Spirit of British Trams: A Concise History - Hardcover

Robin Jones

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0857100483 ISBN 13: 9780857100481

Publisher: Pixz, 2011

Synopsis

The world's first streetcar line was in NewYork whichbegan operating in 1832.However, it was an American,George Train, who opened Britain's first true permanentstreet tramway, in Birkenhead on 30 August1860.The Edwardian era saw a mass explosion in thebuilding and electrifying of tram routes in towns andcities throughout Britain, and by 1910, there were morethan 300 tramways, nearly half of them opened in thefirst decade of the twentieth century. By 1914, thecombined London area tram operators comprised thelargest tram network in Europe. However, the FirstWorldWar called a halt to the expansion of tramways,as tens of thousands of drivers, conductors and otherstaff joined the armed forces.The writing on the wall for trams had by thenbegun to appear, with only five new lines openingduring 1910-13. The motor omnibus had begun toarrive and offered far greater flexibility, especially inplaces where tram routes had been found to beunprofitable. The 1930s marked the start of a massabandonment of tramways as road traffic increased.Around the beginning of the 1950s trams becamethe target of preservationists, and today major historiccollections are held at the Crich TramwayVillage, theBeamish Open Air Museum and the Seaton Tramwayto name but three. Commercial trams have also madea major comeback in Britain's cities.Worsening roadcongestion following soaring levels of car ownershipsaw planners look again at the tram concept, and drawup several light rail schemes. Far from being ananachronism, such developments suggest that streettrams may well have been ahead of their time.Expert Robin Jones re-tells the story of Britain'strams. In more than 60 images and with a sharp andincisive text, Spirit of BritishTrams is the ideal brief guide,in Halsgrove's new collectible, pocket-size format.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pixz
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0857100483
• ISBN 13: 9780857100481
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 64