Warrington Corporation Tramways
Encyclopedia
Warrington Corporation Tramways was the owner and operator of an electric tram
way system in the early 20th century serving the town of Warrington
, at the time a county borough
of Lancashire
, England
.
when in 1880, a private company approached Warrington Corporation about the possibility of laying a horse tramway within the town. After an investigation into existing horse tramways in operation in Bristol
and Hull
, the Corporation declined the offer, not wanting outsiders making a profit from the residents. It was not until the construction of a power generating station
at Howley in 1900 that the Corporation was encouraged to apply to Parliament
for powers to lay down and operate an electric tramway system along the five main arterial road
s within the town boundary. This was granted as the Tramways Orders Confirmation (No. 4) Act 1900 (63 & 64 Vic. cap. cci) and construction began in 1901, with responsibility for the operation assumed by the Corporation's Electricity and Tramways Committee under the name of "Warrington Corporation Tramways".
The official Board of Trade
inspection of the Latchford
and Sankey Bridges
branches was made by Lt. Col. P.G. von Donop R.E.
on April 17, 1902. Despite a minor hiccup involving a broken trolley pole
, permission was given for operations on the two lines to begin. The first tram left Rylands Street for Latchford at 7.40 a.m. on April 21. Operation of the Sankey Bridges route did not start for another two days until enough trams were available for service, thus a through service between the two lines commenced on April 23. Eight open-top double-deck trams built by G.F. Milnes of Birkenhead were purchased for the opening, with a further 13 arriving later in the year to operate the other three lines. The five routes operated were as follows:
The line south along Wilderspool Causeway initially operated to a terminus at Stafford Road just north of the Manchester Ship Canal
, being at the time the boundary between Lancashire and Cheshire
. On the Cheshire side of the canal was the village of Stockton Heath
, which may have been expected to provide a more suitable terminus. However, strong opposition from Stockton Heath Parish Council was encountered, so for the time being the line terminated on the Lancashire side of the canal. Alternative proposals came in 1901 from the Warrington and Northwich Light Railway (WNLR), who wished to run a tramway from Northwich
to Stockton Heath
and onwards to meet the Warrington Corporation Tramways system at both the Wilderspool and Latchford termini. The crossing of the Manchester Ship Canal at both locations would only be allowed by an exorbitant annual sum which made the scheme unviable, so Warrington Corporation applied for a Light Railway Order
to cover the sections north of Stockton Heath, being in a better position to press the Canal Company not to apply such charges. As a result, the official title of the tramway changed, with timetables and tickets amended to bear the legend "Warrington Corporation Tramways & Stockton Heath Light Railways".
As the line crossed the canal on a swing bridge
, special precautions had to be made to ensure that trams did not end up in the canal whilst the bridge was out. Catch points were provided on the southern side of the canal, whilst the current in the vicinity was cut as soon as the bridge swung out of its closed position, leaving a neutral section in the overhead wires until the bridge swung back into position. A single-line spur in Stockton Heath provided for the proposed link to Northwich, and in 1906 the WNLR proposed as a first step to lay tracks as far as Stretton
, with the proviso that the Corporation would operate this section. The negotiations came to nothing as the WNLR were not prepared to offer a guarantee to the Corporation against any losses. The powers held by the Corporation to build a line between Latchford and Stockton Heath were left to lapse.
The route to Stockton Heath was the most prone to delays due to both the swing bridge across the Manchester Ship Canal as well as a level crossing
over the LNWR
Garston
–Timperley
railway at Wilderspool, which had a similar set of precautions to prevent trams from fouling the crossing. The line was thus operated independently of the other routes. A northern spur up Bridge Street was put in at the same time as the Stockton Heath extension, so that trams could terminate there instead of causing delay to through services on Rylands Street.
(SLT) to Newton-le-Willows
and beyond. SLT held powers to build such a route as part of the South Lancashire Tramways Act 1901 (1 Edw. VII cap. cclvii), the Act also authorising SLT to enter into agreements concerning running powers with the Corporation. In the meantime, the line was not expected to be viable by itself, due to the sparsely populated nature of the outer end.
