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Introduction to the Railways & Tramways of Croydon

Croydon's Horse Tramways

Croydon's Electric Tramways

Croydon Tramlink Photo album

Surrey Iron Railway

The Wimbledon & Croydon Railway


The Woodside & Croydon Railway


The London & Croydon Railway


The London & Brighton Railway


Other Sites:
Closed Stations (Site by Nick Catford)

David Bradley Online

(About London Trolleybuses)


Transport of Delight

Croydon Tramlink Unofficial site


TfL trams


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Croydon Tramlink

 

At one time London had an extensive network of Tramways, the first running along the Bayswater Road in 1861 with further tramways formed in the years after the passing of the Tramways Act 1870. When the London Passenger Transport Board (often referred to as London Transport or LT) was formed at 00.01 on the 30th June 1933 absorbing all public transport within what is now Greater London one of its first steps was to prepare for the removal of all tramways in London and their replacement with trolley or motor buses, authorisation for the scheme granted under the London Passenger Transport Board Act of 1934, though it was to be another 18 years before all of London's tramways ceased to operate the last being ex East Ham E/1 car number 87 working from Abbey Wood to New Cross on 6th July 1952. Perhaps at that time no one would have thought that less than 48 years later trams would return to London's streets in an area where the last trams had run on 13th April 1951, in the form of a modern European style tramway. The basis for Croydon Tramlink has its history back in the 1930's even before tramways were starting to be wiped out with the development of the New Addington estate 5 miles from Croydon on the side of a Kent hillside. The estate was erected in the 1930's as part of the council estate boom to provide cheap affordable rent housing for those that could not buy their own home or were otherwise in a position where they needed decent housing, London at that time still having many slums. It was to become the largest built up area in London to not be served by a rail system either Heavy Rail (main line railway) or tramway though there were proposals for both over the years, the latter often discounted due to the intended closure of tramways mentioned above. The first permanent LT bus route for the area was started on 5th July 1939 in the form of route 130 which ran through Croydon to the estate and though it has had several changes to its termini in that time the most recent in May 2007 it has always served the Croydon area. In 1974 the Greater London Council (GLC) commissioned a report looking in to what would be the best form of rail based public transport for the area to connect it to Croydon, a variety of proposals for routes and type of railway put forward for a high frequency service. The conclusions drawn were mostly based around the 'People-mover concept' which would see automatic rail vehicles operating at high frequencies much like the Docklands Light Railway does today, in fact the idea for that system stemmed from a later report in the 1970's which looked at different areas of London, the 1974 report published in 1976 compared the cost for construction and operation of the people-mover system with bus operation. The conclusion was that any such system would have to be on an elevated way for safety and that it was the only feasible option to contend with the heavy congestion that afflicted Croydon at that time, the idea of a tramway being introduced was touched upon but presumably shunned as most people would have had memories of the traditional trams.

 

The second report of the 1970's was the 'Explanatory study of Light Rail Transit and modern Tramways in Greater London' written by LT's planning office, this report taking European tramways as an example and plotting the effect of modern tramway design on the city as a whole. The report proposed possible routes around the city but pinpointed two areas would benefit hugely from any future tramway scheme these being in the aforementioned Docklands area and also between Croydon and New Addington, the ideas, which is all they were, were promptly disregarded. The rejection of the Croydon proposal was down to the problem once again of congestion on approach to and in the town with no viable alternative option except for the elevated way, at the time the Woodside to Selsdon line was still open despite several threats of closure. The report highlighted the fact that public transport had to be rapid, economic and efficient to attract people from their cars which would require a tramway to have priority over other road traffic which would mean that some areas would have to be off limits to other road users. The authors of the report pointed out the rising cost of fuel and the need to cut costs when it came to public transport operation in the south east it was common for public transport operators to keep their wages high to retain staff, even today staff retention is a problem though wages considered by some to be too low for the roles staff play. The idea of extending the Underground out to some areas of the city and its suburbs was looked at briefly especially out towards New Addington, but as the Victoria Line had already stopped short if its intended terminus at Croydon due to cost, these ideas were again put to one side. The main focus then turned to tramways and the need for traffic management to make them worthwhile, the tramway proposals 5 times less cost than that for underground extension. The routes considered for the introduction of tramway already saw a bus frequency of at least 40 per hour, the trams able to carry over double the number of passengers would have cut the number required by half, many of those routes suggested having been former tramway trunk routes anyway. The report suggested that some sections of railway that had either closed or were little used could also be used for the route of a tramway to avoid bottlenecks or traffic congestion, these ideas considered in the 1986 feasibility study for tramways throughout London. This latter report was established as a joint venture between BR and LT part of the report reflecting the earlier 1977 issue that a street tramway would be beneficial for not only the New Addington estate but also the whole of Croydon, Croydon having the necessary closed or little used railways to allow the construction of the tramway. The report, though it did mention Croydon as a contender suggested 40 other different areas with a track mileage of about 131 miles. Parts of the cities outskirts were also included most using 'segregated and integrated alignment', part of the suggestion even included the possible use of double headed trams as used on the Swansea & Mumbles tramway in Wales for many years before its closure. As the list of contenders was cut down, today's Tramlink system began to take form as BR and LT considered the idea of an experimental tramway to gauge how it would affect London as a whole and would be comparable to other tramway schemes that were starting to develop around the country.

