58-713: London United Tramways Company Limited was an operator of trams and trolleybuses in the western and southern suburbs of London, UK, from 1894 to 1933, when it passed to the London Passenger Transport Board . The company was formed in 1894 by the Imperial Tramways Company under the leadership of George White and Clifton Robinson to take over the assets of the West Metropolitan Tramways Company , which had gone into receivership and had operated
116-829: A London General ( LGOC ) motor-bus route. Richmond's tram-shed still exists as the former RACC Shaftesbury Centre in Kew Road, now part of The Falcons School for Boys, just north of the A316 . The LUT system was connected to the London County Council tram network at Hammersmith in 1908, Tooting in 1922 and Wandsworth in 1931; and to the Metropolitan Electric Tramways (MET) at Acton in 1909. The company's headquarters, depot and power station were in Chiswick. On 1 January 1913, LUT became
174-510: A chairman and six other members. The members were chosen jointly by five appointing trustees listed in the Act: The Act required that the board members should be ' persons who have had wide experience, and have shown capacity, in transport, industrial, commercial or financial matters or in the conduct of public affairs and, in the case of two members, shall be persons who have had not less than six years' experience in local government within
232-627: A company limited by guarantee in 1962, and recognised as an educational charity in 1963. After a sustained search across the country, in 1959 the society's attention was drawn to the then derelict limestone quarry at Crich in Derbyshire, from which members of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society were recovering track from Stephenson's mineral railway for their pioneering preservation project in Wales . After
290-534: A farewell tour of Southampton Tramways in August 1948 decided to purchase one of the open top trams on which they had ridden. For the sum of £10 they purchased number 45 – now included in collection at the museum. From this purchase grew the idea of a working museum devoted to operating tramcars. From the original group developed the Tramway Museum Society, established in 1955, incorporated as
348-593: A horse-drawn tram service from Shepherd's Bush to Acton and Chiswick , and from Hammersmith to the north side of Kew Bridge via Chiswick. A short route ran from the south side of Kew Bridge to Richmond . LUT relaid the existing track, which was in a poor state of repair, and extended and electrified the system. Electric trams first ran on three routes on 4 April 1901 between Hammersmith and Kew Bridge, between Shepherd's Bush and Kew Bridge (via Chiswick), and between Shepherd's Bush and Acton, London's first electric tram service. Trams never ran across Kew Bridge –
406-559: A legal entity until wound up on 23 December 1949. National Tramway Museum The National Tramway Museum (trading as Crich Tramway Village ) is a tram museum located at Crich ( listen ), in the Peak District of Derbyshire , England. The museum contains over 80 (mainly British) trams built between 1873 and 1982 and is set within a recreated period village containing a working pub, café, old-style sweetshop and tram depots. The museum's collection of trams runs through
464-662: A number of different areas, with the museum's tramway passing either through or adjacent to all of them. The museum's main entrance delivers visitors to the Victoria Park area, but the trams start their journey at Town End, a walk or short tram ride under the Bowes Lyon Bridge and down Period Street. The running line of the tramway starts from a stub terminus at Town End where outbound trams board passengers, having first disembarked inbound passengers at Stephenson Place . The first 500 metres (1,600 ft) of line
522-609: A striking frontal resemblance to the 'Feltham' trams, also built around this period. On takeover by the LPTB on 1 July 1933, London United had approximately 29 miles (47 km) of tram track, 18 of trolleybus route. Only one LUT tramcar survives to the present day: no. 159, which has been restored to original condition and operates at the National Tramway Museum , Crich , Derbyshire . Records related to London United Tramways can be found at Bristol Archives within
580-844: A subsidiary of the London and Suburban Traction Company (LSTC), jointly owned by the Underground Group and British Electric Traction . LSTC also owned the other two tramway companies in the London area, Metropolitan Electric Tramways and South Metropolitan Electric Tramways. The London United Tramways Act 1930 ( 20 & 21 Geo. 5 . c. clxxxvii) gave it powers to replace loss-making tram routes with trolleybuses. London's first trolleybus service started on LUT's Twickenham to Teddington section on 16 May 1931 and then to Wimbledon, working from Fulwell Garage. These first trolleybuses, nicknamed "Diddlers", which lasted until replaced in 1948, bore
638-413: A tour of the quarry, members of the society agreed to lease – and later purchase – part of the site and buildings. Over the years, by the efforts of the society members, a representative collection of tramcars was brought together and restored, tramway equipment was acquired, a working tramway was constructed and depots and workshops were built. Recognising that tramcars did not operate in limestone quarries,