SLT got into serious financial difficulties in 1904, which led to its restructuring in 1906. As a result of concentrating on building new tramways to connect with lines in other areas, the powers to build the connection to the Longford line lapsed. The Longford route thus became rather a liability to the Corporation. Efforts were made to reduce the losses caused by the line such that in 1910, Tram No. 18 was converted to a single-deck one-man operated vehicle. The route still made substantial losses so was later put back into its original open-top condition, along with 19 and 21, due to restricted headroom caused by two railway bridges along the route.
Lancashire United Tramways
(LUT), the parent company of SLT, started running bus
es from Golborne
to the Longford tram terminus via Newton-le-Willows in 1920, but approached the Corporation in April 1921 about extending the service through to Central Station
over the tram route. The Corporation agreed, but stipulated that LUT must pay them an amount equal to the tram fare for every passenger carried over this section of route. Similar agreements were later made with Crosville
and North Western
over other tramway routes.
were purchased in 1919, allowing frequencies and operating hours to be increased to meet demand. The Corporation also started operating its own bus services, complementing the existing tram network. Routes to Bewsey
and Orford started in 1913, with a further route to Padgate
in 1928 operating over part of an unbuilt tramway extension along Padgate Lane to Padgate Bridge. A purpose built bus garage was constructed on Lower Bank Street close to the existing tram depot in 1930.
Track on both the Cemetery and Sankey Bridges routes was relaid in 1922 and 1923, with a susbstantial amount of doubling taking place on the formerly single-track line to the Cemetery. Meanwhile, powers had been obtained to lay a new line in the town centre running from Scotland Road up Buttermarket Street to Market Gate and down Bridge Street to meet the terminating spur for the Stockton Heath route. This was part of a scheme to enable a through-service between the Cemetery and Stockton Heath lines, and was trialled for a short period after construction was completed in 1922. It became apparent very soon that the poor reliability of the Stockton Heath line was causing knock-on effects on the Cemetery line. The two routes thus reverted back to separate operations again, although both terminating near Market Gate at the heart of the town centre. The line along Scotland Road was not used for normal service after this, serving merely as a connecting line from the depot to the terminus of the Longford route at Central Station.
and Grappenhall
, illustrating the flexibility of the motor bus over the fixed infrastructure required for trams. The Longford route operated for the last time at the end of the year, with LUT paying the Corporation £25 per annum as a condition of being allowed to operate the replacement bus service. Although there was still several years of life in the tracks before renewal was required, the Sankey Bridges and Cemetery routes were replaced by a through bus service on March 28, 1935, extended at the Cemetery end as far as the junction with the new Kingsway road, near Bruche
Bridge.
With the end of the tramway now in sight, the undertaking's name was changed to "Warrington Corporation Transport Department" in April 1935. The Latchford route continued in use until August 28, 1935, which was the last day of tram operation, with a replacement bus service operating from the following day. The last journey of the day was operated by Tram No. 1, which left Rylands Street carrying 136 passengers as opposed to its nominal capcity of 55. This tram is estimated to have carried a total of 9,652,000 passengers and operated 777,600 miles during its 33 years of service. The total mileage operated by all trams was about 15,000,000, carrying a total of 225,000,000 passengers with only one fatality. Unlike many other tramway systems, a profit had been made in every financial year bar one, all loan charges had been paid off, and additionally over £35,000 of relief in rates was handed over.
superstore and fitness club. However, one of the original Milnes trams (Tram No. 2) managed to survive as a bowling green
shelter in Cuddington
until 1977, when it was saved for preservation by Alan Pritchard. After almost thirty years of storage, restoration began in 2004 by the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society, located at the Wirral Transport Museum
.
