R.o.B Tramways
Darlington's Electric Tramway
The Darlington Corporation Light Railway
The Tram Cars
With the development of Darlington Corporations power station on Borough road in 1900 to provide power for the town and the out lying villages that were rapidly becoming urbanized as the town grew the Corporation wanted their power to be used on the tramway as well as bring it under their control. The corporation asked a sub committee to "ascertain with professional advice the approximate value of the present horse tramway system with a view to purchase and to report the probable cost of constructing an electrically operated light railway and its probable receipts and expenditure". The resulting report was approved and the corporation purchased the horse tramway and the Imperial Tramway Company's plans for its electric light railway. The price was 7600 pounds for the track, cars, sheds, horses and other sundries that were part of the tramway including the Light Railway Order. While the Corporation organised its plans for the reconstruction the horse tramway was leased to the then tramway manager until July 1902 when the full Light railway order was granted allowing the corporation to electrify the system and extend it. To allow the relaying of track and installation of the necessary equipment horse operations ceased on 18th August 1903. The proposals for the new tramway also included possible future extensions new roads in the town that the tramway could run down being built extra wide to accommadate raod traffic and the tramway, this foresight still apparent today on many trunk roads in the town built at that time. The new proposals were for:
- Route 1 To Cockerton from Prebend row via Bondgate, woodlands road, terminating at Cockerton Green opposite Forcett street.
- Route 2 To Harrowgate hill via North Road, terminating at Honeypot lane.
- Route 3 Stockton from the Market place via Haughton le Skerne, Sadberge, Long Newton, Elton, Hartburn, and terminating at the Imperial tramways depot in Stockton. This was later proposed to terminate at Haughton le Skerne and then Haughton Barton street.
- Route 4 South park, Grange road via Skinnergate from Bondgate resurrecting the former 1880 proposed horse tramway.
- Route 5 West row to Salutation corner branching off at Grange road and Continuing along Coniscliffe road as far as Salutation road.
- Route 6 would resurrect the closed horse tramway to Bank top station via Feethams and Victoria road from West row.
- Route 7 Northgate via Bondgate, Greenbank road, Salisbury terrace, Surtees street using a new bridge over Cocker beck, Hopetown lane and Station road.
After further consultation it was decided that some of the routes would not be built while a few should have design changes. In the end only routes 1 and 2 remained as they were with route 3 terminating at Haughton, Barton Street though it was in line for extension to Haughton le Skerne at a later date, Route 6 was also on the cards to be reopened as it was the former horse tram route to Bank Top NER station but this never came to pass. Route 7 was also on the cards to be built but extending to Brinkburn Road from where it would return to Woodlands road via Pierremont Road rather than heading along Hopetown Lane on to Station road. Brinkburn and Pierremont Roads which were new roads under construction were built to double width to allow for the construction of the tramway at a later date, the other proposed routes never saw trams but some did become trolleybus routes.
In March 1903 while the system was being built it was decided that only single deck tramcars would be used due to the number of low railway bridges around the town, at North road, Barton street and Bank top the two previous being part of the original Stockton and Darlington railway the latter part of the Great North of England main line from York to Newcastle and the site of the towns Bank top station north entrance. The decision resulted in the purchase of 16 single deck cars each with open verandahs at either end closed saloons delivered by G F Milnes of Birkenhead. Each car seated 28 people on wooden longtitudinal benches, the electrical equipment provided by the British Westinghouse company on a 4 wheel truck, a horse drawn overhead tower wagon for maintenance of the overhead wires along with a wooden snow plough were also purchased. The trams bore the towns crest on their sides under the windows with 'Darlington Corporation Light Railway' on a panel underneath. A new car shed was built by the power station to house the cars which was accesed from the Haughton, Barton street branch. The depot had eight covered berthing tracks for the trams with pits running the length of the berths. A ninth arched entrancewas provided for access to the workshops the depot able to hold up to 40 cars at a time though the number of cars never reached that many. The new 4.71 miles of public electric tramway was predominantly double track along 3 of its routes though the 4th route was single with passing places, the town centre being the focal point had a triangular junction connecting the routes but a short section of single track was sited between Crown street and Bondgate along Northgate due to the narrowness of the road at this location. The track was predominantly laid in cobbles so as to allow easy removal and maintenance should it become necessary. The overhead line was supported predominantly by poles sited to the side of the road which were also used to hold street lighting though at Tubwell row, Bondgate, Parkgate and High Northgate the poles were in the centre of the road. On the single line with passing loops Cockerton branch the poles were sited in the middle of the road until repositioning in the early 1920's. Electricity return to the substation was given by connection to corporation water pipes, which is a bit odd as the electric current would surely have corrupted the piping. The new tramway combined with the electricity department of the town Corporation coming under the management of Mr.J R P Lunn. On 25th May 1904 there was a trial run of the system with a board of trade inspector present, the two trams used becoming involved in the first accident on the tramway when one of the cars hit a cart, the tram sustaining damage to its front plate. The inspector made some minor recommendations and once these were corrected the system was ready to open.