 The proposals for the Croydon system included:


A New Addington service at Wellesley Road

As can be seen these routes are essentially what form the Tramlink system today though the West Croydon to Wimbledon via Sutton route would have shared BR metals from Mitcham Junction. The route from East Croydon to Addiscombe would have resurrected the original horse and electric tramway, along Cherry Orchard Road and Lower Addiscombe Road before joining the alignment of the former SER Mid Kent Extension Railway Addiscombe to Elmers End at the time still open for main line traffic but would be closed for the construction of the tramway. The New Addington branch would run on street along the Lower Addiscombe Road before joining the central section of the former Woodside & South Croydon Railway until it reached Coombe Road where it would head eastwards on new alignment, the line to Purley crossing the road on a bridge to follow the southern section of the former railway which had closed in 1983. The West Croydon to Wimbledon branch would follow the alignment of the Wimbledon & Croydon Railway to Mitcham Junction where the tramway to Sutton would run on BR metals to Sutton or continue along the Wimbledon line following the alignment of the railway in to Wimbledon station. Power for the system was considered to be 3rd rail or battery though it was finally decided that overhead line equipment would be the most economical and practical. As the proposals were seen to be a good remedy for congestion in the town a further report was commissioned to draw up the final proposals which were to see the abandonment of some of the routes proposed and the final plans for the remaining routes, the report commissioned in 1987 by the London Borough of Croydon saw a further detailed report from June 1990. The final report was handled by a private consultancy firm which looked at the issues of environmental impact, economics and feasibility of the scheme with the aim of producing a public consultation, with anticipated usage of 20 million passengers per year after the first year and a half. The final result was for three branches and one central system:


A Tram departs East Croydon Westbound

The public consultation took place in 1991 seeing 80% of those answering the questionnaire agreeing to the tramway and its routes though there was much bad press from the local papers, and still is today, with those against the tramway very vociferous, despite this the proposals were written in to a parliamentary Bill presented in the November of that year the Croydon Tramlink Act passed in 1994 with Royal Assent granted on 21st July that year, the last British Tramway to be passed under the Tramways Act of 1870, all tramways from that point to come under the Transport & Works Act of 1992. Part of the condition imposed by the Department of Transport for the passing of the Act was that Private Finance had to be involved in the establishment of the tramway along with the London Borough of Croydon and London Transport. For the financing, development, building, operation and maintenance of the tramway tenders were sought on 30th May 1995, 8 bidders replying. The preferred bidder was Tramtrack Croydon Ltd (TCL) formed of:

(these latter two forming a Construction Joint Venture or CJV)


