Tynemouth and District Electric Traction Company
Map of the route of the Tynemouth and District Electric Traction Company
Operation
LocaleNorth Shields – Tynemouth –Whitley Bay
Open1 March 1901
Close4 August 1931
StatusClosed
Infrastructure
Track gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Propulsion system(s)Electric
Statistics
Route length4.23 miles (6.81 km)

The Tynemouth and District Electric Traction Company operated a tramway service in North Shields, Tynemouth and Whitley Bay between 1901 and 1931.[1]

History

The company was formed in 1899. It was the successor to the horse tramway started in 1883 by the Tynemouth and District Tramways Limited. This became the North Shields and District Tramways Company Limited in 1884, the North Shields and Tynemouth District Tramways Limited in 1890, and British Electric Traction Company in 1897.

The horse tramway was closed in 1900 for electrification. The reconstruction of the line cost £58,000 (equivalent to £6,698,926 in 2021)[2] and eleven tramcars were purchased at a cost of £700 (equivalent to £80,849 in 2021)[2] each. One and a half miles of additional track was laid giving three and three-quarter route miles.[3]

The official inspection of the newly electrified line took place on 13 February 1901[4] when two double cars and a pilot car was run to convey the Board of Trade Inspector, the Mayor of Tynemouth (Mr. Jacob Dalglish), the Borough Surveyor (Mr. Smillie), with several alderman and councillors.

Electric services started on 1 March 1901. The new electric line ran from the New Quay, North Shields to terminate at the Victoria Hotel, Whitley. In 1904 the line was extended from Whitley Front Street to the bandstand on the Links.[5]

Near New Quay there was a connection to the Tyneside Tramways and Tramroads Company.

Electric power was supplied by the new Tynemouth Corporation Power Station at Tanners Bank.

Fleet

Closure

The system closed on 4 August 1931.

References

  1. ^ The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
  2. ^ a b UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Tynemouth's New Tramways. Description of the System". Shields Daily Gazette. England. 25 January 1901. Retrieved 9 February 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ "The Tynemouth Trams. Official Inspection Today". Shields Daily Gazette. England. 13 February 1901. Retrieved 9 February 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ Great British tramway networks, Wingate H. Bett, John C. Gillham, Wingate H. Bett. 1944
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