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#1732779802639696-475: Is a stretch of horse-tram track, demonstrating the lightweight nature of such track when compared to that used by the electric trams on the lower level. Immediately to the north and west of the bridge is Victoria Park, a recreated Victorian era public park . This has, as its centrepiece, a bandstand that was erected here in 1978 but was previously at Longford Park in Stretford , Greater Manchester. From
754-542: Is double track, laid in a setted street , and this is known as the Period Street. It has broad footpaths on both sides and is flanked by a number of old buildings and street furniture elements. The street scene is closed off by the Bowes-Lyon Bridge, which the tramway passes under. Amongst the buildings and furniture in the street are: One of the few buildings on the site that predate the creation of
812-421: Is double track, laid in a setted street , flanked by the buildings of the recreated period village, and including the inbound-only Stephenson Place tram stop. The street scene is closed off by the Bowes-Lyon Bridge, which the line crosses under on interlaced track . Just before the bridge, a junction gives access to the depot and yard. On the far side of the bridge the line returns to double track and calls at
870-443: Is situated at the further end of the museum's Period Street, just before it passes under the Bowes-Lyon Bridge. The tram depot houses most of the museum's fleet of trams, including the running fleet when not in operation, other than those displayed in the exhibition hall, which faces the depot across the depot yard. The depot has 18 tracks, with each track able to accommodate several trams. The first 10 tracks are directly accessible from
928-496: Is some 18 kilometres (11 mi) north of Derby , 32 kilometres (20 mi) south of Sheffield , 66 kilometres (41 mi) south-east of Manchester , and 200 kilometres (120 mi) north-west of London. There is a large on-site car park. The nearest railway station is Whatstandwell , on the Derwent Valley Line from Derby to Matlock , from which there is a steep uphill walk of about 1 mile (1.6 km) to
986-474: Is supplied at 600 volts DC. Other forms of current collection were used by electric trams, especially in the early days of such tramways, and the museum has non-operational displays of several of them: The museum is open from early March to early November on every day of the week except Fridays, and also on Fridays during bank and school holidays. The museum opens at 10:00 and closes at 16:30 on weekdays or 17:30 on weekends and bank holidays. The museum
1044-513: The London Transport Executive was established on 1 January 1948. When the LPTB was formed in 1933, the companies taken over, notably the Underground Group and Thomas Tilling 's London operations, were 'bought' partially with cash and partially by the issue of interest-bearing stock – C stock – authorised by the enabling Act, which meant that those former businesses continued to earn yields from their holdings. The LPTB had
1102-718: The Peak District Mines Historical Society has created an exhibition of mining equipment, including the mouth of a drift mine with a battery powered locomotive coming out of it, and a shop selling mineral samples, books and gemstones. Beyond Wakebridge, the line runs along an exposed hillside with vistas across the valley of the River Derwent , which is here part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site . While now largely rural, this valley
1160-769: The RT-type bus . Although curtailed and delayed by the outbreak of World War Two, the programme nevertheless delivered some key elements of the present overground sections of the Underground system. However, the most profound change enacted by the board, through the new works, was the transition from tram to trolleybus operation alluded to earlier. In 1933, the LPTB had operated 327 route miles of tramways and 18 route miles of trolleybuses. By 1948, these totals were 102 and 255 miles respectively, mainly by eliminating trams in North London. The final disappearance of trams, in 1952,
1218-676: The Southern Railway . Consequently, it was empowered to enter into co-ordination agreements with the mainline railway companies concerning their suburban services. It was, to a limited extent, accountable to users via The London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee. Ninety-two transport and ancillary undertakings, with a capital of approximately £120 million, came under the LPTB. Central buses, trolleybuses, underground trains and trams were painted in "Underground" and "London General" red, coaches and country buses in green, with coaches branded Green Line . Already in use on most of
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#17327798026391276-526: The Victoria Park tram stop, which serves both the recreated Victorian-era public park of the same name, and the main entrance to the site from the car park. The double track continues for another 240 metres (790 ft) before converging into single track that continues as far as the Wakebridge tram stop and passing loop, which is located some 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from Town End . Beyond
