Oct 23, 2024 | Curator's Choice, Tramway Anniversaries
24th October 2024 marks 100 years since the closure of one of Britain’s more unusual first-generation tramways, which was operated by the Morecambe Tramway Company in Lancashire. This company-owned system began life as a horse-drawn tramway on 3rd June 1887. Although...
Sep 19, 2024 | Curator's Choice, Tramway Anniversaries
Another Sheffield tramcar in our collection with an anniversary to celebrate this year is Sheffield 46, which is 125 years old in September 2024. This small single deck electric tramcar had a seating capacity not much larger than the horse trams it helped to displace,...
Sep 14, 2024 | Curator's Choice, Tramway Anniversaries
Sheffield Corporation horse tram No. 15 – the second oldest tramcar in the National Tramway Museum’s collection – celebrates its 150th anniversary this autumn! Like Oporto 9, which celebrated its sesquicentenary last year, this tramcar was also built by the...
Sep 1, 2024 | Curator's Choice, Tramway Anniversaries
31st August 2024 marks the 125th anniversary of the opening of Neath Corporation (gas-powered) Tramways, situated in South Wales, which was one of Britain’s most unusual first generation tramways. In common with most of Britain’s municipal tramways, Neath’s started...
Aug 31, 2024 | Curator's Choice, Tramway Anniversaries
31st August 2024 marks 150 years since the opening ceremony conducted by Aberdeen District Tramways. This system began life as a 2¼-mile long horse tramway with just two routes, six tramcars and a depot at Queen’s Cross. From these small beginnings the network...
Jul 14, 2024 | Curator's Choice, Tramway Anniversaries
14th July 2024 marks 100 years since the opening of the last of Britain’s first-generation tramways to begin operating – the Dearne District Light Railway in South Yorkshire. This system had the briefest duration of any of Britain’s electric tramways, lasting...
Jul 5, 2024 | Curator's Choice, Tramway Anniversaries
Sunday 5th July 1964 marked the day that the Tramway Museum Society finally achieved its primary aim of building and demonstrating an electrically powered tramway for fare-paying members of the public. The fact that this took place just over a year after the...
May 29, 2024 | Curator's Choice, Tramway Anniversaries
On 29th May 1884, the Highgate Hill Cable Tramway became the first cable tramway to be built in Europe. The short line of just under ¾ mile provided a connection between a busy horse tram terminus at the Archway Tavern and Highgate Village, which was at the top of the...
Apr 13, 2024 | Curator's Choice, Tramway Anniversaries
2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the formal opening of Glasgow’s first Transport Museum on 14 April 1964. At that time, the Tramway Museum Society had been established for almost a decade. Having acquired the premises at Crich in 1959, the TMS operated its first...
Nov 24, 2023 | Curator's Choice, Tramway Anniversaries
2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the first public demonstration of Britain’s earliest commercially operated steam tram, which took place in London on the night of 25th/ 26th November 1873. The tram was designed by John Grantham (1808-1874), an English engineer who...