Electric Trams

[Pedrocut]

October 1942

 

[Lloyd]

View attachment 110419

January 1940...what about the blackout?

Light-restricting covers and blue bulbs kept within the blackout regulations. In the event of a raid warning the tram was evacuated anyway, and it lights turned off while the crew and passengers took shelter.

 

[Lloyd]

View attachment 110420

October 1942

This tram rolled away from the Cotteridge terminus near Watford Road, increasing speed as it ran down the hill towards Lifford Lane where it left the rails, collided with the parapet of the canal bridge and turned over. It was empty at the time and either was left with sufficient parking brake on, or a component failed releasing the brakes. Had it travelled a few yards further before derailling it could easily have crashed into the newsagents shop mentioned.

 

[Hughes]

This tram rolled away from the Cotteridge terminus near Watford Road, increasing speed as it ran down the hill towards Lifford Lane where it left the rails, collided with the parapet of the canal bridge and turned over. It was empty at the time and either was left with sufficient parking brake on, or a component failed releasing the brakes. Had it travelled a few yards further before derailling it could easily have crashed into the newsagents shop mentioned.

My uncle was a tram driver and later inspector.there was a long standing joke in the family that he was some how involved in this matter.
He was Charles Jones
Regards
John Hughes

 

[Pedrocut]

View attachment 110420

October 1942

The report of the runaway tram.

 

[Astonian]

Hi Mike and steam fans of trams
Here are a couple of steam trams i have sotted for you all
In Aston Newtown row and witton Island;

 

[mikejee]

Alan. I think these are photos of ordinary electric trams, not steam trams

 

[Radiorails]

Indeed they are electric trams, but I have not seen those pictures before. Noticeable is the single deck works car, looks like No.8, in all over blue, on the right in the Witton car depot.

 

[oldMohawk]

A No 78 at the Short Heath terminus with the driver apparently waiting to turn his key in the Bundy clock before he can set off back to town.

 

[Bob Davis]

View attachment 73318Shortie, you are correct , its Witton Lne, I was a regular user of the 3X tram mid to late 40's till it stopped running about 1951 and replaced by the 39 bus. It went along Witton Lane pass Villa Park, Aston church up Park Rd (where I used to get on at junction with Sycamore Rd), down the hill passing Ansells brewery to Aston Cross and along Aston Rd to the City terminating at Martineau St. I think it cost 2 old pence. The attached painting shows the No. 2, 78 and 79 trams still running along LIchfield Rd (Erdington,,Short Heath and Pype Hayes routes) but the 3X tram already replaced by the 39 bus shown descending the Hill down Park Rd. Happy days. It says 1953 on bottom of painting I think this is incorrect, should be 1951 but Lloyd will know, I was in Hong Kong in 1953 so i would not know. Eric

I have recently done this as amigos aw and I have at least three reproductions in the shape of a postcard, a greetings card and something that I think was a picture but the backing has gone. Now if I knew where they were among all my rubbish and ephemera it would be more interesting, however congratulations on a superb painting.
Bob

 

[Bob Davis]

I have recently done this as amigos aw and I have at least three reproductions in the shape of a postcard, a greetings card and something that I think was a picture but the backing has gone. Now if I knew where they were among all my rubbish and ephemera it would be more interesting, however congratulations on a superb painting.
Bob

Goodness knows what amigos aw is, it should be jigsaw.
Bob

 

[cookie273uk]

Bob, I hope you do not think I painted this !! It is by Eric Bottomley, noted for his city and train paintings, the only thing we have in common is our Christian names and we both paint, he being a far superior artist to me. Eric

 

[Astonian]

Here is some facts and figures regarding the trams, for the period of 1939 , 1945,
Second World War. Over 1,100 empoyees, including many reservists,were called up at the out break of war
And 2,129 eventually experienced war service.
Women were again recruited to serve as replacements, many becoming clippies
Birmingham experienced seventy seven air raids, the six heaviest occurring between 26th / 27 August 1940
And 9 /10 April 1941 accounting for some 4, 5OO Deaths.
Forty one trams and twenty motor buses were destroyed , and around 1,5OO Vehicles damaged
1946 /1953 Decline and demise

 

[oldMohawk]

A wartime No 84 tram at the Stetchford terminus. A vee shaped cover (similar to one shown in post#241) helps the conductor to position the wheel on the overhead wire in blackout conditions.

