R.o.B Tramways
The Tramways of Sunderland
Compiled By Mr John Grant and Nathan Darroch
The Sunderland Transport Company started Sunderland's first horse drawn tram service on the 28th April 1879 under the authority of the Sunderland Tramways Order 1878, the first section of single line tramway ran from the Royal Hotel at Monkwearmouth to Roker, services operated by three horse drawn single deck trams. From 11th June 1879 the company opened an extension to Christ Church where there was a one way loop along Gray road and Tatham Street to bring the tramway back on to the original line at Fawcett street. A branch heading in a northerly direction from Tatham road saw trams head to the docks and Adelaide Street, the terminus, for this extension two double deck cars purchased, the tramway system equating to 3 1/2 miles in length. Between 1880 and 1881 the Corporation seeing the benefit the tramway had on the towns transport constructed new branches, one from North Bridge street to Southwick along Southwick road with two further branches one along the High street eastwards and the other southwards along Durham road, when completed the Corporation leased the lines to the Company who experimented with steam tram engines and trailers, though these only lasted about seven months.
By 1894 the tramway operated thirty three tram cars though there had been no extensions to the tramway since the completion of the Durham road route. The company realized that the town was growing outwards and saw the benefit of applying for permission for further extensions. Though a contract lease was drawn up it was never signed and in 1900 the Corporation purchased the tramway under the "Sunderland Corporation Act 1899" the corporation taking over on the 26th March 1900. The corporations primary aim was for the electrification of the tramway and then later look at expansion to cater for those areas that had little or no public transport. The first section to re-open was that between Roker and Christchurch on the 15th August 1900, Coucillor J.Trewhitt, Chairman of the Tramways Committee, opening the first section of the electric tramways. The occasion was met with the appropriate celebration with the tramcars decked with garlands and the men wearing high silk hats for the occasion. It did not take long for the rest of the system to follow suit over the succeeding months with the final horse-drawn tram operated barely six months later on 19th February 1901.
With the completion of electrifying the old network, the Corporation turned to the building of a number of extensions:
- The Roker route was extended to Seaburn via Whitburn Road 22nd May 1901
- From St Barnabas to Villette Road (this route, with its low railway bridge in Suffolk Street, required the provision of single-deck trams) 16th July 1901
- From Christ Church to Grangetown via Bridge Street and Ryehope Road 12th August 1901
- Fulwell via Gladstone Road and Fulwell Lane opened on 27th March 1903;
- Barrack Street on 23rd January 1904.
- A circular route via Hylton Road and Chester Road.
The Sunderland and District Tramway: The next opening in the area was from Grangetown southwards to Ryhope in 1905 under the aegis of the Sunderland & District Tramways Co. The Sunderland and District ran from Grangetown south to Ryhope before turning westwards to Houghton Le Spring via Tunstall, Silksworth, East and West Herrington to New Herrington, where it turned south again through Philadelphia, where the company had its tramsheds. The village is perhaps more famous in railway circles for its connection to the large National Coal Board "Philadelphia" railway system. The tramway then continued on past Penshaw and Fence Houses to Houghton Le Spring 8 1/2 miles east of Sunderland and in 1906 extended to Easington Lane or Lyons another out lying village. The start of the District services was slightly delayed due to power station at Philadelphia not being completed by the may of 1905 as had been anticipated, services not actually starting until 10th June 1905. Despite the proximity of the Corporation and District Tramways at Grangetown, it was not until 1920 (and the threat from the new motorbuses) that agreement was reached between the the two for operation of through services. These lasted barely five years as the Sunderland & District trams were abandoned on 15th July 1925, its sixteen trams purchased by the Great Grimsby Street Tramways Company.
A further extension of the Corporation tramway took place on the 2nd December 1925 when a new line was laid to Barnes Park along the Durham Road, west of the town. 1927 brought the Corporation permission to operate motorbuses in and around the town the first tram route to be replaced being the dock line on the 6th February 1928, though the Corporation did not operate the service itself contracting the route out to the Northern General Omnibus Company. Despite this incursion of buses the Corporation stuck with its trams and even extended the route from Barnes Park on the 4th August 1929 with the building of the Humbledon Hill estate. There were also minor changes to tram routes in the form of re-alignment as roads especially the Ryhope road were widened. With the arrival of May 1929 the Corporation received delivery of its own buses though it kept its dedication to tram routes by replacing track and trams when necessary unlike many other councils at the time that were only to eager for the new economical mode of public transport in the form of buses. There were even more extensions of the tram routes with the Fulwell lane route extended on the 10th May 1937 to Seaburn, via Dykelands Road. It was to be another 10 years until the next extension took the line along Durham road to Grindon Lane on the 21st February 1948 with another extension to Thorney Close Road the in 1949, to serve new housing estates in the area.
By then the Corporation had decided that its tram system would have to go the way of most of the countries other tramways and on the 5th November 1950 the Villette Road-Suffolk Road loop line to the east of the city centre was closed followed by the Southwick route and on 2nd September 1951, the remaining routes lasted until the 1st of October 1954 with Sunderland's last tram being the 1932 built No.86.
The Sunderland closures were as follows:
- Villette Road to Suffolk road loop 5th November 1950
- Southwick 2nd September 1951
- Grangetown 30th November 1952
- The Hylton Road and Chester Road Circle route 3rd January 1954
- Seaburn (via Roker) 3rd January 1954
- Durham Road 28th March 1954
- Seaburn (via Fulwell) 1st October 1954
Car No.86: The last Sunderland tram to run was Car No 86. This double deck car had been built in the Corporations workshops over 10 weeks being rolled out in 1932. It was of an experimental design as the town tramway needed more modern cars for the 1930's. It had a streamline paint job and with flat sides looked every bit modern, able to hold 62 passengers with all the seats fully upholstered. It was mounted on an EMB truck with a wheel base of 8 feet 6 inches long and powered by two 50hp motors, controlled by English Electric controllers and air brakes with a weight of 13tons. The car was such a success the corporation ordered 12 more of similar design nine from English Electric and 3 from the corporation workshops and on introduction to service were numbered 87-98 these latter cars having more powerful motors. The last car of the fleet was the first Sunderland tram to carry a pantograph instead of a trolley pole and was to set the precedent for the future Sunderland cars. Most of the Sunderland fleet were 4 wheelers due to the many tight curves on the system.