The replacement bus services operated by the Corporation thrived, and were extended as the town grew, as well as being supplemented by new routes. The majority of bus services within the borough today are still provided by Warrington Borough Council (the successor to the Corporation) through Warrington Borough Transport
(WBT), an arms length limited company
wholly owned by the council. WBT celebrated 100 years of public transport operated by the council in 2002 with a recreation of the first tram service, and an open day at the depot featuring open-top bus tours along the original tramway routes.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way system in the early 20th century serving the town of Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, at the time a county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Construction
The town of Warrington was already well served by railways, canals and turnpike roadsHistory of toll roads in the United Kingdom
For details about the history of Toll roads in the United Kingdom see the articles about Toll roads in each of the individual countries of the United Kingdom:*Toll roads in Great Britain*Toll roads in Northern Ireland...
when in 1880, a private company approached Warrington Corporation about the possibility of laying a horse tramway within the town. After an investigation into existing horse tramways in operation in Bristol
Bristol Tramways
Bristol tramways were operated from 1875, when the Bristol Tramways Company was formed by Sir George White, until 1941 when a Luftwaffe bomb destroyed the power station.-History:...
and Hull
Hull Street Tramways
The Kingston upon Hull tramway network was a network of tram lines following the five main roads radially out of the city centre of Kingston upon Hull, England. Two of these lines went west, and two east. The fifth went to the north, and branched to include extra lines serving suburban areas...
, the Corporation declined the offer, not wanting outsiders making a profit from the residents. It was not until the construction of a power generating station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
at Howley in 1900 that the Corporation was encouraged to apply to Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
for powers to lay down and operate an electric tramway system along the five main arterial road
Arterial road
An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature...
s within the town boundary. This was granted as the Tramways Orders Confirmation (No. 4) Act 1900 (63 & 64 Vic. cap. cci) and construction began in 1901, with responsibility for the operation assumed by the Corporation's Electricity and Tramways Committee under the name of "Warrington Corporation Tramways".
The official Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
inspection of the Latchford
Latchford
Latchford is a suburban district and electoral ward of the unitary borough of Warrington, in Cheshire, England. It is around one mile south of Warrington town centre and has a total resident population of 7,856....
and Sankey Bridges
Sankey Bridges
Sankey Bridges is part of the parish of great sankey in Warrington, a unitary authority in the north-west of England. Located around the crossing of the main turnpike road between Warrington, Prescot and Liverpool over the Sankey Brook, it became home to many industries after the opening of the...
branches was made by Lt. Col. P.G. von Donop R.E.
Pelham von Donop
Lieutenant-Colonel Pelham George von Donop was an officer in the Royal Engineers and later Chief Inspecting Officer of Railways...
on April 17, 1902. Despite a minor hiccup involving a broken trolley pole
Trolley pole
A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" overhead wire to the control and propulsion equipment of a tram or trolley bus. The use of overhead wire in a system of current collection is reputed to be the 1880 invention of Frank J....
, permission was given for operations on the two lines to begin. The first tram left Rylands Street for Latchford at 7.40 a.m. on April 21. Operation of the Sankey Bridges route did not start for another two days until enough trams were available for service, thus a through service between the two lines commenced on April 23. Eight open-top double-deck trams built by G.F. Milnes of Birkenhead were purchased for the opening, with a further 13 arriving later in the year to operate the other three lines. The five routes operated were as follows:
| Destination | Opened | Closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latchford Latchford Latchford is a suburban district and electoral ward of the unitary borough of Warrington, in Cheshire, England. It is around one mile south of Warrington town centre and has a total resident population of 7,856.... |
April 21, 1902 | August 28, 1935 | |
| Sankey Bridges Sankey Bridges Sankey Bridges is part of the parish of great sankey in Warrington, a unitary authority in the north-west of England. Located around the crossing of the main turnpike road between Warrington, Prescot and Liverpool over the Sankey Brook, it became home to many industries after the opening of the... |
April 23, 1902 | March 27, 1935 | |
| Wilderspool | October 4, 1902 | September 17, 1931 | Extended to Stockton Heath Stockton Heath Stockton Heath is a civil parish and suburban area of the Borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England. It is located to the north of the Bridgewater Canal and to the south of the Manchester Ship Canal, which divides Stockton Heath from Latchford and north Warrington... from July 7, 1905 |
| Cemetery | November 22, 1902 | March 27, 1935 | |
| Longford Longford Longford is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 7,622 according to the 2006 census. Approximately one third of the county's population resides in the town. Longford town is also the biggest town in the county... |
November 29, 1902 | December 31, 1931 |
South of the Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
, being at the time the boundary between Lancashire and Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. On the Cheshire side of the canal was the village of Stockton Heath
Stockton Heath
Stockton Heath is a civil parish and suburban area of the Borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England. It is located to the north of the Bridgewater Canal and to the south of the Manchester Ship Canal, which divides Stockton Heath from Latchford and north Warrington...
