Trivia: Where modern tramways in the UK follow alignments from previous tramway networks.

[Omnidekkalover]

Having looked at the Sheffield Supertram to both Malin Bridge and Middlewood and old maps of Sheffield Corporation Tramways, I would say that a fair bit of the leg to the Hillsborough area on the Supertram follows old Corporation Tramways alignments.

 

[etr221]

For Tramlink, not very much, just a couple of bits in central Croydon are more or less where the old tramways ran: along George Street, and a short bit in Lower Church Street, then Tamworth Road and Station Road.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

In Manchester City centre, the current day Metrolink tram system looks to partly follow the alignment of old tram lines (1920s era) along Mosley Street, Market Street, Aytoun Street, Princess Street, Cross Street, Corporation Street and High Street. Undoubtedly several others too. Outwith the City Centre, probably various lengths along Ashton New Road (and Eccles New Road) as well.

 

[edwin_m]

In Nottingham it looks to be just Market Street in the centre plus a section of Radford Road.

 

[philthetube]

Does Blackpool count?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Does Blackpool count?

Good question! Maybe the short section between North Pier and (Blackpool) North station, which re-opened a couple of years ago.

 

[The exile]

Edinburgh: Haymarket to the Foot of Leith Walk, though I’m not sure about the dog-leg through St Andrew Square. That is therefore two former Corporation Tramways.

 

[gg1]

For the West Midlands Metro, the street running section from just north of Priestfield to Wolverhampton bus station, the Castle Hill section of the Dudley line and Albert Street to Millenium point in Brum.

 

[Welly]

Having looked at the Sheffield Supertram to both Malin Bridge and Middlewood and old maps of Sheffield Corporation Tramways, I would say that a fair bit of the leg to the Hillsborough area on the Supertram follows old Corporation Tramways alignments.

I remember when I was at Sheffield Uni back in 1993, seeing old tram rails being lifted on West Street in preparation for the Supertram construction.

 

[DelphDonkey]

In Manchester City centre, the current day Metrolink tram system looks to partly follow the alignment of old tram lines (1920s era) along Mosley Street, Market Street, Aytoun Street, Princess Street, Cross Street, Corporation Street and High Street. Undoubtedly several others too. Outwith the City Centre, probably various lengths along Ashton New Road (and Eccles New Road) as well.

Also Union Street in Oldham, and Drake Street in Rochdale. Setting the Metro and Historic Tramways layers on https://www.railmaponline.com/uk-and-irish-railways.html will show all such correspondences.

 

[Lemmy282]

Having looked at the Sheffield Supertram to both Malin Bridge and Middlewood and old maps of Sheffield Corporation Tramways, I would say that a fair bit of the leg to the Hillsborough area on the Supertram follows old all the Corporation Tramways alignments.

All the routes from the bottom of Netherthorpe Road follow the old routes to Middlewood and Malin Bridge. From the inner ring road at University trams running along Glossop Road, West Street, Church Street, High Street, Fitzalan Square and Commercial Street follow the original routes. On City Road trams run along the original route between Spring Lane and Manor Top.
Quite a lot of the old rails had to be removed during construction of Supertram, including places where the new system crossed the old, for instance where the Meadowhall route crossed Staniforth Road.
Spent several years working on that project, must try to find my photos of construction works.

 

[Welly]

Spent several years working on that project, must try to find my photos of construction works.

Yes please!

 

[Rescars]

For Tramlink, not very much, just a couple of bits in central Croydon are more or less where the old tramways ran: along George Street, and a short bit in Lower Church Street, then Tamworth Road and Station Road.

Depends a bit on how you define a tramway. Tramlink does a pretty good job in utilising parts of the route of the Surrey Iron Railway, which despite its name was a plateway.

 

[Magrar]

Well it would be fun at least to see a modern tram try and turn on an old tram terminus alignment (many of which survived into the trolleybus and motorbus era as useful turning circles, albeit alas many no longer even served).

 

[Taunton]

In Manchester when the tracks were laid in Mosley Street the old tram tracks were dug up from underneath the asphalt, and looked a right nuisance to the Metrolink project.

On the Eccles line, where Hessel Street meets the main Eccles New Road, the old tracks are still in the cobbled side street from when the Salford tram depot there was abandoned in 1947, they have been left there ever since. There's a gap of about 10 metres between old and modern tracks, here:

Street View · Google Maps

Explore a place in a more immersive way in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Mauldeth Road West in Chorlton, Manchester is a variation on the theme - it was laid out in the 1920's for trams, but never received the tracks due to the policy change in favour of motor buses. It finally received them, however, 75 years later as part of Metrolink's route to the Airport!

