Spirit of British Trams: A Concise History (Spirit of Britain) - Hardcover

Inhaltsangabe

The world's first streetcar line was in NewYork which began operating in 1832.However, it was an American, George Train, who opened Britain's first true permanent street tramway, in Birkenhead on 30 August 1860.The Edwardian era saw a mass explosion in the building and electrifying of tram routes in towns and cities throughout Britain, and by 1910, there were more than 300 tramways, nearly half of them opened in the first decade of the twentieth century. By 1914, the combined London area tram operators comprised the largest tram network in Europe. However, the First WorldWar called a halt to the expansion of tramways, as tens of thousands of drivers, conductors and other staff joined the armed forces. The writing on the wall for trams had by then begun to appear, with only five new lines opening during 1910-13. The motor omnibus had begun to arrive and offered far greater flexibility, especially in places where tram routes had been found to be unprofitable. The 1930s marked the start of a mass abandonment of tramways as road traffic increased. Around the beginning of the 1950s trams became the target of preservationists, and today major historic collections are held at the Crich TramwayVillage, the Beamish Open Air Museum and the Seaton Tramway to name but three. Commercial trams have also made a major comeback in Britain's cities.Worsening road congestion following soaring levels of car ownership saw planners look again at the tram concept, and draw up several light rail schemes. Far from being an anachronism, such developments suggest that street trams may well have been ahead of their time. Expert Robin Jones re-tells the story of Britain's trams. In more than 60 images and with a sharp and incisive text, Spirit of BritishTrams is the ideal brief guide, in Halsgrove's new collectible, pocket-size format.

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