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Electric Trams

froth it could be me as i dont know much about trams but why are the passengers standing in the way of on coming traffic to get on the tram..surely they should be getting on on the other side of it...or maybe it was the done thing

lyn
 
The cable supporting the wires is lower down the pole the 'point' on the top of the pole looks as if it is connected to the wire but it isn't.
With regard to boarding trams, I always got on them the same side as the folks in the pic ... have a look at the pic in post#284.
A pic concerning boarding trams in another post click/here always amuses me ...:)
 
Boarding a No 8 tram in Corporation Street, keeping an eye out for traffic and there was an almost 2ft climb (two steps) to get on. The tram is travelling towards Lancaster Place and in those days Corporation St was one way for all vehicles except the trams.
No8CorporationSt.jpg
 
Highgate Road Depot in 1937image.jpeg

Alcester Road by the Bundy clock, outside the Kings Arms in 1948. Lady outside the Kings Arms seems undecided about getting on board! image.jpeg
 
Astoness said:
froth it could be me as i dont know much about trams but why are the passengers standing in the way of on coming traffic to get on the tram..surely they should be getting on on the other side of it...or maybe it was the done thing

lyn
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The tram lines ran in the middle of the road, sometimes in reservations on the Council estates built in the thirties, but in the main when the tram cane any traffic behind it was expected to stop and wait while all those at the tram stop stepped into the road to board the tram and unlike todays buses, the steps were quite steep. To get to the upper deck you went up a narrow steel curved stairway and on the platform you had all the driving nechanisms as trams could be driven from either end. Today they would be banned by health and safety, but they were quite dangerous machines and on some routes particularly going to the Lickeys, they rolled quite alarmingly. I am sure the are forum members who experienced the thrill a tram ride could be especially if you were lucky enough to get one of the old open balcony cars. Even more dangerous was the conductor/tresses job when he/she had to step in to the middle of the road to change the trolley pole. In #307 look how the tram is not at the kerb. Worst of all was the threat that the tracks gave to cyclusts and motor cyclists especially in wet weather. Anyone who caught trams in Ladywood, Aston or the Stetchford/Stirchley routes will know all about stepping into the road to get on a tram What was rhe route where there were three tracks and it worked like a railway single line. Was it the Lodge Road route?
Bob D
 
There were interlaced tracks in Newtown Row as quoted below ...
oldMohawk said:
Hi Phil,
I'm enjoying this journey along Newtown Row. In the 50's we used to go into town on Saturday mornings and homewards we would catch a No 6 tram even though we had to get off at the terminus in Perry Barr and then catch a bus to Great Barr. We liked to ride on the open balcony trams as seen in photos 1 and 4 in #852. The tram in photo 3 in #850 is on the stretch where the road was so narrow, the tracks had to be overlapped, and I wonder whether such track layout occurred anywhere else in Birmingham. There was a possiblity for a 'meeting' of trams on such stretches especially if it was foggy.
Phil
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Most tram users were well used to looking out for traffic passing between the tram and the footpath.
oldMohawk said:
In Perry Barr the No 6 tram stood for up to 10 minutes at the terminus in the middle of the road and traffic had to pass. With normal stops I suppose some drivers had not fully read the highway code and took chances.
Perry Barr tram standing at the terminus. (linked forum pic only visible if logged in)
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The No 6 Perry Barr tram service ended in 1949 and 4 years later in March 1953 they were taking up the tracks as seen in Birchfield Road.
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A tram fitted with blinds outside the Miller Street depot early in WW2
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The Witton area has some single tracks with passing loops. There were often single tacks leading from tram depots such as Miller Street.
It is noticeable in suburban developments where dual carriageways exist that in some cases they were built in the light of possible tramway extensions.
 
The map below (dated 1905) shows a considerable length of single track between the marked red dots. One wonders how trams signalled each other to prevent a 'meeting' somewhere, particularly when it was foggy. There was a passing loop by the Priory Rd junction.
Image1905.jpg
 
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Over time I've posted quite a few pics in various threads showing trams ...
I've changed the tram that I originally put here because I already had it this thread so here is another ....:rolleyes:
oldMohawk said:
A sunny day in Birchfield Rd between Trinity Rd and Six Ways. A No 6 tram with no adverts on it and a Midland Red FEDD following it in the distance.
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A pic showing the one-way traffic except for trams in Corporation Street, only the tram would come towards us but it is stopped with people in the road boarding it.
Stitcher said:
1938.
Corporation Street and if we were moving we would be passing Lewis's on the right any second.
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Frothblower said:
Oldmohawk's photo of the tram in Erdington High street post 297 is puzzling me? The post on the other side of the road is clearly holding the power cable (I can see 2) over the footpath?Now I sure the tram didn't run down the path? Can someone enlighten me.
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I think you are mis-seeing the wires, frothy. I've enhanced the wires and hangers (the bits that hold the traction cable up) to show that it's tensioned from this side of the road. The other wire (that I've put an arrow to) was for the tramways department's private telephone system, there were boxes with phones on the main poles every mile or so in case of problems.

Cable.jpg

Also, here is the fitting holding the bit that holds the power cable (the 'Ear') to the span wire.
Overhead long hanger.jpg
 
Thanks Lloyd. I can see what you are saying but I see a cable above the telephone line on the wrong side of the post, if so how does the tram connect to a cable on the other side of the post?

BoardingTramErdington.jpg
 
Sleepers are used on railways where the track rests and is fixed (ties for American readers). I gather stretchers were used for tramlines and were fixed to the rails. The cobbles usually maintained the road position of the tracks.
The 64 was a short working of the 2 service.
 
oldMohawk said:
1905 Gravelly Hill and they were hard at work laying tram tracks and a little girl in the hat looks on - she will probably enjoy a ride on the new electric trams when they start running .... now 108 years later tram tracks are again being laid in central Birmingham ...
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1905cTramwayBuilt-GravellyHill.jpg
 
The Gravelly Hill pic sell shows both wooden sleepers and the metal ties. It also shows a total closure of the road. I wonder how many letters of complaint and similar took place when these track were laid here and elsewhere/
 
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