To reduce the cost of the scheme the government set restrictions on what could be done to build the tramway (a normal procedure for any project of this type) and possibly where the idea of not having a tunnel came from. The concession to build and operate the tramway for 99 years was awarded to the group on 25th November 1996 the tramway having a predicted opening of 4th November 1999, the government providing a grant of 125 million pounds. Work on diversion of the utilities under Croydon's streets took place from 6th January 1997, seeing much necessary disruption in the town, something that caused a lot of complaints even from those wanting the tramway, the works paid for by LT and completed by August 1998. This period also saw the closure of the BR lines from Croydon to Wimbledon and from Addiscombe to Elmers End to allow the relaying of track though some sections of today's tramway still uses over 4 miles of the original BR rails and sleepers with just over another half mile of ex BR track used in the depot siding One location where the use of former BR re-furbished track is noticeable on the Wimbledon branch between Morden Road and Merton Park where the east bound track is higher than the westbound, there is sometimes criticism of the use of second hand rail though one must bare in mind that rails have a life usage of about 30 years and the BR rail was only a few years old when the tramway was built so it was economical to use that rail. On the segregated sections of line S49 flat bottomed rail is used with Vossloh pattern clips fastened to pre-stressed monobloc sleepers laid on track ballast. Much of the track was British Steel batch, identifiable by the BS coding on the side of the rail though there is a large quantity of foreign rail as well. The street sections are constructed with a 12 inch reinforced concrete bed with two raised sections about 6 inches high to hold the rails, the rails held in place by a polymer which also acts as insulation. On the tight curve from Station Road in to Wellesley Road the original steel rail of types Ri59 or Ri60 (Ri standing for the German word Rillenschiene or grooved rail) had to be replaced in about 2005 due to wear seeing the track dug up and high carbon Manganese steel rails inserted instead, these being in sections rather than continuously welded as they are in the rest of the town centre. A similar problem with track wear arose on the tight curve from Wellesley Road in to George Street in 2007 seeing the replacement of the rail with a slightly new alignment to reduce the radius of the curve, the rails laid on a new principle with the sleeper formed in two blocks with stressing bars of about 10mm thickness passing between the two blocks, the rails held in place by pandrol clips on a rubber mat to aid insulation. When future rail replacement becomes necessary this will allow the easier removal of the rails without causing too much disruption as in both cases the town centre tramway had to be closed to allow the work to take place. Points were provided by Voest-Alpine of Austria and are fitted with Hanning & Kahl equipment, the whole system utilising 48 sets of points not including those for the sidings in the depot. The majority of the points are sprung points trams pushing the blade aside in the trailing direction and re-setting for the principle route at tramway junctions such as Sandilands, Church Street, Beckenham Junction, New Addington, East Croydon and the depot entrances there are motorised points controlled by the route code of the trams VECOM and destination code there being 9 sets in all, there are also a set of free trailing pints at Reeves corner which when a tram has passed through remain in the position set by the tram, all points able to be set manually should it be required. Where there are emergency crossovers and the two sidings, one at Wimbledon the other at Elmers End these are manual points as are the ones in the depot. In all there is about 32 miles of track on the system though only 18 of these are main line. Overhead wires provide the traction current each section of overhead is double end fed meaning that power is supplied from the electrical substations at either end of that section, and require two conductor wires, should one sub station fail or be turned off then the two substations either side will still provide the necessary 750VDC for tram operation, in all there are 13 substations that are served from the National Grid. The OLE (Overhead Line Equipment) masts are of H section on most of the system except in the Croydon town centre conservation area where they are round, the need for 22 masts in George Street done away with by suspending the wire from span wires between buildings along the side of the street, many of these same buildings possibly having been used for this purpose with the electrification of the original Addiscombe tramway in 1902.

Stop signals at Beckenham Junction with speed board underneath

The first of the 24 trams to arrive from Vienna where it underwent heavy testing at the BWS plant and test track was 2530 (the others numbered up to 2553) in October 1998 having been constructed at Bombardier's Vienna works and brought over by ship and road, the trams continuing the number sequencing of London's former electric trams though it has been suggested that the number 2530 was already held by an older tram scrapped sometime in LT's tramway years. The vehicles are based on the K4000 trams used in Cologne Germany, though the Croydon cars are 1.5 metres shorter and classified as CR4000. The length of the Croydon trams is just under 100 feet long with a width of just under 9 feet though the ends of each car are tapered inwards. As the cars are of 76% low floor design the main saloon section is just over 1 foot above the rails the section of saloon over the power bogies a bit higher, the low height making easy access for most people, the tram stops utilising raised platforms to floor height. The total official capacity for each tram is 208 people, 70 seated and 138 standing though the latter changes when there are wheelchair users who can use the provided wheelchair bays. The trams which can be driven from either end have three cars in an A, C, B formation A and B being the motor cars each with one bogie and the C car a centre car with a trailing bogie each with 4 wheels, the centre car having independently running wheels the power bogies using axles. Power is transmitted through four 120KW 3 phase AC motors, the tram converting the DC power from the overhead to AC. The motors also act as braking systems when used in normal service mode using the system known as Dynamic braking which sees the motors become generators pushing power back in to the overhead or burning the excess current off through resistors on the trams roof. In case of an emergency there are also four track brakes two on each of the motor bogies which can be applied using the hazard brake or a button in the cab, with each wheel fitted with the spring applied brakes which apply when the tram is preparing to stop and the brake controller is in the braking position (applying about 8-5KPH), personally I dislike spring applied brakes as they have the potential to cause the tram to stop badly if at all and I am of the firm belief that ALL braking should be carried out by the driver especially when drawing to a halt. On the tram there are three computers, one for the tram itself controlling and monitoring all its systems and two for signalling, these latter known as VECOM's. When the tram departs the depot on a morning the VECOM receives a download with the trams timetable and destination code, the driver inputting the tram running number (identifies what route and duty that tram is on that day) and the line number, as well as the drivers own code and duty number. During the day the trams running number normally remains the same the VECOM receiving timetable downloads at each termini and at Reeves Corner for lines 1 & 2 along with the line number but the drivers code and duty changes as different drivers take over. Sometimes the VECOM has to be re-programmed if there is a change in the service due to an incident which sees the tram become out of sequence:

An Upside down view of a running number board, Lines 1 & 2 running number 12

The use of the codes allows the tramway to essentially run itself the information from the VECOM taken from a transponder under the front bogie of the tram which passes over induction loops in the four foot line side cabinets at tramstops passing the information on to the main computer. All operations able to be viewed from the system control room in the depot which also monitors the electrical supply and sub stations. The use of the VECOM allows the system to change points when required and lock signals should a tram already be on a junction or using a single line section though the control room can override the automatic 'proceeds' by locking the signals on stop. There are four signal aspects 'PROCEED' (Vertical bar), 'CLUSTER' (same meaning as a yellow traffic light), 'STOP' (Horizontal Bar) and 'No ASPECT' (Stop and advise control unless authority given to pass). There are two other forms of signalling device and there used to be three, the first two are Points Position Indicators (PPI) and SPAS lights, the PPI speaks for itself as it shows the position of the points but this also has two aspects and in the case of two way junctions three aspects. 'DETECTION LEFT', 'DETECTION RIGHT' (both diagonal bars to left or right), or 'STOP & ADVISE CONTROL' (a horizontal bar) if there is a no detection an alarm sounds in the control room the service controller advising any trams in the area that the points are not set correctly. The use of the Horizontal bar is a recent addition to the PPI's and was recommended to be used by the Railway Accident Investigation Branch after two tram derailments on facing Points at Phipps Bridge, one of which was the first call out for the team when it was just established but had not taken up official duties, the use of the Horizontal PPI indicator in line with developing British tramway practice, prior to the addition of the Bar a centre dot would be displayed on the PPI. On single line sections blue lamps are placed at equal distances along the section and should a tram pass a signal at stop at either end of that section these will be activated and the tram will be brought to a stop by the driver who then calls the control room. Sometimes it is necessary for trams to be SPAS'ed past a signal and in this case the lights will still go off, spassing similar to SPAD on the railway means 'Signal passed at STOP'. On the single line section at New Addington on 23rd November 2005, two trams collided in thick fog after one had passed a signal at stop due to poor visibility, the other driver not being able to see ahead proceeded with caution but did not see the other tram in time and a collision ensued the first on a modern tramway in Britain. At this location there were no SPAS lights as they were considered unnecessary due to the short length of the single line which branches in to double track at the terminus. The other type of tramway signal used until 2005 were named 'Dispatchers' these were simply bulbs located on each platform at East Croydon, the driver pressing an RTS (Ready To Start button) on the VECOM, when the bulb illuminated it meant the same as a proceed, if the control room wanted to hold a tram at East Croydon these were useful as they could be locked to prevent a proceed, though these have now been removed. The reason for the different type of signal here was due to technicalities with the law as though it is reserved track where there should not be any road traffic, normal signals at that location would be considered as highway signals ad should there be a problem with a tram gaining a proceed it would have to remain at that location until it was authorised to pass by a policeman or Community support officer. As a safety precaution all signals showing 'NO ASPECT' are considered stop signals.


Sandilands Jct

As no track had been laid at the time for the trams except in the depot sidings they were placed here for initial testing until sections of tramway were completed. The section between Ampere Way (Now Ikea Ampere Way) and Beddington lane was the first to be completed, and was used for the training of drivers and the running in of the trams and control system testing with operation over the remainder of the system from the July of 1999. The depot is located at Therapia Lane on the alignment of the former railway to Wimbledon the main line of the tramway arcing round the site over what was once the site of railway sidings. Inside the depot site there is the main tram shed which can hold 4 trams at anyone time and is used for maintenance purposes rather than storage, gantries and pits inside allowing the engineers full access to all parts of the trams. The shed also includes a wheel lathe for re-profiling the trams wheels which get worn with the many tight curves on the system and also electric motor jacks to lift the tram whole so that bogies can be removed for cleaning and repair, though major refurbishment of the bogies sees them sent abroad. The shed is also the headquarters of TCL and First Tram Operations (successor to Centre West Buses) this latter company part of the large First Group public transport operator. This is also the location of the control room where three monitoring stations allow the service controllers to watch tram movements and control signals or programme downloads as well as keeping an eye on the power supply, should it be necessary they can also turn off the power supply at the click of a mouse for either all or part of the system. Entry to the depot for trams is normally through the east gate from Therapia Lane tramstop sanding bays and a tram wash on the access road, which can be by passed by two lines that run in to and through the shed. Once past the wash the tram is faced with 8 sidings each of which is connected to an access ladder at each end (East and West ladder) the trams are berthed on the six centre roads over night leaving the two outer ones for tram movements should it be necessary. In the yard there is also an unwired siding that is used for the railing of work vehicles that can run on rails and on the road, this siding is also home to the Tramlink works vehicles, these two 4 wheel diesel rail vehicles were purchased in 2006 and have a cab at the front with a flat bed to the rear and a crane, three flat bed wagons also arrived at the same time, due to their not having VECOM's or transponders they are only allowed out main line under full engineering possession when no other trams are out on the system. From the wired access line parallel to the un-wired siding trams can get to the West gate used from trams departing towards Wimbledon on a morning, or enter the depot shed. I remember visiting Croydon on a weekend when I was at college and seeing people stopping and staring at the out of service commissioning trams as they passed through the street before the tramway opened, today I am one of the 80 proud drivers that work on the tramway having started in July 2003. Anyway, due to current leakage problems in the town centre affecting BR signals at East Croydon and other delays in the construction of the tramway the system was not opened until 10th May 2000. The first service tram was 2535 becoming the first tram in London for 48 years and the first in Croydon for 49 years, at that time the only line ready for passenger use being the New Addington branch (Line 3). The next line was the Beckenham Junction line (Line 2) on 23rd May 2000, with the Elmers End to Wimbledon (formerly line 1) opening on 29th May 2000, today the tramway carries about 22 million people a year on its three routes which presently (2007) run from New Addington to Wimbledon since July 2006 as line 3, Elmers End to George Street (Line 1) and then from George Street to West Croydon and Beckenham Junction (Line 2). TfL records passenger numbers on the 18 mile long system as 24 million people per year or nearly 66,000 people per day in 2006, meaning on average each tram driver will see 1136 people on their tram per day and each tram carries about 3140 per day though only 208 are allowed on at any one time.