The official opening of the Darlington Corporation light railway took place on the 1st June 1904 with a procession of 6 cars from the town hall, the Mayor's wife even having a go at driving car No.1 which led the cavalcade, northwards to Harrowgate Hill, Honeypot lane (now Longfield road) on the way back continuing to Cockerton, Forcett Street the western most terminus. The return journey saw the cavalcade proceed to the market and on to Eastbourne, Cobden Street which was the eastern most terminus and then back to the depot after visiting the short spur to Haughton road/Barton Street on the eastern side of the Stockton & Darlington Railway bridge. At the time these termini were at the extent of the built up town at that time. Public service commenced at 8am on Thursday 2nd June 1904, the fare was 1d. At night time colour coded route indicators were used, a practice also used on Edinburgh trams, identifying the trams route; all termini operated a head shunt system though the routes were all different in style:
The Harrogate Hill to Eastbourne line (Yellow light) was referred to as the mainline: at the Leadenhall street/High Northgate junction, where there was a theatre, a crossover had been laid in anticipation of heavy tramway traffic requiring special trams but its seems this was rarely if ever used. At the North road railway bridge, signs were placed prominently advising passengers on the open top decks of the open top Sheerness cars to remain seated introduced in 1918. The section of line from Market place would often see extra trams running but terminating at St Paul's church, Wales street the original terminus of the 2nd horse tramway, just past the North Eastern railway's locomotive works which closed in 1966, where there was a crossover situated precisely for this purpose. The area north of Wales street often called Durham road was thinly populated with the east side of the road having no housing at all and predominantly green fields until one reached the area of Springfield where was sited the works of Robert Stephenson and company. The Eastbourne terminus was at Cobden Street just east of Hundens lane and the workhouse, which later became an infectious diseases and ear nose and throat hospital. When the tramway was opened in 1904 this was the extent of development and like the section along north road north of Wales street the north side of Yarm road was not developed until 1912.
The Market place to Haughton, Barton Street (Purple): This route shared the route of the Eastbourne trams down Tubwell row to stone bridge where the Haughton trams would turn left to head along what is now the St Cuthbert's way ring road but at the time was known as Clay Row, before heading up to Haughton road. The route climbed a steep hill past the junction for the depot before passing over the NER main line to the rear of the engine sheds, before heading towards the Stockton and Darlington railway bridge which spanned Haughton Road, restricting the route to single Decker operation only, the bridge remaining in situ until the closure of the railway in 1967 when it was removed. Recent earthworks at the bridges location removed the north side embankment of the railway and soon the site will form a major junction for a main road that will follow the former S&DR route to the A66 Darlington by-pass. The terminus at Barton Street was a few yards east of the bridge near an industrial area and developing housing.
The Market place to Cockerton (Green light) route also saw some traffic running through the town centre to terminate at the Bank Top Railway Station bridges where there was a ramp road access in to the station this was a common location for termination of double deck cars which used a crossover. The Cockerton end of the route from the market place ran as double track as far as Outram Street where it changed to single track running. At Millbank road a passing loop was lengthened giving a deceptive impression of double track operation but it was always used as a loop. Another passing loop was sited at the old Cockerton terminus of the Staindrop road/Woodland road junction to allow trams to pass before crossing the bridge in to Cockerton proper where there was a final loop at the junction of West Auckland road/ Cockerton green the terminus being 260 yards from the original at Forcett Street.
In the Town Centre when the horse trams were operating it was a basic layout with its single track operation but with the introduction of the double track electric tramway things got a bit more complex operationally. Apart from the previously mentioned single line section, interlaced at some point(?) between Crown Street and Bondgate/Northgate, there was a single line spur from Bondgate on to the mainline northbound as well as the double track link to Prebend Row. This single line link was also rarely used and removed towards the end of the tramways life. To allow trams on to the westbound line in Bondgate a crossover was sited about 100 yards from the junction. To allow trams to run to Eastbourne and Haughton a three sided junction was sited at the junction of Tubwell row, West row and Prebend row. This junction allowed trams access to and from the Tubwell row and Prebend row sections to the West row terminus as well as trams passing to and from Prebend row on to Tubwell row and vice versa. On West row the Market place terminus was sited on the approximate site of the horse tramway with a head shunt allowing trams to change track.