1334-446: The limestone and Stephenson recognised that he could use the local coal and limestone to produce burnt lime for agricultural purposes, and then use the new railway to distribute it. Cliff Quarry, where the museum is now located, was acquired by Stephenson's company and to link the quarry with limekilns he had built at Ambergate, Stephenson constructed a 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) gauge line – apparently
1392-558: The 1960s and was then operated by RMC and Tarmac . In 2000 ownership of the active quarry site was transferred to Bardon Aggregates , who closed the quarry in 2010. It remains closed. In the period after the Second World War , when most of the remaining British tramways were in decline or actually closing, the first event in the history of the National Tramway Museum took place. A group of enthusiasts on
1450-508: The LPTB had a monopoly of local road public transport. Under the Act the LPTB acquired the following concerns: The LPTB was a quasi-public organisation akin to a modern quango with considerable autonomy granted to its senior executives. It enjoyed a more or less full monopoly of transport services within its area, with the exception of those provided by the Big Four railway companies such as
1508-611: The LPTB were often of exemplary quality and are still much sought after. The LPTB was replaced in 1948 by the London Transport Executive , under the Transport Act 1947 . It was effectively nationalised, being taken under the wing of the British Transport Commission , which also ran much of the nation's other bus companies, an amount of road haulage, as well as the nation's railways, but it still retained considerable autonomy. The LPTB continued to exist as
1566-687: The London Passenger Transport Area." The first chairman and vice-chairman were Lord Ashfield and Frank Pick , who had held similar positions with the Underground Group. Members of the board had a term of office of between three and seven years, and were eligible for reappointment. Latham and Cliff became Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the successor London Transport Executive in 1947. The London Passenger Transport Area (LPTA) had an approximate radius of 30 miles (48 km) from Charing Cross , extending beyond
1624-500: The Woodland Walk is a stretch of the original narrow-gauge track as used in the old quarry, and a labyrinth made from old stones left in the quarry. There are views down into the valley of the River Derwent and up to Crich Stand . The museum has over 80 tramcars in its collection. The majority of these are electric double-decker trams built between 1900 and 1930 for use in a large selection of British towns and cities, but
1682-872: The boundaries of what later officially became Greater London , to Baldock in the North, Brentwood in the East, Horsham in the South and High Wycombe in the West. The LPTA had an area of 1,986 square miles (5,140 km ). The LPTA overlapped with the London Traffic Area (LTA) defined by the London Traffic Act 1924 and the part of the LPTA that was within the LTA was defined as the "special area" within which
1740-519: The capital was spent before World War Two broke out, it allowed extensions to the Central, Bakerloo, Northern and Metropolitan lines; built new trains and maintenance depots, with extensive rebuilding of many central area stations (such as Aldgate East); and replacement of much of the tram network by what was to become one of the world's largest trolleybus systems. During this period, two icons of London Transport were first seen: 1938 tube stock trains and
1798-418: The collection also includes earlier horse and steam hauled trams, more modern trams, and trams built for a number of cities across the world. Many of the cars are in operable condition, and are used on the museum's running line, whilst others are restored in static condition and are displayed in the museum's display hall or elsewhere on the site. A few are stored in unrestored condition, some of these being at
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1856-558: The depot yard, while tracks 11 to 18 are accessed via a traverser , which also provides rail access to the exhibition hall. The tram depot includes a workshop, on tracks 1 to 3, used for the maintenance of the tram fleet. This has a viewing gallery, accessed by a glass bridge from the upper floor of the Stephenson Discovery Centre, which allows visitors to watch the work going on below and displays small exhibits relating to this work. The exhibition hall presents
1914-435: The early history of the museum site, including the story of George Stephenson and his acquisition of Cliff Quarry and construction of the mineral railway. It also describes how overcrowding in expanding towns and cities paved the way for in the introductions of trams to Britain in the 19th century. A modern glass bridge from the upper floor provides access to the viewing gallery of the tram workshop (see below). The tram depot
1972-567: The first metre gauge railway in the world. Stephenson lived the last 10 years of his life in Chesterfield , often bringing visitors to Crich to see the mineral railway. He died in 1848 and is buried in Holy Trinity Church, Chesterfield. Cliff Quarry remained in use until it closed in 1957/8, and shortly afterwards part of it was acquired for use by the museum. Other parts of the quarry, now known as Crich Quarry, reopened in