(only visible if logged in)

A wartime No 84 tram at the Stetchford terminus and the ticket collector concentrates on positioning the little wheel on the overhead wire. He is not helped by the tram being slightly forward of that 'V' shaped guide on the wire and would have needed the guide at night time in the blackout. The advert 'Victory Will Be Sweeter With Mars' is interesting. Sweet rationing was introduced in 1942 and at one time the weekly allowance was as low as 2 oz (57 g) per person.

 

[Astonian]

Number of Passengers Carried .
Finnancial Year , Trams , Buses ,
1907, 1908 75,601.195
1914, 1915 149,443,199
1927, 1928 254,125,984 62,353,311
Figure Strayed above 2OO mIllion until
1934. 1935 191,349,666 154,007,505,
1935, 1936 191,318,526 167,557,566
1936, 1937 186,576, 388 190,464,952
1937 , 1938 174,023,634 225.063,912
1949. 1950 102,453, 436 417,495 056

 

[Astonian]

Hi Pedrocut
I Find your photo very intresting the one of the fire of a tyre business that went up at water works road
was there any named company in the article of press details
As a couple of years later there was another tyre business set up just along the road from there
nd it was directly next to Aston station just after walking under the bridge heading towards the resser direction
and it was a small petrol service fore court with one old petrol pump
with a little shed for a cashiers operating
it was a rather big yard ,in the fortys it packed up the petrol think now it was probaly parafin servive
but the tyre place that started with old tyres and remoulds stacked to the sky
right across the whole fore court from one end to another
they kept the little shed and used it for there office
the name was Lodge tyres which beleive it or not they are now well known and establishished
today they have a couple of vans on the road they are yellow ones
and they have there logo on and the year they set up business early 1900,s
i have an old school friend when he was a young lad leaving school started to work for them at the yard on lichfield
right next to the Aston Station no sooner they set up the business
they started from scratch
And on the subject of the kids being shipped out with there Gas masked boxs
When i started school at upper thomas street school , we used to have them boxes hanging
on a clothes pegs in the cloak room wher we had our coats hanging up with our names on
and put our lunch pack in with it
keep up the pictures my friend , Astonion,,,,,,,

 

[DavidGrain]

A wartime No 84 tram at the Stetchford terminus. A vee shaped cover (similar to one shown in post#241) helps the conductor to position the wheel on the overhead wire in blackout conditions.

I think that it is a screen to prevent any flash being seen from the air when the trolley is being connected to the overhead wire.

 

[oldMohawk]

I think that it is a screen to prevent any flash being seen from the air when the trolley is being connected to the overhead wire.

Hi David - we will have to differ on this point.

When there was a big raid on, the passengers, driver, and conductor would head for the nearest public shelter as soon as the sirens sounded. The conductor would certainly not be fiddling around trying to put the wheel on the line during a raid. Also when the tram was stationary the only power being drawn would be for the tram lighting and any flashes would be slight, certainly nothing like the flashes which occurred as the wheels bounced on the cross wire insulators when the trams were on the move. I remember seeing those in daylight.

On most nights the Luftwaffe found their way to Birmingham with the use of knickebein or X-gerate beams, and with the exception of moonlit nights, generally dropped their bombs randomly across the city. They certainly would not be looking for small flashes from trams but they would have seen the continual bright flashes from the anti aircraft guns.
See some info and example map of a 'beam' over Birmingham here.
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...hat-fell-on-birmingham-ww2.46272/#post-567110
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/bombing-brum.21044/page-6#post-544286

With regard to the blackout, as a young child in the war I remember just how dark it was during the blackout, and to get to the shelter up the garden our parents had to guide us sometimes using a very faint torch. The only time it got light during a raid was when the bombers dropped flares often followed by bombs. The blackout was enforced every night and was so dark that tram conductors would have found it very difficult to position the wheel on a overhead line which would have been virtually invisible from the street level. The conductor in post#263 seems to be having slight difficulty in daylight, and some were probably better at it than others.

