London United Tramways

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Map of the LUT routes, around 1913

The London United Tramways Company (LUT) was a London transport company from 1894 to 1933. They operated trams as part of the larger London tram network and from 1931 also trolleybuses in London . At the time of the greatest network expansion, the LUT had almost 54 miles (87 kilometers) of standard-gauge tram routes. When the network was handed over to the London Passenger Transport Board on July 1, 1933, it was just over half. The trolleybus network was to become part of what was then the largest network in the world by 1940. In 1962 the last trolleybuses ran on the former LUT network, while the last LUT tram route was closed in January 1951.

history

Southall, Ealing and Shepherd's Bush Tram-Railway Co. Ltd.

On May 12, 1870, the Southall, Ealing and Shepherd's Bush Tram-Railway Company Limited was founded and requested a concession to build and operate an approximately eleven kilometer long horse-drawn tram from Shepherd's Bush via Acton , Ealing and Hanwell to Southall , High Street / North Road. On July 7, 1873, the concession was finally granted and construction began. The construction work was carried out by Reid Bros. The first section from Shepherd's Bush to Acton, Askew Crescent went into operation on June 1, 1874. The construction was not carried out at first because the railway company could not raise the necessary financial resources. On February 23, 1875, she had to cease operations and file for bankruptcy because she could no longer pay the construction company's outstanding bills.

After no buyer could be found for the railway, operations were initially resumed on September 21, 1875. However, the concession for further construction expired. The construction company had still not received its money and offered to take over the railway itself. On July 24, 1876, she received the concession to continue building the line to Acton, Priory Road (now Acton Lane). They built this section of the route on their own and finally acquired the existing railway in early 1878. From February 18, 1878, the trains ran to Priory Road.

West Metropolitan Tramways Co. Ltd.

On November 14, 1878, the West Metropolitan Tramways Company Limited was entered in the commercial register. She unsuccessfully applied for concessions for several routes in west and north-west London. It was dissolved again in 1879. The company was set up again under the same name on August 12, 1881 and took over the railway from Southall, Ealing and Shepherd's Bush Tram-Railway Co. Ltd. in March 1882. In the meantime, they had already begun construction of a new line from Shepherd's Bush via Goldhawk Road to Young's Corner (King Street / Goldhawk Road) in Chiswick , which went into operation on March 18, 1882. It was extended on December 16 of the same year over Chiswick High Road and Kew Bridge Road to Kew Bridge . From April 17, 1883 horse-drawn trams ran from Kew Bridge along Kew Road to Richmond , where the terminus was just before Lower Mortlake Road. The then very narrow Kew Bridge itself could not be driven, so that the routes ended on both sides of the bridge and passengers could only cross the Thames on foot. The Kew Bridge – Richmond route was to remain separate from the rest of the route network as long as it existed.

In the meantime, the railroad company had installed accumulators in a horse-drawn carriage and on March 10, 1883, this carriage drove on the line from Shepherd's Bush to Kew Bridge. After only one day, this battery operation ended because the power was insufficient. Horses also had to be harnessed on an incline. Experiments with various underline constructions took place in the Chiswick depot in 1890, but were also unsuccessful because Hammersmith and Acton were opposed to the system.

On July 14, 1883, the line from Young's Corner to Hammersmith went into service. It ran through King Street and in Hammersmith in a large loop through Studland Street, Glenthorne Road, Beadon Road, and east King Street. The network had reached a length of 14 kilometers and was initially single-track with diversion except for the route in Goldhawk Road. The line from Hammersmith to Kew Bridge was double-tracked in 1893. The isolated route to Richmond remained single-track. In the same year, the company had to file for bankruptcy and was consequently for sale from June 13, 1894.

Takeover by the LUT and expansion of the route network

Railcar 320 (T series) at the opening of the line to Kingston upon Thames on March 1, 1906, LUT director Robinson stands on the upper deck

On July 19, 1894, the London United Tramways Company was entered in the commercial register. James Clifton Robinson became director of the railway . The LUT took over operations from the West Metropolitan and began the double-track expansion of the line to Acton, which was completed on August 31, 1895. At the same time, the line in Acton was extended to Gunnersbury Lane in the district of Acton Hill.

In May 1898, the LUT applied for concessions for new routes and the electrification of the existing network. The following new lines were planned:

Except for the Kingston route and the Acton Hill to Hanwell section, all applications were approved on August 12, 1898. In March 1899, construction began in Brentford. In 1898, the LUT applied for additional routes to be built. In detail these were:

The concession for these routes and for the section from Acton Hill to Hanwell were granted on August 6, 1900. Kingston upon Thames now intended to build its own tram network. At the same time, the LUT also requested the construction of lines in the city, namely from Hampton Wick to Kingston Hill, from Ham to Surbiton and Tolworth with branches to Richmond Park and to Long Ditton, Winters Bridge, and a line from Kingston via Malden, Raynes Park, Wimbledon, Merton and Colliers Wood to Tooting, Longley Road with a branch from Merton to Summerstown, Wimbledon Road. Finally, a referendum ensured that the LUT was awarded the contract. The routes from Malden to Tooting and Summerstown were not approved until 1902.

