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Leslie
Oppitz explains more:
They
were open top cars with a livery of holly green and cream. From
the start there were 15 cars in all covering almost 6 miles of 3
ft 6 in gauge track. Routes were opened to Barbourne, Astwood Cemetery
(via Rainbow Hill), Shrub Hill station, London Road, Bath Road and
St Johns. The system was owned by the Worcester Electric Traction
Co Ltd.
Despite
Council promises, from June 1903 until the opening day, havoc had
reigned.
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| Picture
taken c1907 of Worcester tram no 10 entering Broad Street on
the Malvern Road route. |
But
their introduction, almost one hundred years ago, had not been a
smooth one. All the main streets in the city centre were dug up
for the removal of the old lines used by the former horse-drawn
tramcars and for the installation of wider lines and overhead power
cables for the new electric trams.
City
chaos
The
city was cast into total chaos and the whole operation led to what
became known locally and nationally as "The Tramway Siege of Worcester
1903-4".
Citizens
had to get around the central area entirely on foot to shop or to
do their business, some pushing prams or other makeshift two-wheeled
trolleys to carry their goods. But the Council remained optimistic.
It claimed, "What is in view is cheapness - a welcome penny fare
to each boundary of the city, a more frequent service, and trams
to and fro on every route every 10 minutes’.
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| One
of Worcester’s tramcars photographed soon after services began
in 1904. The cars, built by Brush of Loughborough, had seating
for 50 passengers and trams were powered by two 28 hp engines.
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All
cars were fitted with slipper brakes because of gradients in Rainbow
Hill and London Road. In 1921 two further cars were purchased but
Worcester’s trams lasted only another seven years, until May 1928.
The
Corporation had powers to buy the tramways and proposed to replace
them with municipal trolleybuses but instead accepted an offer by
Midland Red to provide the city with bus services. The Corporation
did buy the tramways but only to dismantle them!
Leslie
Oppitz has written numerous railway and tramway books. His latest
book ‘Lost Railways of Herefordshire and Worcestershire’ is currently
available at all good bookshops.
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