Cruden Bay Hotel Tramway
The Cruden Bay Hotel Tramway was a tram operator in Scotland that existed from 1899 to 1940. The 480-meter-long stretch in Cape Gauge (1067 mm) was used exclusively to connect a luxury hotel with a golf course on the Scottish east coast near Cruden Bay , north of Aberdeen , to a nearby train station. Until it was discontinued, the Cruden Bay Tramway was the northernmost tram operator in the United Kingdom .
history
The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR), which had built up its route network mainly in north-east Scotland around Aberdeen, acquired its first hotel in Aberdeen in 1891 . This turned out to be a financial success and brought additional passengers to the comparatively less frequented routes of the GNSR. The company then developed plans to build a luxury hotel on the coast at Cruden Bay, about 30 kilometers north of Aberdeen. The local sandy beach and the possibility of setting up a large golf course determined the choice of location.
On August 2, 1896, the GNSR opened a branch line to the fishing village of Boddam , which branched off in Ellon from its line between Aberdeen and Fraserburgh . The Cruden Bay station was built on this route near the hotel under construction . This was about 500 meters from the hotel, so that there was a need for transport between the train station and the hotel. For this purpose, the GNSR built a 480-meter-long Cape-gauge tramway that was electrified with 500 volts direct current . The electricity was generated in the hotel's own power plant . The railway was inaugurated on August 1, 1899.
In addition to transporting hotel guests to and from the train station, the train also served to supply the hotel. For that one brief was siding placed around the hotel to the rear, about delivery and was made to operate the hotel laundry. Next to the laundry there was also a two-track shed for the tram vehicles. At both ends of the line there were relocating tracks , the line itself was a single track.
Despite the luxurious facilities and the rapidly becoming popular golf course, the hotel in Cruden Bay was a financial failure for the GNSR. The summer season on the Scottish east coast was too short for sufficient occupancy of the hotel. Even direct through coaches to London brought no improvement. The GNSR became part of the new London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) with the entry into force of the Railways Act 1921 on January 1, 1923 , which also took over the hotel and tram. In 1932 the LNER stopped passenger traffic on the branch line to Boddam . This also ended the passenger traffic of the tram. Since then, hotel guests have been picked up in Aberdeen in an LNER Rolls-Royce . The tram was still used to supply the hotel.
After the start of the Second World War , the government requisitioned the hotel and used it for military purposes as a training camp for the Gordon Highlanders (now part of the Royal Regiment of Scotland ). The operation of the tram was therefore stopped on December 31, 1940. After the end of the war, the railway line from Ellon to Boddam lost its remaining freight traffic and was also discontinued on November 7, 1945. The hotel stood empty after military use ended and was sold for demolition in 1947. In 1952 the building was finally demolished. By the mid-1950s, the last structural remains of the tram had been removed. Since then, only the golf course has been used, which is still considered to be one of the most beautiful Scottish golf courses.
vehicles
For the opening of operations, the GNSR procured two two-axle electric railcars with open platforms, which they had built in their own workshops in Kittybrewster . A few closed trailers were procured for the transport of goods . The railcars offered 16 seats. They were painted in crimson and cream, under the windows were the crest of the GNSR and the words "Cruden Bay Hotel". LNER changed the color scheme to teak, analogous to its passenger cars .
After the tram was closed, the two railcars were used as summer houses and sheds. In 1988, a railcar was restored from the remains of both vehicles. This has been in the Grampian Transport Museum in Alford ever since .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Railscot: Boddam Branch (Great North of Scotland Railway) , accessed 1 October 2014
- ↑ www.top100golfcourses.co.uk: Cruden Bay , accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ Aberdeenshire Visitor Attractions ( Memento of the original from October 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed October 1, 2014
Web links
- LNER Encyclopedia: The Cruden Bay Tramway (English)
- BBC - A History of the world: 1899 Cruden Bay Tram (English)
Coordinates: 57 ° 24 '58.5 " N , 1 ° 51' 52.2" W.