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Electric Trams

It is Highgate Road tram depot, 2 am. on 6th. January, 1937 which was when the Stratford Road routes ceased and were replaced by buses. The route numbers were some of the routes operated by Highgate Road. 21 went to College Arms and was a short working of the 18 which went to the city boundary with Shirley. 91 went to Tyseley as a short working of the 44 to Acocks Green. 22 was for Bolton Road ( replaced by bus route 22 in 1930). 82 went to Fox Hollies Road, short working of the 17 to the boundary at Shirley and 19 went to St. Johns Road.
Bus route replacements were 37, 38, 44, 44A, 46 and 47.

Cars 71, 99 and 157 built 1906/7. 71 and 157 withdrawn 1937/9 but 99 stored for emergency use during WW2. Car 322 built 1911 and withdrawn 1950.
 
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Good photo OM, which I do not recall seeing before. I will hazard a guess and say that this is the last day (or thereabouts) of the trams on routes 3X Martineau Street to Witton and 6 Martineau Street to Perry Barr in December, 1949.
Car 13 would have been a regular on route 6 and carries the post 1946 livery. 347 and 451 seem to be in the pre 1946 style with lining out. 13 and 451 (451 and 452 were the longest cars the city had and known as 'Titanics') being withdrawn in 1949. 347 soldiered on until 1950, probably when routes 8 Alum Rock and 10 Washwood Heath ceased. Lurking behind 347 is Permanent Way car 9.
 
Two lads lean over the front balcony of a tram in this 1939 pic on Birchfield Road Perry Barr. It looks like tram No 1 could have been making a special final run with tram enthusiasts on board but passersby don't even look at it.
birchfieldtram.jpg
Edit: date altered ref. post#528
 
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I am sure I have commented on this photograph (post 527) previously.
actually the photos is dated 26/5/39. The boys curiosity, it is suggested, that the photographer was causing their interest.
There were twenty of these cars (1 - 20). 1/2/4/5/6/7/10/11/12/14/ and 16 were all destroyed on 9/4/41 when Miller Street depot was bombed. The remaining nine cars survived until December 1949 when the Perry Barr tram route (6) was withdrawn and replaced by bus route 33.
 
I had it tagged in my computer as 1949 but if it was destroyed in WW2 then it could not have been there in 1949. I had searched the forum to see if it had been posted before but could not find anything. Will edit #527
 
I remember a bunch of us lads in one of those open fronts, singing our heads off as the tram whistled along the road to the Lickey Hills.
It must have been post war, I was only ten in 1945.
 
Hi Eric, I too have strong memories of using these oldies to go with my mates to the Lackey
Hills in c1948 and our disappointment when the closed in models turned up.
Cheers Tim.
 
Hi Eric, I too have strong memories of using these oldies to go with my mates to the Lackey
Hills in c1948 and our disappointment when the closed in models turned up.
Cheers Tim.
You should have worked at Dunlop, the trams supplied for the works service were always open balcony and Friday night was lads night out in town, always in the front unless it was raining
Bob
 
A picture of tram No 557 in Steelhouse Lane in 1953. The driver appears to be standing outside the tram having a chat with the conductor.
78SteelhouseV.jpg
 
After tram operations ceased in July 1953 many trams were run to a depot to be scrapped. Tram 619 with it's side advert partially ripped off appears to be stopped on the turn into Park Rd. There are some unusual curved markings on the road near the track but they may be nothing. Local folk look on and the chap wearing bicycle clips doesn't seem too interested in whatever the lady in the dark green coat is saying to him.
Nice pram with chromium plated mudguards ...:)
RParksttram.jpg
 
After tram operations ceased in July 1953 many trams were run to a depot to be scrapped. Tram 619 with it's side advert partially ripped off appears to be stopped on the turn into Park Rd. There are some unusual curved markings on the road near the track but they may be nothing. Local folk look on and the chap wearing bicycle clips doesn't seem too interested in whatever the lady in the dark green coat is saying to him.
Nice pram with chromium plated mudguards ...:)
View attachment 127346
I think the tram has had a power failure will turning in to Park Road, the Guy talking to the lady is possibly the Motorman.
His collector pole seems to be on the overhead wire and the bogies seem to be on the tracks.
This corner was a tricky one for trams coming up the hill from Lichfield Rd and I have known trams have a flash over on the over head connection from the Victoria Rd, Park Rd junction.
I don't think the marks have anything to do with tram car.
Super picture that's one for collection
 
I did wonder whether he was the motorman but he looks rather young and in the early 1950s there was no future in the job. The tram must have come from the Six Ways direction turning into Park Rd which is not the normal route for a No 79 but in the days of closure I suppose they did not bother about the route numbers.
 
A curious picture. I go with Ray's comments about the car having some power issues. That might explain why there are no passengers on the tram and it still shows its service route details (79) and not Depot Only or special. Those marks could be connected to the movement of the tram I feel and I also get the impression that there are BCT staff on the side of the tram we cannot see attending to whatever the problem was. The people standing at the lights seem to be watching them or something. If the track was not in frequent use then maybe removal of a grit build up is happening to the front of the tram.
Car 691 was a Miller Street car and built 1924/5.
 
If the man was a BCT employee would he not have been wearing his cap? I don't know about tram crews but BCT bus crews had to wear caps as they wore their PSV badges as cap badges unlike the Midland Red who wore them on their chest.
 
Didn't tram crews wear the hard hats as opposed to the bus drivers soft hats, and anyway the man on the pavement looks as if he is smoking, that looks like a cigarette between his fingers, and no tram driver would have lit up if his tram was in trouble, because an inspector would soon be appearing to record what had happened.
Bob
 
He looks like an 'office type' to me, sent to sort out the problem ...
Tram drivers (motormen) certainly wore soft peaked hats with a badge same as the bus drivers.
 
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