2030-540: The great railway pioneer, had a close connection with Crich and the present (2008) tramway follows part of the mineral railway he built to link the quarry with Ambergate . While building the North Midland Railway from Derby to Rotherham and Leeds , Stephenson had found rich coal seams in the Clay Cross area and he saw a new business opportunity. Crich was already well known for the quality of
2088-408: The introduction of electric trams. So whilst the rest of London went electric, this little branch continued to use horse-drawn cars until well into the 20th century – the interiors had red velvet seat cushions and were described as "comfortable, if not luxurious", and ran every quarter-hour (the full "end to end" journey costing 2d) – until 20 April 1912 after which it was replaced by part of
2146-400: The line, with the provision of a wheelchair lift and wider doors. Most of the museum's trams are electric trams which were designed to be powered by an overhead wire system using one of, or a combination of, trolley poles , bow collectors or pantographs . The museum's overhead wire system has been built so that trams with any of those types of current collection can be used. The current
2204-582: The museum and are in their original place, the Stephenson Workshop was built in the 19th century and was used as a smithy and wagon works for George Stephenson's metre gauge mineral railway. Originally known as the Stone Workshop, the building has been fully restored and is now home to a state of the art learning facility on the ground floor and the Stephenson Discovery Centre on the first floor. The Stephenson Discovery Centre explains
2262-433: The museum's off-site store at Clay Cross . Among this fleet are: Approximate distance in kilometres from Town End. The running line of the tramway is approximately 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) long. The line starts from a stub terminus at Town End where outbound trams board passengers, having first disembarked inbound passengers at Stephenson Place . From Town End , about the first 500 metres (1,600 ft) of line
2320-540: The museum's period street, and provides both a vantage point and a visual closure to the recreated urban part of the museum. The bridge deck is constructed in cast iron and dates from 1844, when it was installed at the Bowes-Lyon Estate in St Paul's Walden , Hertfordshire. The bridge was donated to the museum in 1971, and subsequently re-erected at its present site. Embedded in the deck of the Bowes-Lyon Bridge
2378-462: The museum. The museum is also directly served by roughly hourly bus services from Matlock and Alfreton , and less frequent services from Belper and Ripley . There is no bus service on Sundays. The museum features in the opening of the 1969 film Women in Love , and as one of the locations in the 2012 film Sightseers . The museum, under its old name of Crich Tramway Museum , also features in
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2436-463: The new parliament under the incoming National Government . The new government, although dominated by Conservatives , decided to continue with the bill, with no serious changes, despite its extensive transfer of private undertakings into the public sector. On 1 July 1933, the LPTB came into being, covering the "London Passenger Transport Area". The LPTB's financial structure was not the same as that of outright nationalisation, which did not occur until
2494-594: The papers of George White (Ref. 35810/LUT) ( online catalogue ). Further records can be found at London Metropolitan Archives and the National Tramway Museum London Passenger Transport Board The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for local public transport in London and its environs from 1933 to 1948. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000,
2552-469: The park, a path leads to the museum's Woodland Walk and Sculpture Trail. Alongside the park is a tram stop, served by both inbound and outbound trams and named after the park. To the east of the park, on the opposite side of the tramway, is the museum entrance. Just past the Victoria Park tram stop, the museum's running track transitions from grooved tram track set in a road surface to sleeper track and becomes single track. The line passes between woodland to
2610-481: The passing loop, the track returns to single track as far as the Glory Mine tram stop and terminus, where there is a further passing loop and a headshunt, together with a siding. The tramway is generally operated whenever the museum is open. Depending on the time of year and level of demand, a two or three car service is normally provided. If a two car service is operated, trams pass on the double-track section in
2668-559: The public name and brand was London Transport . The London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) was established pursuant to the London Passenger Transport Act 1933 enacted on 13 April 1933. The bill had been introduced by Herbert Morrison , who was Transport Minister in the Labour Government until 1931. Because the legislation was a hybrid bill it had been possible to allow it to 'roll over' into