A Tram stands at New Addington

The organisation of the management is quite complex but essentially TCL own the tramway but operate to restrictions set by TfL which sets the first and last compulsory tram times, minimum service frequencies, the required level of tram traffic through Croydon (21 per hour), fares and generally oversee the quality operation of the tramway as a whole. Upon opening the tramway timetable was approximately every 12 minutes for all routes as recommended by HMRI who were of the opinion that until drivers and people got used to the trams this would be the safest frequency, by 2001 the frequencies were increased to every 10 minutes on Line 1 and Line 2 and about every 7 minutes on line 3. The relationship between the two organisations appears at times to be quite difficult and there have often been reports of court cases between the two in the London Press though these are seen as normal formula for disagreement settling if it cannot be done otherwise. The way the concession is set up seems to cause problems when it comes to funding of extra projects such as a new tram stop, purchase of new vehicles, or extension. For the opening of the new Centrale shopping centre in Croydon in 2004 a new tramstop in Tamworth Road had been proposed to open at the same time, but due to the politics of serving the stop it was not in fact opened until 10th December 2005. the problem was who was going to pay for the extra tram required to serve the stop as the timetable at that time unchanged since 2001 allowed for 21 trams through the town centre on the routes mentioned above but with the addition of an extra stop delays to the service were foreseen the only reasonable solution would have been for a change in timetable/routes and the addition of a new tram. As a new tram costs over 2 million pounds and the type of vehicle used on the Tramlink system had ceased production prior to that time the only other options was to either buy a whole new tram out of standard with the others or buy a second hand tram from Colne which would require modification. The other option would be to just change the timetable and routing and reduce the number of spare trams available. At that time there were 21 trams in operation during the peak periods (7.00am to 7.00pm) with the remaining three trams remaining at the depot, one under heavy servicing by the engineers, one under light service and one spare, proposals to change the timetable would require that spare tram used as a service tram throughout the day leaving only two trams at the depot though both under repair causing problems should a service tram be withdrawn and there being no replacement. Discussions between TfL and TCL apparently became heated over what should be done until it was decided that the timetable and routes would be changed with an increased frequency of service using 22 trams, the Wimbledon line increased to a 7 1/2 minute frequency instead of 10 minute with trams running through from New Addington. Lines 1 and 2 were to be merged trams running from Elmers End to George Street as line 1 before changing to line 2 to go round the loop to West Croydon and Beckenham Junction. When the new timetable was introduced in late July 2006 needless to say there were some complaints over the changes not only between TCL and TfL but also passengers that did not want their trams running from New Addington to Wimbledon as many people joined the tram for Wimbledon from the Addiscombe area and those people in the New Addington area did not want the tram NOT to go to West Croydon directly, having to change at Church Street for a line 1 or 2 tram and that there was a lesser frequency of service (of 30 seconds!!). The explanation given for the route change was that the statistics showed more people from the New Addington line wanted to travel through to the Wimbledon line but as with all statistics this could have been taken with a pinch of salt, the real reason for the change supposedly that it is the only way that there would be capacity for the increased number of trams. With the proposals for the increased frequency on the Wimbledon branch there was also some concern over whether it would be able to handle the increase especially with the number of single line sections along the route. Today a tram running late can be held at a single line section for up to 2 minutes to allow another tram through and it is common to see a tram arriving at a terminus and departing as soon as the driver has changed ends due to delays caused partly by the single line sections. An important political factor took place in January 2007 when Mayor of London Ken Livingstone well known for his blunt views demanded that TCL should resign the tramway to TfL over safety concerns the HMRI issuing two improvement notices to TCL only three having been issued that year. For many years Mr Livingstone has been unhappy about Private Public Partnerships especially on the tube but also with the trams but such a public attack has not stopped plans for the systems possible extension.