, which may have been expected to provide a more suitable terminus. However, strong opposition from Stockton Heath Parish Council was encountered, so for the time being the line terminated on the Lancashire side of the canal. Alternative proposals came in 1901 from the Warrington and Northwich Light Railway (WNLR), who wished to run a tramway from Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
to Stockton Heath
Stockton Heath
Stockton Heath is a civil parish and suburban area of the Borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England. It is located to the north of the Bridgewater Canal and to the south of the Manchester Ship Canal, which divides Stockton Heath from Latchford and north Warrington...
and onwards to meet the Warrington Corporation Tramways system at both the Wilderspool and Latchford termini. The crossing of the Manchester Ship Canal at both locations would only be allowed by an exorbitant annual sum which made the scheme unviable, so Warrington Corporation applied for a Light Railway Order
Light Railways Act 1896
The Light Railways Act 1896 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Before the Act each new railway line built in the country required a specific Act of Parliament to be obtained by the company that wished to construct it, which greatly added to the cost...
to cover the sections north of Stockton Heath, being in a better position to press the Canal Company not to apply such charges. As a result, the official title of the tramway changed, with timetables and tickets amended to bear the legend "Warrington Corporation Tramways & Stockton Heath Light Railways".
As the line crossed the canal on a swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
, special precautions had to be made to ensure that trams did not end up in the canal whilst the bridge was out. Catch points were provided on the southern side of the canal, whilst the current in the vicinity was cut as soon as the bridge swung out of its closed position, leaving a neutral section in the overhead wires until the bridge swung back into position. A single-line spur in Stockton Heath provided for the proposed link to Northwich, and in 1906 the WNLR proposed as a first step to lay tracks as far as Stretton
Stretton, Cheshire
Stretton is a village and civil parish in Cheshire, England not far from Warrington. The parish includes the village of Lower Stretton. It is at the very southern tip of Warrington, about seven miles south of the town centre. It has a large hotel and is the site of Warrington's private hospital,...
, with the proviso that the Corporation would operate this section. The negotiations came to nothing as the WNLR were not prepared to offer a guarantee to the Corporation against any losses. The powers held by the Corporation to build a line between Latchford and Stockton Heath were left to lapse.
The route to Stockton Heath was the most prone to delays due to both the swing bridge across the Manchester Ship Canal as well as a level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
over the LNWR
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
Garston
Garston, Merseyside
Garston is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is bordered by Aigburth, Allerton, and Speke.-History:Gaerstun, meaning 'grazing settlement' or 'grazing farm' in Old English, is one possible root of the name....
–Timperley
Timperley
Timperley is a village within the Altrincham area, of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Situated within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, Timperley is approximately seven miles southwest of Manchester....
railway at Wilderspool, which had a similar set of precautions to prevent trams from fouling the crossing. The line was thus operated independently of the other routes. A northern spur up Bridge Street was put in at the same time as the Stockton Heath extension, so that trams could terminate there instead of causing delay to through services on Rylands Street.
North towards the South Lancashire system
The Longford route was built with the intention that there would be an onward line built by the private company South Lancashire TramwaysSouth Lancashire Tramways
South Lancashire Tramways was a system of electric tramways in south Lancashire authorised by the South Lancashire Tramways Act of 1900. The South Lancashire Tramways Company was authorised by the act to build over of track to serve the towns between St Helens, Swinton, Westhoughton and Hulton...
(SLT) to Newton-le-Willows
Newton-le-Willows
Newton-le-Willows is a small market town within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it is situated about midway between the cities of Manchester and Liverpool, to the east of St Helens, to the north of Warrington and to the south of...
and beyond. SLT held powers to build such a route as part of the South Lancashire Tramways Act 1901 (1 Edw. VII cap. cclvii), the Act also authorising SLT to enter into agreements concerning running powers with the Corporation. In the meantime, the line was not expected to be viable by itself, due to the sparsely populated nature of the outer end.