2726-425: The sculptures along the trail were carved by the sculptor, Andrew Frost , using a chainsaw and carving a basic shape from a tree trunk before working on the detail. Such sculptures do not last forever, with wood splitting, fungi and the claws of badgers all contributing to their deterioration. The sculpture trail is therefore always evolving, as old sculptures are removed and new ones added. Also to be spotted in
2784-692: The second (stone) bridge, built in the 1780s, was far too narrow, and very steep on the approach from Brentford – which meant that there was an isolated length of single track of 1.53 miles, with passing loops, from the south side of the bridge, across Kew Green , then south along the Kew Road to the Orange Tree public house 51°27′51″N 0°18′06″W / 51.464228°N 0.301534°W / 51.464228; -0.301534 in Richmond. LUT made repeated attempts to cross Kew Bridge after it
2842-529: The society agreed in 1967 to create around the tramway the kind of streetscape through which the trams had run and thus the concept of the Crich Tramway Village was born. Members then turned their attention to collecting items of street furniture and even complete buildings, which were then adapted to house the Museum's collections of books, photographs and archives. The museum site is made up of
2900-458: The street. If three trams are in service, trams pass both in the loop at Wakebridge and in the street. On special occasions, up to 18 tramcars can be operated, with trams operating in convoys of two or three through the single track sections. The convoys pass each other on the in the street, at Wakebridge, and at Glory Mine terminus. The tramway has a 1969 tram from Berlin , which has been converted to allows visitors with disabilities to travel
2958-559: The tram stops at Victoria Park and Wakebridge, passing through the mixed woodland that is native to the limestone geology of the Crich area. Tree cover is mostly ash , but also includes sycamore , alder and silver birch , with a shrub layer of hazel , wych elm , wild rose , elder and hawthorn . The combination of the ash canopy and limestone results in a range of ground-cover plants including primrose , early purple orchid , cowslip , marjoram , garlic and strawberries . Most of
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#17327798026393016-456: The tube system, "U NDERGROUN D" branding was extended to all lines and stations. The name was said to have been coined by Albert Stanley, 1st Baron Ashfield in 1908, when he was general manager of the Underground Group . The LPTB embarked on a £35 million capital investment programme that extended services and reconstructed many existing assets, mostly under the umbrella of the 1935–1940 New Works Programme . Although only about £21 million of
3074-484: The village-setting with visitors transported out into the local countryside and back and is operated by the Tramway Museum Society , a registered charity. The Crich Tramway Village remains an independent charity, which receives no funding from the state or local government and relies on the voluntary contribution made by members of the Tramway Museum Society and its visitors. George Stephenson ,
3132-666: The west and the now disused Cliff Quarry to the east, before arriving at the Wakebridge passing loop and tram stop. The stop has a selection of shelters and simple buildings, including the Birmingham Tram Shelter, the Bradford Cabmans Shelter, and the Octogon, together with the line's electrical sub-station. A path leads to the museum's Woodland Walk and Sculpture Trail. Adjacent to the stop,
3190-401: The ‘Century of Trams’ exhibition, telling the story of a hundred years of tramway development, from 1860 – 1960, taking in horse trams, steam trams and electric trams. The story is told through the display of number of the museum's tram cars, together with interpretive panels, audio sounds to represent each decade of the timeline, and interactive displays. The Bowes-Lyon Bridge spans the end of
3248-548: Was one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution , where the modern factory system was introduced during the 18th century to take advantage of Richard Arkwright 's invention of the water frame for spinning cotton. At the end of the line is the Glory Mine tram stop and passing loop. A public footpath crosses the line, giving access to Crich Stand . The Woodland Walk and Sculpture trail connects
3306-523: Was rebuilt in 1903 but these continued to be resisted by the Richmond Corporation Tramways Committee. Kew Road residents opposed two attempts in 1897 and 1898 to install a second track – which would have necessitated road widening – and any subsequent electrification using unsightly overhead wires seemed out of the question, locals favouring the underground conduit system. Kew Observatory had concerns about
3364-601: Was regretted by some sections of the staff and the public, but in terms of impact on users, this was probably the most visible and dramatic change in the period. The last of the 653 trolleybuses which ran were replaced by buses by 1961. The LPTB continued to develop its corporate identity, design and commercial advertising that had been put in place by the Underground Group. This included stations designed by Charles Holden ; bus garages by architects such as Wallis, Gilbert & Partners; and even more humble structures such as bus stops and shelters. The posters and advertising issued by
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