The existing horse-drawn railway network was electrified except for the Kew Bridge – Richmond line. Hammersmith spoke out against an overhead line, so that an underline system was installed from Hammersmith Broadway to Young's Corner, which was later also used by the London County Council Tramways (LCC) on a large part of their route network. The remaining electrical lines were provided with overhead lines. The construction progress made it possible to open the line to Hounslow on August 11, 1900, initially as a horse-drawn tram. On July 10, 1901, the opening ceremony of the electrical operation took place, although at that time electrical trams had already been running on the route network for over three months. The LUT thus owned the first electric tram in London intended for permanent operation.

The LUT planned to build numerous other routes in the vicinity of its network, including Camden Town, Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner in London, to Sutton, Croydon, Epsom, Esher, Sunbury, Staines, Maidenhead, Langley, Willesden, Cranford and cross connections between lines already approved. However, almost all of the routes requested were rejected. Only a connection from Hammersmith via Paddenswick Road and Askew Road to Askew Arms (Uxbridge Road / Askew Road) and a connection from Hammersmith to Richmond was approved in 1902, but this was not built.

The construction of the lines in Kingston upon Thames did not begin until April 1905, the opening took place in sections in 1906. With the commissioning of the line to Kingston, the LUT had built the first tram line to cross the Thames. The LCC was only able to open its first Thames crossing five months later. Finally, the LUT built the routes to Wimbledon, Tooting and Summerstown approved in 1902, which were the last new routes to go into operation in 1907.

The electrical operation was opened on the route network as follows:

Opening of electrified lines by the London United Tramways Company
date route
April 4, 1901 Shepherd's Bush - Uxbridge Road - The Vale - Acton High Street - Uxbridge Road - Acton Hill
Hammersmith Broadway - Beadon Road (<) - Glenthorne Road (<) - Studland Street (<) - King Street - Young's Corner - Chiswick High Road - Kew Bridge Road - Kew Bridge (north side)
Shepherd's Bush - Goldhawk Road - Young's Corner
July 6, 1901 Kew Bridge (north side) - Kew Bridge Road - Brentford High Street - London Road - Isleworth, Busch Corner - London Road - Hounslow High Street - Hounslow, Bell Road
July 10, 1901 Acton Hill, Gunnersbury Lane - Uxbridge Road - The Mall - Ealing Broadway - New Broadway - Uxbridge Road - West Ealing Broadway - Uxbridge Road - Hanwell - Uxbridge Road - Southall High Street - Southall, South Road
August 13, 1902 Hounslow, Bell Road - Hounslow High Street - Staines Road - Hounslow Heath, Barrack Road
Isleworth, Busch Corner - Twickenham Road - Twickenham, Cole's Bridge (Cole Park Road)
September 13, 1902 Twickenham, Cole's Bridge - London Road - King Street - Twickenham, King Street / Cross Deep
Twickenham, London Road / Richmond Road - Richmond Road - Richmond Bridge (west side)
November 7, 1902 Twickenham, Cross Deep - Heath Road - The Green - Hampton Road - Wellington Road - Fulwell, Depot (south of South Road) (regular service until April 4, 1903 only to Hampton Road / Stanley Road)
April 2, 1903 Fulwell, Hampton Road / Stanley Road - Stanley Road - Broad Street - Teddington High Street - Kingston Road - Upper Teddington Road - Hampton Wick High Street - Hampton Court Road - Hampton Court Palace
April 4, 1903 Fulwell, Depot - Wellington Road - High Street - Church Street - Hampton Court Road - Hampton Court Palace
June 1, 1904 Studland Street / Glenthorne Road - Glenthorne Road - Dalling Road - Paddenswick Road - Goldhawk Road / Paddenswick Road
Goldhawk Road / Askew Road - Askew Road - Askew Arms
Southall, South Road - Southall Broadway - Uxbridge Road - Hillingdon Hill - Hillingdon Road - Uxbridge High Street - Uxbridge, train station
March 1, 1906 Hampton Wick High Street - Bridge Street (now Old Bridge Street) - Kingston Bridge (north of the current bridge) - Clarence Street - London Road (now partly Old London Road) - Kingston Hill - Kingston Hill / George Road
Clarence Street / Eden Street - Eden Street - St. James's Road - Penrhyn Road - Surbiton Road - Maple Road - Claremont Road - St. Mark's Hill - Ewell Road - Tolworth Broadway - Tolworth, Red Lion
Surbiton, Claremont Road / St. Mark's Hill - Victoria Road - Brighton Road - Portsmouth Road - Long Ditton, Winters Bridge (Thorkhill Road)
May 26, 1906 Brentford, High Street / Half Acre - Half Acre - Boston Manor Road - Boston Gardens - Boston Road - Hanwell, Uxbridge Road / Boston Road
Hanwell, Boston Road / Lower Boston Road - Lower Boston Road / Uxbridge Road
Clarence Street / London Road - Clarence Street - Richmond Road - Ham, town limits
Richmond Road / King's Road - King's Road - Queen's Road - Richmond Park Gates
London Road / Cambridge Road - Cambridge Road - Kingston Road - Malden, Malden Road
April 27, 1907 Malden, Malden Road - Burlington Road - West Barnes Lane - Coombe Lane - Raynes Park Bridge
May 2, 1907 Raynes Park Bridge - Pepys Road - Worple Road - Francis Grove (<) - St. George's Road (<) - Wimbledon, Wimbledon Hill Road
June 27, 1907 Wimbledon Hill Road - Wimbledon Broadway - Merton Road - Merton High Street - High Street Colliers Wood - Tooting, Longley Road
Merton High Street-Haydons Road - Haydons Road - Plow Lane - Wimbledon Road - Summerstown

