Cardiff Corporation Tramways

Cardiff Corporation Tramways operated an electric tramway service in Cardiff between 1902 and 1950.[1]

Cardiff Corporation Tramways
Cardiff Corporation Tramways water car 131 preserved in the National Tramway Museum
Operation
LocaleCardiff
Open1 May 1902
Close19 January 1950
StatusClosed
Infrastructure
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Propulsion system(s)Electric
Statistics
Route length19.51 miles (31.40 km)

History
Tram 37 on Newport Road, Cardiff, ca. 1912

Horse trams had run in the city from 1872 until 1904. The first tram route ran from High Street in the city centre to the Docks run by the Cardiff Tramway Company.[2] In 1898, Cardiff County Borough Council obtained Parliamentary powers to take over all the tramways in the area and go ahead with the new electric trams, owning them from 1903.

The routes formally opened on 1 May 1902.

In 1904, more than 23 million passengers had been carried in that year, up from 18 million the previous year.[2] and when Cardiff became a city in 1905, 131 electric trams were operating on the network, mainly focusing on the busy Cardiff Docks.[3]

In 1928, the network peaked at 142 cars and 19.51 miles (31.3 km) route miles.[4] Traffic and receipts were buoyant; during the year ending 31 March 1928 passengers totalled 42,440,000 with receipts of £265,028. Car miles had reached 3,490,000.

By 1929, the tram network stretched from Victoria Park in the west, to Grangetown and Cardiff Docks in the south, to Roath and Splott in the east, and to Gabalfa in the north.[2]

The city council refused motor buses in 1907 but allowed them in 1910, operating its own from 1920, although 81 tramcars were introduced by Cardiff Corporation Transport to negotiate the city's low railway bridges. By 1939, these vehicles were becoming worn out and it was decided to phase out tramcars.

Closure

The system was closed on 20 January 1950.[5] A short section of tramway, as well as an electrified tram, are kept on Cardiff Model Engineering Society grounds in Heath Park,[6] where visitors can ride the tram.[7]

References
  1. Klapper, Charles F. (1961). The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
  2. Gould, David (1996). Cardiff's Electric Tramways. Oxford: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-487-3.
  3. Davies, Roger (2006). Streets of Cardiff. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-3098-7.
  4. Priestley, Henry B. (1977). "Cardiff's Electric Tramways". Tramway Review, Vol. 12, No. 91, Autumn 1977.
  5. Western Mail, 20 January 1950.
  6. "Cardiff Model Engineering Society". www.cardiffmes.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  7. Bird, Tony (8 May 2017). "Cardiff Model Engineering Society Open day May 2017". YouTube. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
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