Arena junction, the Beckenham branch to the left

Despite their differences TfL had announced its intention to extend the tramway to Crystal Palace when funding became available in 2004 and in 2006 a public consultation took place. There have been other demands for extensions to the tramway even before it opened but this has always been the most economical and possible, many of the others requiring extensive on street running. As part of preparing for the public consultation three possible routes for the extension were proposed all including taking over or running parallel to the existing Beckenham Junction to Crystal Palace line opened in 1858 by the West of London & Crystal Palace Railway from Harrington Road tramstop. Part of the original plans for the extension were to take over this line to Beckenham Junction so as to allow the doubling of the single line with passing places tramway that exists at the moment but this appears to have been dropped, presumably main line rail services continuing to run from Beckenham Junction to Crystal Palace and on to London Bridge when the new section of tramway opens. The main difference between the three proposed routes is at the Crystal Palace end once the tramway has reached a proposed tramstop at Anerley Road:

The response to the survey saw option 2 as the preferred route as it would have the least impact on traffic, or should that be the traffic would have least impact on the tram? And that it would also give good connections to the railway station, an important factor of the Tramlink system is its good connection to main line railway stations. Where a second option was given this was option 3 and was chosen twice as many times as option 1 which was the most unpopular route. With the success of the consultation 78% of those surveyed (just under 2000 were surveyed) saying the extension was a good idea, TfL will now asses for itself which of the three routes it thinks is most viable with a decision on which will be the chosen one by the end of 2007. It is hoped that the new route will be open by 2013 but this of course depends on whether funding will be raised and government approval will be granted. Other extensions that have been suggested and that may be constructed should funding be available include:


A Line 3 service stands at Platform 10 at Wimbledon

As has been mentioned above the present tramway runs not only on street but also along new alignment with 50% on former railway. The majority of the Wimbledon branch follows former railway alignment branching off the town centre loop at Church Street tramstop where there is a short section of interlaced track before the tramway enters Cairo New Road which it follows as far as Jubilee Bridge flyover carrying the A236 around the town centre, once under the flyover the tram swings south to run for a short distance parallel to Network Rails West Croydon to Epsom and Sutton line. For the tramway to get on to the western side of this railway a tramway flyover had to be constructed to bring the tramway down on to the alignment of the former Wimbledon & Croydon Railway opened in 1855 and closed in 1997 for the construction of the tramway. The single track approach to the flyover proper sees trams ascend a steep gradient and once on the bridge the tram passes through a 90 degree curve to head westwards and descend in to the double track section from Wandle Park tram stop. The flyover is constructed of pre-cast, pre-stressed Y beams for the span across the railway, the side spans formed from reinforced concrete that was formed in to the spans at the location, the bridge consisting of 5 spans and 2 curves over its length. The section of line between Wandle Park and Beddington Lane is home to the tram depot located just west of Therapia Lane tramstop access to the depot is possible by motorised facing points on the westbound track and trailing sprung points on the eastbound, trams for the depot from Wimbledon reversing at Therapia Lane Tramstop before crossing over to the westbound track. The tramway curves around the depot site on its northern side deviating from the railway alignment which the depot is built on, the main line rejoining the original railway at the western end of the depot where the eastbound track has motorised facing points to allow movements in to the depot via the west gate though these are very rare. Beyond the west gate of the depot is the road crossing over Beddington Lane and the tramstop of that name a single track section taking the tram to Mitcham Junction. To cross the Network Rail line from Streatham to Sutton another flyover had to be constructed, this time in the form of a single span steel plate girder with pre-cast concrete blocks forming the track bed, the steel girders supported by reinforced concrete 'Bank seats' which are supported by reinforced soil embankments to bring the tramway to the required height to clear the railway. On the downward approach to the tramstop is the start of the passing loop which ends at the western side of the stop the tramway returning to single line operation to Mitcham where the line again forms a passing loop. Mitcham is also the start of the double track section to Phipps Bridge a turning point for trams should they be running very late, but to get in to the double track section from Mitcham tramstop interlaced track passes under the road bridge passing some buttresses erected to prevent the collapse of a wall in the 1970's seeing the singling of the original BR line. Belgrave Walk is the next stop and is one of the three island platforms on the tramway, the others at Phipps Bridge and East Croydon. As mentioned above Phipps Bridge tramstop is a terminating point with trams entering the single line section to head-shunt before returning to the eastbound track, the single line section here running through the marshy River Wandle flood plane which forms an island crossed by two bridges. This section of tramway can often be seen on the ITV1 programme THE BILL which I have been told has its Police Station on the neighbouring industrial estate, certainly some scenes in the programme show the OLE masts of the tramway and sometimes trams can be heard passing (I have had some of the cast on my tram! Poor them). On approach to Morden Road tramstop the tramway reverts to double track until it reaches the approach to Wimbledon on a tight curve to bring the double track tramway alongside the LSWR line from London Waterloo to the south and west of England though the tramway does run parallel to the former Southern Railway alignment to Sutton, the tramway having taken over the former Southbound line when it becomes single track in to platform 10 of Wimbledon station where the tramway has a buffer stop end on to the main line platform 10. When the tramway was constructed a number of footbridges over the former railway were removed.


