Nottingham Corporation Tramways No. 92

Many of the early first generation tramway operators opted for standard ‘off-the-peg’ products from one of several volume tramcar manufacturers and Nottingham Corporation Tramways were no exception. Nottingham 92 was purchased in 1902 from the Electric Railway & Tramway Carriage Works in Preston as a typical three-window saloon open topped double deck tram with reversed stairs and, as such, it closely resembled countless other tramcars in service with various operators around the country. It did have one distinctive Nottingham feature, the deeper quarter-lights.

Some operators (such as Bristol) maintained their fleet in a largely unchanged state until the tramways were eventually replaced by bus services, but in general operators soon realised that upgrading their trams – for example by covering the open top deck -would be likely to result in increased revenue, especially when it was raining. The different varieties of top cover which were fitted from the mid-1900s onwards and other less drastic modifications over time heralded the move away from each town’s trams looking similar.

Nottingham Corporation opted for the latter approach, at least in the early years, though the modifications it introduced were not popular with everyone. The first adaptation was made in 1904, when No. 92 was fitted with a standard flat roof top cover obtained from the original supplier.

[showhide type=”details” more_text=”Show more” less_text=”Show less” hidden=”yes”]

The next change affected the route destination equipment, which originally consisted of different coloured route indicator boards that were slotted into an open fronted box at each end of the tramcar.  This was modified in 1903 by adding a novel system of correspondingly coloured lights that shone from the lower saloon bulkhead and enabled passengers to identify the route even after dark. In 1912 the tramway began replacing this system with a more conventional form of roller blind indicators, though this was not appreciated by many passengers, especially those who were illiterate.

The next significant modification consisted of a programme of rebuilding or replacing the lower saloon bodies on many of the earlier tramcars when it was realised that they were straining under the additional weight of the retro-fitted top covers. Although many of these new bodies were supplied by the original manufacturer, No. 92 was fitted in 1923 with a new vestibuled lower saloon with forward facing stairs that was obtained from rival manufacturers, Brush. New motors and controllers were also fitted at the same time.

These were the final improvements, however, and the tramcar continued to run with open balconies on the top deck until it was withdrawn from service in 1934.  By this stage, Nottingham Corporation had embarked on a policy of converting various tram routes to trolleybus operation (a process that was completed by 6^th September 1936).

Together with 52 other redundant Nottingham tramcars, No. 92 was sold for scrap for £25. After being stripped of fittings and running gear at the depot, the bodies were resold for £5 each: many were purchased by a Lincolnshire woman and distributed around the county for use as holiday accommodation.

No. 92 was repainted in a non-standard brown colour and survived in this state in a caravan park in Torksey until 1985, when it was acquired by the Nottingham Industrial Museum, which hoped to restore it until the scale (not to mention expense) of the task became apparent. At this point it was offered to the Tramway Museum. In view of its dilapidated and incomplete condition it was put into offsite storage, where it remains to this day.

Number 92 is not the only tramcar body from this batch to have survived into preservation, however.  Another open-topped tramcar – number 45 – that had been built by the ER&TCW in Preston the previous year, in 1901, was also rescued from the same caravan park in Torksey, Lincolnshire and, likewise, ended up for a time in the Nottingham Industrial Museum in the mid-1980s.

From there it was moved in August 1986 to Ruddington, home of the Great Central Railway North (previously known as the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre).  Despite being stored in the open, the body remains in generally good condition and was offered to the Tramway Museum in July 2018 in order to make room to expand the bus collection at Ruddington.

The tramcar body made the short journey from Ruddington to Crich on 21st November and was temporarily installed on a site adjacent to the upper level of the Bowes Lyon Bridge.

Although it will not form part of the national collection, it is intended at some point to exhibit it on site as an example of a ‘grounded body’, to illustrate the fate that befell so many tramcars – including many in the collection – as the first generation tramway era drew to a close.

Redundant tramcar bodies were variously used as living or holiday accommodation, summer houses, cricket pavilions or shelters for anglers and even for farm livestock.  So, it seems appropriate to be able to demonstrate this important aspect of British tramway history at the museum.

It will also serve as a timely reminder of the herculean efforts that have been made over the years in rescuing so many tramcars from a similar fate and restoring them to their former glory.  Before it is put on permanent display, however, it has been placed in temporary storage pending the implementation of protective measures to minimise the risk of vandalism while it is standing out in the open,

[/showhide]