SLT got into serious financial difficulties in 1904, which led to its restructuring in 1906. As a result of concentrating on building new tramways to connect with lines in other areas, the powers to build the connection to the Longford line lapsed. The Longford route thus became rather a liability to the Corporation. Efforts were made to reduce the losses caused by the line such that in 1910, Tram No. 18 was converted to a single-deck one-man operated vehicle. The route still made substantial losses so was later put back into its original open-top condition, along with 19 and 21, due to restricted headroom caused by two railway bridges along the route.
Lancashire United Tramways
Lancashire United Transport
Lancashire United Transport was a tram, bus and trolleybus operator based at Howe Bridge in Atherton, 10 miles north west of Manchester...
(LUT), the parent company of SLT, started running bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es from Golborne
Golborne
Golborne is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England.It lies south-southeast of Wigan, northeast of Warrington and to the west of the city of Manchester. It has a population of 23,119....
to the Longford tram terminus via Newton-le-Willows in 1920, but approached the Corporation in April 1921 about extending the service through to Central Station
Warrington Central railway station
Warrington Central railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Warrington in the north-west of England. It is located on the southern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line , and is situated around halfway between the two cities...
over the tram route. The Corporation agreed, but stipulated that LUT must pay them an amount equal to the tram fare for every passenger carried over this section of route. Similar agreements were later made with Crosville
Crosville Motor Services
Crosville Motor Services was a bus operator running within the north west of England and north and mid Wales.-History:The company was formed as Crosville Motor Company Limited on 27 October 1906 in Chester, by George Crosland Taylor and his French business associate Georges de Ville, with the...
and North Western
North Western Road Car Company (1923)
The North Western Road Car Company was a bus company located in Stockport, England. Formed in 1923 from the existing bus services of the British Automobile Traction Company Limited operations based in Macclesfield, the new company grew to operate bus services in five counties The North Western...
over other tramway routes.
Improvements to the network
Although Warrington's trams entered service with open-tops, the majority were rebuilt with canopies and new staircases. Six new trams from Brush Electrical Engineering CompanyBrush 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.-...
were purchased in 1919, allowing frequencies and operating hours to be increased to meet demand. The Corporation also started operating its own bus services, complementing the existing tram network. Routes to Bewsey
Bewsey
Bewsey and Whitecross is a ward to the west of the town centre of Warrington, England . The town's General Hospital is within the ward. The area is served by the 16/16A bus route from Dallam to Warrington. In terms of other facilities the Sankey Valley Park runs through Bewsey, and there is a...
and Orford started in 1913, with a further route to Padgate
Padgate
Padgate was a village on the edge of Warrington, England, and today it is a large residential part of the town. During World War II it had a small RAF Station. RAF Padgate will be well-remembered by thousands of young men who were selected for RAF national service and on this site received their...
in 1928 operating over part of an unbuilt tramway extension along Padgate Lane to Padgate Bridge. A purpose built bus garage was constructed on Lower Bank Street close to the existing tram depot in 1930.
Track on both the Cemetery and Sankey Bridges routes was relaid in 1922 and 1923, with a susbstantial amount of doubling taking place on the formerly single-track line to the Cemetery. Meanwhile, powers had been obtained to lay a new line in the town centre running from Scotland Road up Buttermarket Street to Market Gate and down Bridge Street to meet the terminating spur for the Stockton Heath route. This was part of a scheme to enable a through-service between the Cemetery and Stockton Heath lines, and was trialled for a short period after construction was completed in 1922. It became apparent very soon that the poor reliability of the Stockton Heath line was causing knock-on effects on the Cemetery line. The two routes thus reverted back to separate operations again, although both terminating near Market Gate at the heart of the town centre. The line along Scotland Road was not used for normal service after this, serving merely as a connecting line from the depot to the terminus of the Longford route at Central Station.