Sandilands Junction the New Addington line branching to the left, the Addiscombe branch to the right. Note the Proceed signal and PPI beneath

Returning to the eastern end of town we start at Sandilands tramstop which is reached on double track street and reserved section along the Lower Addiscombe road, the tramway from here double track to Arena. Sandilands tramstop is the junction for the trams from New Addington and those on the Addiscombe branch the tramway junction located on a gradient with motorised points setting the route. At this point the tramway joins the former alignment of the Woodside & South Croydon Railway which opened in 1885 and closed in 1983, the northern section of the railway used by trams towards Arena junction having passed under the Lower Addiscombe Road Bridge. Beyond this bridge the tramway drops down to street level to cross Bingham Road and Addiscombe Road Addiscombe tramstop located between the two, the railway at this point continued on embankment crossing the roads by way of two bridges and continuing on embankment to Blackhorse Lane over bridge. When the tramway was being designed it was decided that the embankment would be removed to improve passenger accessibility to the tramway some of the spoil dumped at the former junction of the railway to Addiscombe at what is now Blackhorse lane tramstop. Once the tramway has crossed Addiscombe Road it climbs up to the former level of the railway passing over the emergency crossover which is used if trams are running late or if there are problems getting through to Arena or Sandilands. Once the tram has passed under Blackhorse Lane Bridge there is Blackhorse Lane tramstop and beyond there is Stroud Road footbridge and Woodside tramstop. This tramstop is interesting as the former station building is still in situ on the Whitehorse Lane Road Bridge which the tramway passes underneath on the straight section of line to Arena, this section using former BR rails and wooden sleepers, having been closed in 1997 for the construction of the tramway. At Arena tramstop a junction with motorised points allows trams to continue towards Elmers End along a section of single track a cripple siding on the western side, though this is rarely used the trams terminating in platform 1 of Elmers End station.


A Tram awaits departure from Elmers End

The other line from Arena continues double track through South Norwood Country Park on new alignment to Harrington Road. Around 2004 this section of double track tramway had to be dug up and totally re-laid due to track settlement causing an uneven running surface due to the London clay prominent in that area. This is a common problem with newly laid railways and is caused by the weight of vehicles compressing the under-soil or in this case clay and with the track being somewhat elastic wet beds or accumulations of water in the compressed sections causing the bed of the track to sink. The work involved lifting the track and digging a deeper trench filled with ballast to reduce the amount of wet clay underneath, the additional problem with the track through the park being that it passes through several relatively tight curves with speed restrictions of 45, 50 and 40 KPH, these curves susceptible to track buckling in hot weather due to the three bogie design of the trams and the operating speeds, the centre car of the tram applying greater stress on the outside of the rail than the leading and trailing bogies. Beyond Harrington Road tramstop the tramway reverts to single line to pass around the tightly radiused Love Lane curve to bring the tramway parallel to the single track railway between Beckenham Junction and Crystal Palace, this line singled in 1983 as an economy measure. From this point the tramway serves the single platform Birkbeck stop which was built on the site of the former UP platform before continuing through to Avenue Road stop where there is a passing loop and two platforms. Beyond here the tram reaches the single platform stop of Beckenham Road high above the road reached by a bridge, a passing loop here sited at the end of the stop to allow trams from Beckenham to pass before the Beckenham Junction bound tram continues along single line track parallel to the Crystal Palace line and the South Eastern Railway lines to Kent as mentioned above used by Eurostar services on their way to the Continent, the terminus at Beckenham Junction is outside the Railway station at street level with an island platform, the tramway climbing a short gradient with motorised points to reach it. 


