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:

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[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!