Further development

As early as 1910, Chiswick tried to build a trolleybus route. It was to lead as a ring line from Chiswick High Road via Chiswick Lane, Mawson Lane (now Dorchester Grove), Devonshire Road, Burlington Lane, Sutton Court Road, Fauconberg Road and Sutton Lane back to Chiswick High Road. The route should be leased to the LUT upon opening. Although a concession was granted for the line, it was never carried out. Other trolleybus projects included a route from Southall via Lampton to Twickenham in 1911 and a route from Ealing to Eaton.

Horse-drawn tram in front of the Richmond depot, probably on the last day of operation (April 20, 1912)

Meanwhile, the LUT decided to abandon the project to connect Richmond with electric trams as well. On April 20, 1912, the horse-drawn tram ran from Kew Bridge to Richmond for the last time; it was officially closed on June 1 of that year. On November 20, 1912, the London and Suburban Traction Company was founded under the ownership of the British Electric Traction Company. From January 1, 1913, it united the Metropolitan Electric Tramways, the LUT and, from June 1913, also the South Metropolitan Electric Tramway and Lighting Co. From then on, all companies had a joint management, but remained formally and operationally independent. Line numbers have now been introduced after the London tram had also introduced line numbers the previous year. In May 1915, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London acquired the majority of shares in London & Suburban, but was not able to acquire the stake in British Electric Traction until November 1928.

A track connection to the Metropolitan Electric Tramways on the market square in Acton was installed in July 1915, but no regular service took place. In the same year, the track from the Lower Boston Road in Hanwell was expanded; there had been no regular service here since around 1910.

On May 2, 1922, a rail link to the LCC operations at the terminal Tooting, Longley Road was put into operation. The LUT took its previous line back to Tooting to Wimbledon, while the LCC extended lines 2 and 4 to Wimbledon. The route remained in the possession of the LUT. In Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush, however, the LCC acquired the London County route sections and the Chiswick depot and leased the routes back to the LUT. LCC line 26 was extended beyond Hammersmith to Kew Bridge.

Due to the poor track condition and the low volume of traffic, the section from Hounslow, Bell Road to Hounslow Heath was closed on July 5, 1922. On the Merton – Summerstown line, tests with trolleybuses took place in 1922 and 1923, for which a double contact line had been installed. The LUT took a liking to the system and decided to convert their route network to trolleybus operation. The beginning should make the route to Richmond Bridge, whose track condition was bad. The line was shut down on October 1, 1924, without trolleybuses running on it. Even when the route network was actually rebuilt from 1931, this route never came under wire again.

On November 28, 1928, another joint traffic between LCC and LUT was introduced. With vehicles from both companies the line 89 was led from Acton via Hammersmith to Putney. The final decision to convert the southern power supply to trolleybuses was made on May 16, 1930. The route used by the LCC from Wimbledon to Tooting should not be changed. The routes north of Twickenham were also not affected for the time being. Although the Merton – Summerstown route had already served as a test route, it should not be converted either. The operational management of the line was handed over to the LCC on April 16, 1931, after a rail link had been installed in Summerstown. From then on, LCC line 14, which had previously ended in Summerstown, ran from London to Merton, in some cases to Wimbledon, and LUT line 81 was discontinued. The shutdowns of the tram network until 1933 were carried out as follows:

The tram lines were closed until 1933
date route
June 1, 1912 Kew Bridge (south side) - Richmond (horse-drawn tram, no traffic since April 21, 1912)
1915 Hanwell, Boston Road / Lower Boston Road - Lower Boston Road / Uxbridge Road (no regular service since around 1910)
July 5, 1922 Hounslow, Bell Road - Hounslow Heath, Barrack Road
October 1, 1924 Twickenham, London Road / Richmond Road - Richmond Bridge
May 16, 1931 Fulwell, Hampton Road / Stanley Road - Teddington, cinema
June 15, 1931 Teddington, Cinema - Hampton Wick, Kingston Bridge
Kingston, Clarence Street / London Road - Richmond Park Gates
Richmond Road / King's Road - Ham, town limits (no regular service since around 1920)
Norbiton, London Road / Cambridge Road - Kingston Hill
July 15, 1931 Kingston, Clarence Street / Eden Street - Surbiton - Tolworth, Red Lion
July 29, 1931 Surbiton Station - Long Ditton, Winters Bridge
Mid-September 1931 Hampton Court Palace - Hampton Wick - Kingston upon Thames - Malden - Raynes Park - Wimbledon, Worple Road / Francis Grove
December 15, 1932 Wimbledon, Francis Grove Loop - Wimbledon, Town Hall

The shutdowns that took place in 1931 and 1932 mostly took place at the same time as the opening of the trolleybus service on the same routes. The routes to Kingston Hill and Richmond Park were connected by the Park Road to a ring route, which was used in both directions. The trolleybus route, which opened on May 16, 1931, began at Twickenham station. From there to Stanley Road, the trolleybus and tram ran parallel. When trolleybus operation on line 4 began on September 2, 1931, the vehicles were not yet sufficient to fully handle rush hour traffic, so that trams on line 71 also ran for two or three weeks.

At Wimbledon, the LCC trams have been turning through the existing track loop over Worple Road, Francis Grove and St. George's Road since 1922. The trolleybuses also turned there, but drove the loop in the opposite direction. On December 15, 1932, the trolleybus route in Wimbledon was extended to the town hall, where a new turning system had been built. The tram route was shortened up to that point and now ended bluntly at a cross track change.

In detail, the trolleybus routes were opened as follows:

The trolleybus routes were opened by July 1, 1933
date route
May 16, 1931 Twickenham, Railway Station - London Road - King Street - Heath Road - The Green - Hampton Road - Stanley Road - Broad Street - Teddington High Street - Teddington, cinema
June 15, 1931 Teddington, Kino - Teddington High Street - Kingston Road - Upper Teddington Road - Hampton Wick High Street - Hampton Wick, Kingston Bridge - Clarence Road - Richmond Road - King's Road - Park Road - London Road - Clarence Street / London Road
July 15, 1931 Kingston, Clarence Street / Eden Street - Eden Street - St. James's Road - Penrhyn Road - Surbiton Road - Maple Road - Claremont Road - St. Mark's Hill - Ewell Road - Tolworth Broadway - Tolworth, Red Lion
July 29, 1931 Surbiton, Railway Station - Victoria Road - Brighton Road - Portsmouth Road - The Dittons, Winters Bridge (Thorkhill Road)
September 2, 1931 Hampton Court Palace - Hampton Court Road - Hampton Wick, Kingston Bridge
Norbiton, London Road / Cambridge Road - Cambridge Road - Kingston Road - Burlington Road - West Barnes Lane - Coombe Lane - Pepys Road - Worple Road - Francis Grove (>) - St. George's Road (>) - Wimbledon, Wimbledon Hill Road
December 15, 1932 Wimbledon Hill Road - Wimbledon Broadway - Wimbledon, City Hall

On July 1, 1933, the various transport companies in London were taken over by the London Passenger Transport Board and all local transport was standardized under the name "London Transport". By December 1936, almost the entire tram network of the LUT was converted to trolleybus operation. The Merton - Summerstown line was closed during this period. Until January 1951, trams only ran between Wimbledon and Tooting before this route was also closed.

Line network

Before 1913, the lines were not labeled, but cars of different colors ran on the lines. Four lines operated at the end of 1895:

LUT line network at the end of 1895
Color of the car route
dark brown Shepherd's Bush - Askew Arms - Acton - Acton Hill
yellow Shepherd's Bush - Goldhawk Road - Chiswick, Young's Corner
light brown Hammersmith Broadway - Young's Corner - Chiswick - Kew Bridge
yellow Kew Bridge - Richmond

With the opening of the line to Hounslow, trains went there from both Shepherd's Bush and Hammersmith Broadway. At the end of 1901 there were seven lines running, as short lines were added to the three main lines Shepherd's Bush-Southall, Shepherd's Bush-Hounslow and Hammersmith-Hounslow that ended in Hanwell and Kew Bridge. The seventh line was the horse tram in Richmond. In 1902 the two lines were extended to Hounslow to Hounslow Heath and two new lines, again beginning in Shepherd's Bush and Hammersmith, were set up to Twickenham. In Twickenham, a shuttle line ran from Richmond Bridge to the terminus. The lines from Shepherd's Bush and Richmond Bridge were then extended to Fulwell, while Hammersmith could only continue to drive as far as Twickenham, Cross Deep. The route opened in 1903 via Teddington to Hampton Court was served by the line from Richmond Bridge, while the two lines from Shepherd's Bush and Hammersmith were led via Hampton to Hampton Court. Briefly in 1904 the railways from Shepherd's Bush drove via Teddington and Hampton Wick, while the railways from Richmond Bridge drove via Hampton, but this was reversed in the same year. With the opening of the lines to Uxbridge and Askew Road, two new lines were established. A line from Shepherd's Bush to Uxbridge only operated on Sundays, while daily services from Hammersmith via Askew Road to Uxbridge.