As the town was still developing it was increasingly obvious the tramway was being left behind. An estimate to extend and maintain the system was prepared and the sum came to 194,000 pounds which was considered far too much. Within the estimate was also the conversion of the system to trolley bus operation with three new routes. With maintenance costs rising economies were made and a passing loop was removed between Bondgate and North Road on the Harrogate Hill line. The 1920's saw the town having outgrown its 1904 tramway, which remained as it was despite the rapid growth of the town except for the lengthening of the Millbank loop on the Cockerton branch with the removal of the poles from the centre of the road to the side, and there was a definite need for expansion or alternative public transport. On 22nd March 1924 Alfred Baker, general manager of Birmingham City Tramways who had been contacted for an opinion on the way forward for transport in Darlington, commented on and pointed out the run down condition of the tramway which was in dire need of rail replacement with some places seeing the flanged tram wheel running on the bottom of the rail groove. As a result he recommended the introduction of Trolleybuses and the full abandonment of the tramway, which he stated would allow easier and cheaper expansion of routes and greater operating speeds. As a result the corporation applied for powers to operate the trolley and omnibuses over a larger route mileage with permission being granted in the Darlington corporation (transport etc act) 1925. Work soon started on the moving of poles to the sides of the road where necessary though trams kept running even as some routes started to see trolleybus operation. Sunday 21st February saw the last tram run the Cockerton to Bank top branch with the trolleybuses running an extended route to Faverdale and the LNER wagon works. Sunday 10th April 1926 saw the last regular scheduled tram on the main line from Harrowgate hill to the Market, though after this date trams could be seen operating alongside the trolleybuses at peak times. At the end of service on Sunday 16th June 1926 the Haughton, Barton street tram service ceased with trolleybuses taking over an extended route the next day. The route to Eastbourne, Cobden Street from Harrowgate hill saw trolleybuses and trams running together for a short while until enough trolleybuses were available to operate the extended route to Geneva road. At the end of tram operations the shed was taken over by the trolley buses and then by motor buses once the trolleys themselves had gone. The depot remaining in use until the end of the corporation transport services in 1994 over 90 years of use!! Sadly it was knocked down to make way for a private leisure complex. The trolleybus service itself ceased in 1957 being replaced by diesel buses. Darlington's Corporation owned transport ceased service in 1996 after the famous bus wars in the town which at one time saw 4 competing bus companies one of whom cheated by offering free travel, though I cannot mention the name bus operator who also operates South West Trains!
As has been mentioned there were 24 cars in all that ran on the system over its 22 year existence.
1-16 The original 16 single deckers were called 'combination cars' as there was accommodation for passengers inside and outside the saloon seating 16 with another 6 on each verandah. They were supplied by British Westinghouse Electric Company who also fitted the controllers with bodies built by C F Milnes and Co of Birkenhead, the trucks constructed by the Mc Guire manufacturing Co. Braking was supplied by slipper track brakes which were applied by the winding of a hand brake wheel fitted horizontally to the controller. The cars had a clerestory roof and wooden un-upholstered benches running along the length of the saloon sides. In 1905 advertising boards were fitted to the roof surrounding the destination blind box with the verandahs enclosed in 1913. To improve ride quality the cars had their 6 feet long wheel bases extended by 2 feet , all of the cars remaining in operation until the end of services in 1926.
17& 18 were 56 seater double deckers that were purchased new in 1913 from the United electric car Co of Preston who were the builders and used 4 wheel flexible trucks. They had closed saloons top and bottom with open verandahs at the top and closed at the bottom. Due to the low bridges that were prominent on the tram system they were route restricted, they could not run beyond the depot to Barton Street due to the SDR Bridge on approach to the Haughton terminus, nor could they run past the 2 NER bridges on Parkgate again because of the low bridges on the Eastbourne run. To allow these cars to operate as far as the northern entrance to the NER station which connects with Parkgate between the bridges the crossover was moved westwards, this allowed the cars to run the Cockerton route with Bank top shorts. The main route that these cars operated was the Harrowgate hill main line where their double deck nature came in very useful with the amount of passengers that would require trams at busy periods. When the Darlington system closed they were sold to Dover Corporation Tramways where they remained for ten years until the closure of that system in 1936. The Dover system had the same gauge of 3 feet 6 inches with the ex Darlington cars running on the Maxton route. Darlington car No.17 operated as Dover Corporation tramways No.8.
19-24 were purchased second hand from the Sheerness tramway in Kent to cater for increased traffic. These were operated by Sheerness & District Electrical Power and Traction Co Ltd in 1918, the tramway there being the first electric tramway in Britain to close in the July of the previous year. Fortunately the Sheerness system was the same gauge as the Darlington system so re-gauging of the trucks was not necessary. One interesting point is that these cars operated originally with a Siemens Bow collector but when they went in to service in Darlington this had been replaced with a standard trolley pole as the overhead wires would often be to one side of the tramway. The cars, built in 1903 by Brush seated 49 and had reversed stairs (rising outward) and ran on Brush 'A' type trucks. 8 cars had been purchased but the other two were used for spare parts and were later scrapped. The 6 operational cars started life in Darlington still in their original Dark green Sheerness colours though by 1921 they had been painted in Darlington colours. As they were open deck cars with signs were prominently posted on the poles supporting the overhead wire at North road warning passengers to remain seated as the car passed under the bridge the cars also had to stop on approach to the bridge and proceed at no more than 4 miles per hour with the conductor on the stairs to the top deck observing the top deck as the car passed under the bridge!!