Closure and replacement
In 1929, a proposal was put together to replace trams on the Stockton Heath line with bus services, as the track had been in use for 25 years and was due for renewal. The route was duly closed on September 17, 1931 and was replaced by a Corporation bus service from Central Station. Nine Leyland TD1s with Brush bodywork were purchased, and it was not long before the service was extended to the suburbs of WaltonWalton, Cheshire
Walton is a civil parish within the borough of Warrington in Cheshire, northern England.Walton is at the southwest edge of the borough, next to the parish of Stockton Heath. It is also close to Daresbury and Moore, although these are in the neighbouring borough of Halton.Walton is divided into...
and Grappenhall
Grappenhall
Grappenhall is a suburban village in Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is situated along the Bridgewater Canal, and forms one of the principal settlements of Grappenhall and Thelwall civil parish...
, illustrating the flexibility of the motor bus over the fixed infrastructure required for trams. The Longford route operated for the last time at the end of the year, with LUT paying the Corporation £25 per annum as a condition of being allowed to operate the replacement bus service. Although there was still several years of life in the tracks before renewal was required, the Sankey Bridges and Cemetery routes were replaced by a through bus service on March 28, 1935, extended at the Cemetery end as far as the junction with the new Kingsway road, near Bruche
Bruche
Bruche is a large suburb of Warrington, England.It forms the old border of Poulton and Warrington.As of 2005 it is home to the Bruche Police Training Centre, a national police training centre.- See also :...
Bridge.
With the end of the tramway now in sight, the undertaking's name was changed to "Warrington Corporation Transport Department" in April 1935. The Latchford route continued in use until August 28, 1935, which was the last day of tram operation, with a replacement bus service operating from the following day. The last journey of the day was operated by Tram No. 1, which left Rylands Street carrying 136 passengers as opposed to its nominal capcity of 55. This tram is estimated to have carried a total of 9,652,000 passengers and operated 777,600 miles during its 33 years of service. The total mileage operated by all trams was about 15,000,000, carrying a total of 225,000,000 passengers with only one fatality. Unlike many other tramway systems, a profit had been made in every financial year bar one, all loan charges had been paid off, and additionally over £35,000 of relief in rates was handed over.
Legacy
Very few physical remains of the tramway infrastructure are left today, with the last remnants of the old depot on Lower Bank Street being demolished in 1981, the location today being the site of a JJB SportsJJB Sports
JJB Sports plc is a United Kingdom sports retailer. It currently operates 251 stores in the UK and Ireland.- History :The sportshop chain was founded in 1971, when ex-footballer Dave Whelan acquired a single sports shop in Wigan. The original store was established by JJ Broughton in the early...
superstore and fitness club. However, one of the original Milnes trams (Tram No. 2) managed to survive as a bowling green
Bowling green
A bowling green is a finely-laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of lawn for playing the game of lawn bowls.Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on them...
shelter in Cuddington
Cuddington, Vale Royal
Cuddington is a civil parish and rural village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about six miles west of Northwich and fourteen miles east of Chester....
until 1977, when it was saved for preservation by Alan Pritchard. After almost thirty years of storage, restoration began in 2004 by the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society, located at the Wirral Transport Museum
Wirral Transport Museum
Wirral Transport Museum is a museum situated 1 mile from the Mersey Ferry service at Woodside, Birkenhead, England.A vintage tram service links the museum and the ferry at certain times. Admission into the museum is free with a broad selection of vintage and classic vehicles, including trams,...
.
The replacement bus services operated by the Corporation thrived, and were extended as the town grew, as well as being supplemented by new routes. The majority of bus services within the borough today are still provided by Warrington Borough Council (the successor to the Corporation) through Warrington Borough Transport
Warrington Borough Transport
Warrington Borough Transport is a bus operator running a network of services within the Borough of Warrington, England and into the surrounding area, including Altrincham, Leigh, Earlestown and Northwich. The network of services is marketed under the Network Warrington name, with both names...
(WBT), an arms length limited company
Limited company
A limited company is a company in which the liability of the members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. And the former of these, a limited company limited by shares, may be...
wholly owned by the council. WBT celebrated 100 years of public transport operated by the council in 2002 with a recreation of the first tram service, and an open day at the depot featuring open-top bus tours along the original tramway routes.