At the end of 1906 there were also lines from Brentford to Hanwell, from Hammersmith via Brentford and Hanwell to Uxbridge, from Hampton Court via Kingston to Malden, from Tolworth alternately to Ham and Richmond Park Gates, and from Kingston Hill to Surbiton or in rush hour traffic to Long Ditton . In addition, the line was led from Richmond Bridge instead of Hampton Court via Kingston to Long Ditton. In 1907 the tram service through Wimbledon was opened and the lines from Hampton Court and Richmond Bridge were extended to Tooting. The line from Kingston Hill to Surbiton was now run all day to Long Ditton. A new line ran from Wimbledon Hill to Summerstown, but was soon shortened to the Merton – Summerstown section. Thus the LUT now operated 20 tram lines.

In 1908 or 1909 the lines at Kingston were rearranged. The section from King's Road to Ham was served by a shuttle car; the Tolworth railways now all went to Richmond Park. The Richmond Bridge – Tooting line ended in Kingston on Eden Street. For this purpose, the cycle on the Hampton Court – Tooting line has been increased. During rush hour and on weekends, the line ran from Summerstown via Merton to Raynes Park. There were also changes on the route to Uxbridge around 1910. Shepherd's Bush trains now ran daily to Uxbridge, while Hammersmith only ran there and to Southall on Sundays. On the remaining days the trains coming from Hammersmith ended in Hanwell. The line from Hammersmith via Brentford to Southall was suspended.

When line numbers were introduced in 1913, the horse tram to Richmond was already closed, so no line number was assigned to them. The numbering system was established by London & Suburban for their entire catchment area, with the MET being assigned the range of even numbers, the LUT the range of odd numbers, the latter, however, without the numbers of the LCC lines that shared the MET network. These were some lines in the area from 11 to 53, which was therefore left out, as well as lines 59 and 79. Line numbers 1, 3 and 5 were also not assigned, the reasons for this are not known. Consequently, LUT line 9 was renamed to 89 in September 1914, when the LCC extended its line 9 into the MET network. When the line numbers were introduced in 1913, the following 19 lines were being used:

LUT line network 1913
line route Development until 1933
7th Shepherd's Bush - Acton - Ealing - Hanwell - Southall - Hayes - Uxbridge no changes
9 Hammersmith Broadway - Askew Road - Acton - Ealing - Hanwell - Southall - Hayes - Uxbridge (Sundays only) from September 1914 as line 89, discontinued around 1916
9 A Hammersmith Broadway - Askew Road - Acton - Ealing - Hanwell - Southall, South Road (Sundays only) from September 1914 as line 89 A , discontinued around 1916
9 B Hammersmith Broadway - Askew Road - Acton - Ealing - Hanwell, Boston Road / Uxbridge Road from September 1914 as line 89 B , renamed to line 89 around 1916 and extended Mondays – Saturdays, from 1921 also Sundays, to Acton, Birch Grove, from November 28, 1928 Monday – Saturdays to Putney, Fawe Park Road (together with LCC ) and on Saturdays again to Hanwell, from 1929 occasionally on Saturdays to Southall
55 Brentford, Half Acre - Hanwell, Boston Road / Uxbridge Road 1921–1922 all day and from 1930 in rush hour to Ealing, from around 1932 in rush hour to Acton
57 Shepherd's Bush - Goldhawk Road - Chiswick - Kew Bridge - Brentford - Busch Corner - Hounslow - Hounslow Heath, Barrack Road from 1921 only on Saturdays / Sundays, from 1922 again daily, from 6 July 1922 to Hounslow, Bell Road shortened
61 Hammersmith Broadway - Chiswick - Kew Bridge - Brentford - Busch Corner - Hounslow - Hounslow Heath, Barrack Road Discontinued in 1922
63 Shepherd's Bush - Goldhawk Road - Chiswick - Kew Bridge 1922 extended weekdays to Brentford, Ealing Road, from 1926 only in rush hour traffic to Brentford, from 1930 in rush hour traffic to Isleworth, fire station
65 Shepherd's Bush - Goldhawk Road - Chiswick - Kew Bridge - Brentford - Busch Corner - Twickenham - Fulwell - Hampton - Hampton Court Palace from 1921 only on Saturdays / Sundays, from 1922 only on public holidays
67 Hammersmith Broadway - Chiswick - Kew Bridge - Brentford - Busch Corner - Twickenham - Fulwell - Hampton - Hampton Court Palace from the end of 1922 via Hampton Court to Kingston, Eden Street, from 1923 again only to Hampton Court
69 Richmond Bridge - Twickenham - Fulwell - Teddington - Hampton Wick - Kingston upon Thames, Clarence Street / Eden Street discontinued from late 1922 to 1923, from Twickenham, Richmond Street October 1, 1924, from Teddington, Cinema, May 16, 1931, discontinued June 15, 1931
71 Hampton Court Palace - Hampton Wick - Kingston upon Thames - Norbiton - Malden - Raynes Park - Wimbledon - Merton - Colliers Wood - Tooting, Longley Road from May 2, 1922 only to Wimbledon, from the end of 1922 from Richmond Bridge via Teddington, from 1923 again from Hampton Court, from September 2, 1931 only in rush hour traffic and closed on Saturday afternoons, mid-September 1931
73 Kingston Hill, George Road - Norbiton - Kingston upon Thames - Surbiton - Long Ditton, Winters Bridge from June 15, 1931 from Eden Street, from July 15, 1931 from Surbiton, discontinued July 29, 1931
75 Ham, Boundary - Richmond Road / King's Road from around 1920 only in rush hour traffic, discontinued on June 15, 1931 at the latest
77 Richmond Park Gates - Richmond Road / King's Road - Kingston upon Thames - Surbiton - Tolworth, Red Lion from June 15, 1931 from Surbiton, discontinued on July 15, 1931
81 Merton, Haydons Road - Summerstown, Wimbledon Road on April 16, 1931 replaced by an extension of LCC line 14
83 Shepherd's Bush - Acton - Ealing - Hanwell, Boston Road / Uxbridge Road Discontinued in 1924 and replaced by line 7 B (Shepherd's Bush - Hayes), which only ran on Saturdays, from summer 1925 line 7 B was replaced by daily line 7 C (Shepherd's Bush - Hanwell), from 1930 trips referred to as line 7
85 A Hammersmith Broadway - Chiswick - Kew Bridge Renamed to Line 85 in 1921, discontinued May 2, 1922 until late 1923, then discontinued from Hammersmith to Brentford, Ealing Road only on weekdays, late 1925
87 Shepherd's Bush - Acton - Ealing - Hanwell - Southall, South Road from 1924 designated as line 7 A , from 1930 trips designated as line 7

When the LUT was handed over to the London Passenger Transport Board, the following lines operated on the LUT network:

LUT line network June 30, 1933
line route Wagon sequence Development after 1933
Tram lines
2 / 4 London, Victoria Embankment - Stockwell - Clapton - Balham - Tooting - Colliers Wood - Merton - Wimbledon, Town Hall (operated by the LCC) every 4 min shut down on January 7, 1951
7th Shepherd's Bush - Acton - Ealing - Hanwell - Southall - Hayes - Uxbridge every 2.5–3 minutes to Southall, every 4–5 minutes to Hayes, every 8–10 minutes to Uxbridge on November 15, 1936 switched to trolleybus (line 607), this was shut down on November 10, 1960
14th (Borough, Hop Exchange - Blackfriars Bridge - Victoria Embankment - Westminster Bridge - Vauxhall - Battersea - (Monday-Saturday only) ) Wandsworth - Summerstown - Merton - Wimbledon, Town Hall (operated by the LCC) every 12 min decommissioned on May 16, 1934 between Summerstown and Merton
26th Borough, Hop Exchange - Blackfriars Bridge - Victoria Embankment - Westminster Bridge - Vauxhall - Clapton Junction - Wandsworth - Putney Bridge - Fulham - Hammersmith Broadway - Chiswick - Kew Bridge (operated by the LCC) every 6 min on October 27, 1935 between Hammersmith and Kew Bridge switched to trolleybus (line 657), this was shut down on May 9, 1962
26 EX Camberwell Green - Vauxhall - Clapton Junction - Wandsworth - Putney Bridge - Hammersmith Broadway - Chiswick - Kew Bridge (operated by the LCC, public holidays only) upon need on October 27, 1935 between Hammersmith and Kew Bridge switched to trolleybus (line 657), this was shut down on May 9, 1962
55 Brentford, Half Acre - Hanwell, Boston Road / Uxbridge Road (- Ealing - Acton, Market Place (rush hour traffic only) ) every 8-10 min on December 13, 1936 switched to trolleybus (line 655), this was shut down on November 10, 1960
57 Shepherd's Bush - Goldhawk Road - Chiswick - Kew Bridge - Brentford - Busch Corner - Hounslow, Bell Road every 4-10 min on October 27, 1935, switched to trolleybus (line 657), which was shut down on May 9, 1962
63 Shepherd's Bush - Goldhawk Road - Chiswick - Kew Bridge (- Brentford - Busch Corner - Islington, Fire Station ( rush hour only) ) every 8-10 min on October 27, 1935, switched to trolleybus (line 657), which was shut down on May 9, 1962
65 Shepherd's Bush - Goldhawk Road - Chiswick - Kew Bridge - Brentford - Busch Corner - Twickenham - Fulwell - Hampton - Hampton Court Palace (bank holidays only) every 10 min On October 27, 1935, it was switched to trolleybus (lines 657, 667), which was shut down on May 9, 1962
67 Hammersmith Broadway - Chiswick - Kew Bridge - Brentford - Busch Corner - Twickenham - Fulwell - Hampton - Hampton Court Palace every 7-10 min on October 27, 1935, switched to trolleybus (line 667), which was shut down on May 9, 1962
89 (Putney, Fawe Park Road - Putney Bridge - Fulham - (Monday-Saturday only) ) Hammersmith Broadway - Askew Road - Acton, Market Place (- Ealing - Hanwell - Brentford, Half Acre (Saturday afternoons only) ) (partly through the LCC operated) every 3 minutes, to Putney every 10 minutes on April 5, 1936 switched to trolleybus (line 660), this was shut down on January 4, 1962
Trolleybus routes
1 Twickenham, Railway Station - Fulwell - Teddington - Hampton Wick - Kingston upon Thames - Surbiton - Tolworth, Red Lion Mon – Sat every 5 minutes, Sun every 8 minutes extended to Tolworth, Warren Drive on September 20, 1933, redrawn to line 601 on October 27, 1935, closed on May 9, 1962
1 A Surbiton, Train Station - Tolworth, Red Lion ( rush hour only) upon need extended to Tolworth, Warren Drive on September 20, 1933, redrawn to line 601 on October 27, 1935, closed on May 9, 1962
2 Tolworth, Red Lion - Surbiton - Kingston upon Thames - King's Road - King's Road / Park Road (car passage on line 3) Mon – Sat every 8 minutes, Sun every 12 minutes from September 20, 1933 from The Dittons, Winters Bridge and counterclockwise around the ring, redrawn to line 602 on October 27, 1935, shut down on May 9, 1962
3 The Dittons, Winters Bridge - Surbiton - Kingston upon Thames - Norbiton - Kingston Hill - King's Road / Park Road (car passage on line 2) Mon – Sat every 8 minutes, Sun every 12 minutes from September 20, 1933 from Tolworth, Warren Drive and clockwise around the ring, redrawn to line 603 on October 27, 1935, closed on May 9, 1962
4th Hampton Court Palace - Hampton Wick - Kingston upon Thames - Norbiton - Malden - Raynes Park - Wimbledon, City Hall Mon – Sat every 5 minutes, Sun every 7 minutes redrawn to line 604 on October 27, 1935, shut down on May 9, 1962
4th Teddington, Cinema - Hampton Wick - Kingston upon Thames - Norbiton - Malden, Brunnen (only rush hour ) upon need designated as line 5 from September 20, 1933, redrawn line 605 on October 27, 1935, extended to Wimbledon, shut down on May 9, 1962

vehicles

Railcar 13 (Y series) around 1911 in Hanwell on Boston Road
Railcar 223 (W series) around 1911 on the Brent Bridge in Hanwell, looking west

The Southall, Ealing and Shepherd's Bush Tram-Railway initially had two horse-drawn carriages, to which two more were added in 1878. The West Metropolitan Tramways Company acquired further vehicles from 1882, so that when the LUT was handed over to the LUT, 33 single and two-horse tramcars were available as well as orders for 16 additional pairs . 251 horses were available as traction means. Some of the oldest horse-drawn tram cars were scrapped before electrification. At the time of electrification, the LUT owned 59 horse-drawn cars and 482 horses. The Kew Bridge – Richmond horse-drawn tram was served by six cars until it was discontinued in 1912, but three replacement vehicles were still available. 61 horses were last kept ready for the line. The horse-drawn trams were painted light brown (Hammersmith), dark brown (Acton), or yellow (Goldhawk Road and Richmond) depending on the line on which they were used.

For the start of electrical operation in 1901, the LUT ordered from Hurst, Nelson and Company Ltd. in Motherwell 100 double-deck electric railcars numbered from 1 to 100. Painted orange-red and white, they were used on the line to Hounslow and Kew Bridge. Also in 1901 50 more almost identical railcars (No. 101-150) were delivered by GF Milnes and Company in Birkenhead, but they were painted completely in white and were used on the line towards Acton and Southall. In 1905 they were painted yellow because the white color had proven to be too maintenance-intensive.