 

[Roger1973]

If the Cross River tram in London not been cancelled, it would have followed part of the route of the Kingsway Subway (although think the plan was for it to run at street level, and might have led to the removal of the remaining visible part of the Subway) and some street running along former tram routes.

Well it would be fun at least to see a modern tram try and turn on an old tram terminus alignment (many of which survived into the trolleybus and motorbus era as useful turning circles, albeit alas many no longer even served).

Don't think there were many tram turning circles in the UK on first generation tramways - Blackpool was an outlier in this. Generally speaking, trams got to a dead end or crossover and then changed ends. Most of the turning circles I'm aware of were built for trolleybuses not trams, and in some cases a route had to be extended or curtailed to fit where a turning circle could be arranged.

London had a few loop (rather than turning circle) terminus arrangements, many south London routes ran along Victoria Embankment going via Westminster then Blackfriars Bridge (or vice versa), some routes did a loop at the suburban end via Brixton, Streatham, Tooting and Clapham (or vice versa) - the night service at least ran as a figure of eight from the Embankment.

There was also a one way loop to and from Beresford Square in Woolwich for trams from the Eltham direction (some of the tracks stayed visible in to the 80s at least.) I think the only turning circle (as such) in London was at Tooting, and came out of regular use when trailer car operation ended in the 1920s (and think it was later lifted.)

There were a few single ended trams that ran between Sheffield and Rotherham, I think this route had turning circles at each end, but again an outlier, and (I think) the only single ended trams in the UK.

 

[Lemmy282]

The Rotherham services to Sheffield run by the single ended cars didn't have turning circles as such, they just ran on exisitng roads that formed a loop to at each end. There was however a true turning circle at Millhouses Park part way along the route to Abbey Lane. It survived the tram era and was used as a bus turning circle until flats were built on fhe site in the late 1980's early 90's

 

[etr221]

Don't think there were many tram turning circles in the UK on first generation tramways - Blackpool was an outlier in this. Generally speaking, trams got to a dead end or crossover and then changed ends. Most of the turning circles I'm aware of were built for trolleybuses not trams, and in some cases a route had to be extended or curtailed to fit where a turning circle could be arranged.

There was one tram/trolleybus terminus in - I think - Huddersfield (or somewhere else in Yorkshire) where a turntable was installed for the trolleybuses.

There were a few single ended trams that ran between Sheffield and Rotherham, I think this route had turning circles at each end, but again an outlier, and (I think) the only single ended trams in the UK.

The single ended trams were Rotherham Corporation's, for its share of the joint operation - designed to match Rotherham's trolleybuses (which had replaced the rest of its trams). Sheffield's share used its standard double ended cars.

 

[AndrewE]

There was one tram/trolleybus terminus in - I think - Huddersfield (or somewhere else in Yorkshire) where a turntable was installed for the trolleybuses.

Christchurch? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christchurch_trolleybus_turntable

The single ended trams were Rotherham Corporation's, for its share of the joint operation - designed to match Rotherham's trolleybuses (which had replaced the rest of its trams). Sheffield's share used its standard double ended cars.

Did Roundhay Park in Leeds have a balloon loop (although it was on a balloon-shaped route too), or was that just for the trolleybuses?

 

[Snow1964]

There was one tram/trolleybus terminus in - I think - Huddersfield (or somewhere else in Yorkshire) where a turntable was installed for the trolleybuses.

Christchurch had one too, think it is still there, but now in courtyard of a modern building, there is a plaque on the building saying about it

Street View · Google Maps

Explore a place in a more immersive way in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Don't think there were many tram turning circles in the UK on first generation tramways - Blackpool was an outlier in this. Generally speaking, trams got to a dead end or crossover and then changed ends. Most of the turning circles I'm aware of were built for trolleybuses not trams, and in some cases a route had to be extended or curtailed to fit where a turning circle could be arranged.

Bath had a rare anticlockwise loop from just north of the Abbey (via Cheap Street, Stall Street, Southgate Street, Dorchester Street (by rail station), Manvers Street, Pierrepoint Street), so had a crossover near entrance to loop (where High Street meets Cheap Street)

 

[Roger1973]

There was one tram/trolleybus terminus in - I think - Huddersfield (or somewhere else in Yorkshire) where a turntable was installed for the trolleybuses.

Christchurch? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christchurch_trolleybus_turntable

There was one in Huddersfield as well, at Longwood. More on wikipedia here.