Dundee Corporation Tramways formerly served the City of Dundee

Dundee

Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. The tram system was replaced by buses in 1956.

Origins

Horse-drawn trams were first introduced in 1877, followed by steam haulage in the 1880s. Dundee's trams came under municipal management in 1893. The City Corporation then replaced the steam and horse trams with electric traction between 1900 and 1902. The track was Standard gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

.

The system

The system was publicly owned and operated by Dundee Corporation (the predecessor of the present Dundee City Council). It was one of the smallest municipal tram systems in Great Britain, with approximately 100 trams in the 1930s, declining to only 55 after World War II. The trams were all double-decked, four-wheeled and painted in a green and cream livery.

Many electric trams continued in service until after World War II, by which time their replacement had become urgent. The system was closed in October 1956, with the remaining trams being replaced by Dundee Corporation diesel buses.

Lochee trams

The last trams built for Dundee were numbered 19-28 inclusive, better known as the "Lochee

Lochee

Lochee is an area in the west of Dundee, Scotland. Until the 19th century, it was a separate town, but was eventually surrounded by the expanding Dundee...

" trams. They were built in 1930 by Brush

Brush Traction

This article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...

 of Loughborough

Loughborough

Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...

. As the widest trams in the fleet, they were restricted to the Lochee Road route. They were withdrawn on the closure of the route in 1956.

Successor company

Following local government reorganisation in 1975 the Dundee Corporation Transport Department was transferred to Tayside

Tayside

Tayside Region was a local government region of Scotland from 15 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. It was created by the 1973 Act following recommendations made by the 1969 Wheatley Report which attempted to replace the mishmash of counties, cities, burghs and districts, with a uniform two-tier system...

 Regional Council. Following deregulation and privatisation, the successor company is Travel Dundee

Travel Dundee

National Express Dundee is a bus operator based in Dundee, Scotland and operates services mainly within Dundee City. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Express Group.-History:...

 (which is being rebranded as National Express Dundee).

See also

• History of Dundee
  History of Dundee
  Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland. Its history begins with the Picts in the Iron Age. During the Medieval Era, it was the site of many battles. Throughout the Industrial Revolution, the local jute industry caused the city to grow rapidly...
  
  
• National Tramway Museum
  National Tramway Museum
  The National Tramway Museum, at Crich, in Derbyshire, England, is situated within Crich Tramway Village, a period village containing a pub, cafe, old-style sweetshop, including the tram depots. The village is also home to the Eagle Press, a small museum dedicated to Letterpress Printing including...
  
  
• Scottish Tramway and Transport Society
  Scottish Tramway and Transport Society
  The Scottish Tramway and Transport Society was founded on 27 June 1951. Until 1983 it was known as the Scottish Tramway Museum Society. The Society was originally formed by tramway enthusiasts, mainly living in the Glasgow area, with a view to preserve a Glasgow "Room and Kitchen" type single deck...