A West Croydon service awaits departure for West Croydon

Back at Sandilands Junction trams for New Addington join the alignment of the former Woodside and South Croydon in a southerly direction to pass through the three Sandilands tunnels before dropping down to road level at Coombe Road which the tramway runs parallel to after a sharp curve eastwards on new alignment to bring trams to Lloyd Park. The use of part of the park is a benefit to the trams as this keeps them away from the busy road that can become congested in peak periods the tramway climbing steep gradients as it climbs the Shirley hills which afford a marvellous view over London to Wembley in the Croydon direction, on a clear night one can see the Wembley Stadium arch which when first erected was lit up at night. At the summit of the line, possibly the highest point on the tramway though New Addington could be higher is Coombe Lane tramstop and the road crossing for Coombe Lane with a steep downward gradient on the opposite side taking the tramway down to Gravel Hill. Between Lloyd Park and Gravel hill the tramway again had to be dug up and the trench deepened due to the London Clay it is built on seeing the tramway closed for many weeks after the Beckenham Line was completed, the section from Addington village to King Henry's Drive was also dug up and re-laid. At Gravel Hill the trams cross the busy dual carriageway taking road traffic to Kent Gateway the tramway running through cutting to curve past the major roundabout to Kent Gateway proper which is another major Road and one of the sites for the construction of the Croydon Cable tunnel by National Grid.  This 60 million pound project is to construct a tunnel from Rowdown electrical substation to Beddington substation and is to avoid the laying of high voltage electrical cables between these two locations as the construction of masts would not be viable. At Kent Gateway the tramway runs through the central reservation before crossing over the eastbound carriageway by a curve to reach Addington Village tramstop. From here the tramway once again starts to climb rounding a curve to run on the alignment of a former dual carriageway which was singled for the construction of the tramway, beyond the curve there is another emergency crossover on the gradient. As the tram climbs the side of the hill it serves Fieldway before cutting though King Henry's drive roundabout to serve the tramstop of that name the terminus of New Addington a short distance at the top of the hill, the double track tramway forming a short single line section as it enters the island platform tramstop. It had been hoped that should Biggin Hill airfield have been expanded that trams would have continued there but it seems this project has been abandoned.


A Tram rounds the curve from Wellesley Road in to George Street Eastbound

The last part of our tour is the town centre which is essentially a basic layout in a large loop around the town centre. Starting from Sandilands Junction the trams come of the segregated track that forms the junction proper and cross over the summit of the cutting to drop in to the tramstop. Just beyond here the tramway becomes reserved track before reaching the street section at the Chepstow Road/Addiscombe Road junction, the tramway running along Addiscombe Road in to East Croydon serving Lebanon Road stop en route. At Cherry orchard Road the present tramway joins the alignment of the 1902 Addiscombe tramway to reach East Croydon station with its three platform three road tramstop. This tramstop has a set of motorised pints at each end and when everything is up and running two trams can be served in the same direction at any one time the other platform used for trams in the opposite direction. The tramstop is situated on the bridge over the main London to Brighton line, the bridge consisting of three separate parts, each one added as the road was widened. The first bridge on the site was erected in 1841 with the opening of the railway, the second presumably to allow the passage of trams to Addiscombe and the third the most recent for a road widening scheme, possibly in the 1960's to 1970's. as part of the bridge was unable to carry the weight of the modern trams one span was replaced with pre-cast concrete beams another having its infill removed and filled with lightweight concrete with five other sections re-decked. From the tramstop the tramway continues along George Street passing over the busy Wellesley Road and the Croydon Underpass before entering the single track one way narrower part of George Street the tram stop just short of the former 1902 tramway terminus. The modern tramway at this pint crosses the former Purley to Norbury trunk tram route closed in 1951 to descend Crown Hill, trams having wrong road (gone in the wrong direction) for the first time up this hill in 2007 when the Wellesley Road George Street curve was closed for track re-laying. The trams then curve round in to Church street tramstop with its short interlaced section. Trams for Wimbledon continuing straight ahead and trams for West Croydon curving right in to Tamworth Road to follow the former SMET tramway route and Surrey Iron Railway canal branch to West Croydon. Central tramstop mentioned above was opened on this section in 2005, this platform essentially an island as it is in the centre of the road a bus lane on the right hand side, trams having to role forward to demand the signal as there is no demand loop at this location. At the top of Tamworth Road the tramway one again crosses the former Purley to Norbury route which ran down London Road, the modern trams entering Station Road which saw trams from the early 1900's, the tramstop for West Croydon Railway station opposite the bus station. When the London Overground extension of the East London line reaches West Croydon it is expected that major re-development will take place here hopefully with a new passing loop and tramstop to allow higher frequency of tram service through the town centre when the Crystal Palace line opens, though this is only my hope and not necessarily on the cards. From West Croydon the tramway follows the road up to the junction with Wellesley Road where the former tramways to Crystal Palace and Penge swung left, the modern trams running to the right along the central reservation back to George Street, crossing Wellesley road at an angle to get to Wellesley Road tramstop before taking the sharp curve in to George Street and East Croydon.


A Tram stands in the Eastbound Platform at East Croydon

Just as we finish the Croydon Tramlink article special mention should be made of the Croydon Tramlink Unofficial Website and its owner Stephen Parascandolo though very much in favour of the trams over the years his views did cause some discussion amongst the Tramlink staff and I'm sure among TCL. Sadly Stephen only in his 20's and a promising career ahead in the railway industry, died in a tragic accident in 2006 and his updates for his site are very missed amongst the staff.