For the routes to Hampton Court and Richmond Bridge, another 150 railcars were purchased in 1902, which were painted blue and given the numbers 151 to 300. Cars 151-211 and 237-300 were built by Milnes, the rest by the British Electric Car Company . All railcars delivered up to that point had an open upper deck and, apart from the color scheme, could only be distinguished by details. In 1906 the first railcars with a closed upper deck were delivered. The 40 railcars were given the numbers 301 to 340 and were painted completely orange-red. They were initially used on the Kingston upon Thames network, but were later used for the route to Uxbridge and yellow cars then drove in Kingston.

In 1911, 52 vehicles of the first and 50 of the third delivery series were equipped with a closed upper deck, although the side windows were not glazed. From 1912 series designations were used. The 48 wagons of the original series with an open upper deck were given the series designation Z, the remaining wagons of this series were given the designation Y. The second (yellow) series was given the letter X. The 100 blue wagons with an open upper deck became series W, the 50 with a closed upper deck to series U. The 40 cars from 1906 were given the letter T.

From around 1920, more and more LUT vehicles were painted over to the orange-red of the T series, as the Underground Group, which had taken over the railway company in 1915, had set this color as the standard. However, blue LUT cars were still in use until the 1930s. In 1922 the LUT acquired a used car from the Metropolitan Electric Tramways (ex No. 132), which was given the number 341 and the type designation S, later S / 1. Three similar cars were added in 1924, they were given the type designation S / 2 and the numbers 342 to 344. The four S cars were monoplane, which were intended for operation on line 55 without a conductor. In 1928, a double deck car with a closed upper deck (No. 350) was made in Chiswick, which was called "Poppy". The vehicle did not prove itself and therefore did not go into series production. In 1930, 46 Feltham wagons were ordered from the Union Construction and Finance Company instead, and were delivered by August 1931. They were given the numbers 351 to 396, but like Poppy no type letter.

Due to modifications, some vehicles changed their type designation over time, so that mixed types XU, WT and U / 2 were created. Many of the older vehicles were sold to other businesses in the 1920s. When the wagons were handed over to the LCC, they were usually given the car numbers increased by 2000. Most of the Feltham wagons were in service in London until 1951 and came to Leeds after the tram shutdown, where they continued to be used until 1959.

The LUT trolleybuses were delivered by Union Construction in 1931. They bore the numbers 1 to 60 and the type designation A / 1 (1 to 35) and A / 2 (36 to 60). In 1933, car 61 was still built in Chiswick, which was given the type designation X / 1 and, in contrast to the A-car, had a center entry. The passengers climbed into the A-cars on the rear platform. Car 1 is now in the Museum of British Transport in Clapham.

Depots

Shepherd's Bush

The first depot in the LUT network was on Uxbridge Road. It was closed in 1882 and replaced by a new depot, also in Shepherd's Bush, on Goldhawk Road between Wells Road and Shepherd's Bush Road. This accommodated seven wagons and 61 horses. It was replaced by the newly built depot at Acton Hill in March 1896 and subsequently demolished.

Chiswick

With the opening of the line to Kew Bridge, a new three-track depot for 20 horse-drawn cars and up to 170 horses was opened in Chiswick between Merton Avenue and Ennismore Avenue in 1882. With the electrification in 1901, the facility was expanded to five tracks. At the same time a six-track workshop hall was built.

On May 2, 1922, the entire system was handed over to the LCC. The depot survived the shutdown of the tram and is still used today as a bus depot.

Richmond

The isolated horse-drawn railway line Kew Bridge – Richmond had its own small depot in Richmond on Kew Road, which housed six wagons and 30 horses when handed over to the LUT. It was opened with the line in 1883 and closed in 1912. The building south of Shaftesbury Road still stands today and belongs to a school. The clock on the street front was part of the original equipment of the depot.

Acton

The last LUT horse tram depot was opened in March 1896 on Uxbridge Road / Gunnersbury Lane and was electrified in 1901. It had seven hall tracks.

Hounslow

The ten-track depot went into operation in 1901 with the electrification of the Hounslow line. It was actually not in Hounslow, but in Isleworth, near the train station, and after the shutdown of the tram also served the trolleybuses as depot IH (Isleworth).

Hanwell

The ten-track depot on Uxbridge Road east of the Boston Road junction opened in 1901. Today there is a supermarket on the premises.

Fulwell

The depot on Wellington Road north of Fulwell Station opened in November 1902 and still serves as a bus depot today. From 1922 it housed the main LUT workshop.

Hillingdon

With the opening of the line to Uxbridge, the LUT opened the last depot in 1904. It was in the Hayes End district. The buildings were put to a different use after the railway was closed.

See also

literature

  • John R. Day: London's Trams and Trolleybuses . London Transport, London 1977, ISBN 0-85329-082-2 (English).
  • John Reed: London Tramways . Capital Transport Publishing, Harrow Weald 1997, ISBN 1-85414-179-1 (English).
  • Geoffrey Wilson: London United Tramways. A History 1894-1933 . George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London 1971, ISBN 0-04-388001-0 (English).

Web links

Commons : London United Tramways  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files