Just my opinions of course ...
oldmohawk

 

[Radiorails]

I suspect peoples eyesight during the hours of darkness, especially relevant for those living in areas of present day heavy light pollution, was much better than today.
Away from well lit towns and cities there is a wonderful night sky of stars (when the sky is cloudless of course) which can be seen. Living outside a well lit town as a youngster I can well recall the wonders of the sky on dark evening walking home from cubs/scouts and other evening activities.

 

[oldMohawk]

A No 6 Perry Barr tram outside the Miller Street depot prepared for the blitz.

(only visible if logged in)

The war had been going for some months and night bombing was expected so someone decided to cover the windows of trams with blinds. The smart looking conductress poses in the pic ... wonder what she thought about it ?
The blinds look fixed on the outside, so in daytime she might have had to tell passengers where they were ! The Luftwaffe didn't really aim for trams etc, they had the 'Knickebein' beams to tell them when they were over Brum and generally most of the times they just dropped their bombs anywhere.

 

[Bob Davis]

Bob, I hope you do not think I painted this !! It is by Eric Bottomley, noted for his city and train paintings, the only thing we have in common is our Christian names and we both paint, he being a far superior artist to me. Eric

Sorry, but it is still good
Bob

 

[oldbrit]

I have TWO copies of TRAM DAYS cost 12p! An Evening mail souvenir, Many photos of the last trams to be used to be has a beautiful full colour painting in the centre of 'Sunrise over Aston', by Robert Calvert Strange, I can NOT find a date this was published anywhere. Anyway If anyone would like a copy I will send it over the pond to you, NO charge, Just send me a Personal Message, with your address I will post it to you.

 

[oldMohawk]

This c1938 photo of two trams is tagged 'Corner of Parade & Lodge Rd' but must be wrong. I think the No 32 tram has just come out of Newhall Hill and is on it's way to the terminus in Edmund Street.


This c1948 aerial view appears to show the white telephone box which can be seen on the left in the first photo.

On this map I have marked where I think the No32 tram was.

There is a forum photo of the No 32 tram at it's destination terminus as below

nice pic of lodge road tram terminus..dated 1940s...but which lodge road is it..im sure one of our tram experts can help with this one...
lyn

 

[Lloyd]

Hi Mike and steam fans of trams
Here are a couple of steam trams i have sotted for you all
In Aston Newtown row and witton Island;

The first one is of a tram moving from Miller St. depot to Kyotts Lake Road tram works for scrapping, a short while after the last service cars had run. It's throwing up the dust from the rail groove as this line hadn't been used much by then.

 

[Lloyd]

Route 32 was to Winson Green via Lodge Rd, and along with the Washwood Heath and Alum Rock routes, the trams on there used bow collectors instead of poles to connect to the overhead wire.

 

[DavidGrain]

As further proof, the tram on the right has a trolley arm which means that it is on the Dudley Road route in the Parade. I can't read the destination board but I suspect it is running to the Depot as it looks like words rather than a number in the box.

 

[oldMohawk]

Was there something about the 32 route which required trams with bow collectors ?

 

[DavidGrain]

Was there something about the 32 route which required trams with bow collectors ?

I don't know if there was a physical reason for the bow collectors. The outer terminus was surrounded by railway bridges but I don't think that was significant. There was a practical reason in descending the Parade the the tracks divided and the bow collectors were able to trigger an overhead switch which changed the points.

 

[Radiorails]

In addition to the post by David, mentioning the triggering of the switching arrangements, I believe the sharp curves on route 32 were also a factor. The car entering The Parade presumably is going to Roseberry Street which was a tram depot at the time.
Old Mohawk is correct with his precise locations of course.
A good drawing supplied by Lloyd of the bow collector.

 

[oldMohawk]

A tram at the No 10 terminus c1949 with a view of the old Beaufort Cinema. The conductor is swinging the collector pole round the tram to position it on the overhead line. The driver is waiting to put the key in the Bundy Clock and looking at the photographer.