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The first stage of the 79 route was built to transport workers to Fort Dunlop as far as Holly lane 13 May 1920, the extended to the gates on reserve line 13 Feb. 1930.
The last extension was to service the new Pype hayes Council Housing estate and opened in 20 feb 1927.
Thanks very much for that Ray - are the dates you give the actual date the service started - if so that would be wonderful to actually put a date to the photo?
Thanks for those details - that makes sense of what my father in law wrote on the back of the photo. It is not the best quality photo but if anyone wants to see it enlarged it is actually on my website under Gravelly Hill and Erdington - more of Erdington and surrounds https://www.members.iinet.net.au/[email protected]/index.html
On a slightly different tack, perhaps one of our more tramway-knowledgeable members can help me with this query.......
Many years ago, my late mother told the story that life guards (she referred to them as cowcatchers) were first fitted to Birmingham trams as a result of an accident to one of her ancestors in the early years of the 20th Century. Most likely it is just another family legend, but on the other hand it should have resulted in a record somewhere (even in a local newspaper) if true.
The only reference that might be a possible connection was this one on the Nottingham Corporation Tramways page of Wiki:-
"The existing iron guards fitted to 32 cars were replaced by Tideswell's patent life guards." It's relevant because the same article mentions a visit by NCT members to inspect Birmingham trams. The date referred to is 1905.
Can anyone throw any light on Tideswell, life guards or the alleged accident please?
Maurice , here is a photo of the first Birmingham Corporation car (Fleet No. 1) of 1904 as delivered by the Electric Railway & Tramway Carriage Works of Preston. It clearly shows the automatic lifeguard equipment in place upon delivery so I think that you could be right that your mother's story is a bit of family legend. The iron guards referred to at Nottingham were probably a wire mesh fixed 'cowcatcher' common on the first electric trams built in the late 1800's. Mike
Reckon so, Maurice - here is the fixed mesh lifeguard as fitted to 1895 built Bristol trams which may have been the type replaced on the Nottingham cars. Bristol later changed to automatic drop tray but kept a swing back mesh front guard to the end of their trams in 1941.
In view of its historical importance, I've made some slight adjustments to Christine's picture of the first Tyburn Road tram in 1920 (posts #503-508). The version on her website is nice and big, in case anyone else wants to further "improve" it.
Don't mind at all Peter - I have done some work on the original (only 3x2 inches) as the indentations from the writing on the back comes through.
I will try and work on the original and if successful post a larger scan.
Robert Darlsaton has an interesting illustrated webpage on Birmingham trams (also including some postcards of more general transport interest). I'm not sure if the link has been posted before.