period as the Cardiff photo.

Newport’s trams were withdrawn before the war.

A tram at Bathford on the service from Bath.

This postcard was sent by a lady in Bath to her friend in Bristol on December 21^st 1908.

Bath’s electric trams ran from 1904 to 1939.

Dudley, Stourbridge & District tram 43 running on the Kinver Light Railway alongside the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal.

This postcard was sent to my great-grandmother on July 20^th 1914, when Europe was poised to descend into war, bringing to an end the gentle world to which she and her family had been accustomed.

The Kinver line (of 3’6” gauge, like the rest of the Birmingham and Black Country network) opened in 1901 and closed in 1930 but parts of the rural section can still be discerned with occasional rails still in place. The 4¼ mile long line was popular with trippers visiting Kinver Edge, and the persistent traveller could reach Kinver from the centre of Birmingham in about two hours, with changes of car at Dudley and Stourbridge.

A card issued to commemorate the replacement of Northampton’s horse-drawn trams by electric cars in 1904.

Such cards were widely issued in different towns and cities and it is not clear if the photograph is of an actual Northampton tram.

Now for a few railway scenes ….

The Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash: note some of the interesting shipping in the middle distance, including what appears to be a wooden naval vessel framed by the arch of Brunel’s bridge.

This card was sent on August 23^rd 1908 and the writer complains of “Rain ! Rain !! Rain !!!”

A card of the Rhyl Miniature Railway, sent by my father to his cousin in 1913, (“Today is rather wet”).

The railway still runs in 2008, offering a fine ride around the Marine Lake.

A card showing Great Western Railway 4-4-0 3478 County of Devon. The photo was taken in 1904 when the locomotive was newly built.

A greenish tinge has been applied to most of the loco and foliage, and red to the buffer beam, leaving just the wheels in the original black and white!

The card was sent from Cheltenham on May 20^th 1909 and the writer (an aspiring teacher, perhaps) mentions going for interviews at colleges in Birmingham, London and Wimbledon.

A fine view, tastefully coloured, of a Midland Railway express behind one of the elegant Johnson 4-2-2 locos.

The card was sent on February 7^th 1910 from Ottery St Mary in Devon – far from the haunts of such locos!

Penmaenpool on the Cambrian Railways line from Barmouth Junction, showing the loco shed in the distance.

The railway closed in 1965, but the George Hotel survives together with a preserved railway signal.

If our other pages are not listed at the left, they may be accessed here: www.robertdarlaston.co.uk/

My e-mail: robertdarlaston[AT]btopenworld.com (replace [AT] with @ )

Our web pages include five railway pages with photos taken between 1953 and 1968 of steam

in much of Great Britain, including the Midlands, Wales, the West Country and Scotland.

This page updated 27^th July 2008.