London Southern Tramways
The London Southern Tramways Company operated horse-drawn trams in south London as part of the larger London tram network . The company operated several routes with a total length of nine kilometers from 1883 to 1906.
history
On August 18, 1882, the company received the concession to build and operate trams on the routes from Vauxhall station via Stockwell and Brixton to Camberwell and from Loughborough Junction station via Herne Hill and Tulse Hill to West Norwood , Park Road (now Robson Road) . This required that the South Lambeth Road was widened, which delayed the construction work for a long time. The routes were opened as follows:
| date | route |
|---|---|
| December 7, 1883 | Stockwell, Swan (Clapham Road / Stockwell Road) - Stockwell Road - Gresham Road - Coldharbour Lane - Denmark Hill - Camberwell Green |
| Brixton Road / Coldharbour Lane - Coldharbour Lane - Gresham Road / Coldharbour Lane | |
| May 30, 1884 | Loughborough Junction (Coldharbour Lane / Hinton Road) - Hinton Road - Milkwood Road - Herne Hill Station |
| July 10, 1884 | Herne Hill Station - Norwood Lane (now Norwood Road) - Tulse Hill, Thurlow Park Road |
| June 4, 1885 | Tulse Hill, Thurlow Park Road - Thurlow Lane (now Norwood Road) - Church Street (now Norwood Road) - Thurlow Place (now Norwood Road) - West Norwood, Park Road (now Robson Road) |
| August 21, 1887 | Vauxhall Railway Station - South Lambeth Road - Stockwell, Swan |
In Camberwell and Vauxhall connecting curves were built to existing routes, which, however, were not used by the London Southern Tramways, although the concession also allowed group services. The railroad depot was on Stockwell Road. With the opening of the line to West Norwood, a small depot was set up there shortly before the end point. The lines were standard-gauge and mostly double-track.
According to the Tram Act of 1870, the municipalities had the right to buy tram companies and operate them themselves or to extend the license 21 years after the license was granted. The London County Council decided against a purchase in 1903 because most of the routes on the London Southern Tramways were to be electrified with overhead lines and not with the underline system widely used in London. In 1906, the railway company applied for the electrification of its routes and an operating license for a further 21 years, which was refused by the London County Council. The case was brought to an arbitration tribunal, which ruled that the county should buy and electrify the lines. On October 2, 1906, the county incorporated the operation into the London County Council Tramways . The purchase did not become legally binding until December 20, 1906. The lines were electrified until 1909, or closed in Coldharbour Lane between Brixton Road and Gresham Road. The underline system was used between Vauxhall and Brixton, while the remaining lines were provided with overhead lines.
vehicles
The vehicles were two-story with an upper deck, which was provided with a protective cover due to a narrow bridge passage in the Hinton Road. The cars were manufactured by the Falcon Motor and Car Works . In 1895 all vehicles were rebuilt, whereby both decks were lowered and thus the protective cover could be dispensed with. At the same time, other seats were installed. The railway company had a total of 33 horse-drawn cars.
literature
- John R. Day: London's Trams and Trolleybuses . London Transport, London 1977, ISBN 0-85329-082-2 (English).
- ER Oakley: London County Council Tramways, Vol. 1 - South London . London Tramways History Group, Bexleyheath 1989, ISBN 0-9513001-0-5 (English).
- John Reed: London Tramways . Capital Transport Publishing, Harrow Weald 1997, ISBN 1-85414-179-1 (English).