PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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Although work had started on construction at Camel's Head on November 15th 1899, when Mr W J Waycott, chairman of the Tramways Committee cut the first sod, considerable problems were encountered, not least being the need to lower Gashouse Hill (Keyham Road) and Stoke Church Hill (Paradise Road). The first cost the Company some £15,000 and involved the lowering of the road and the movement of the entrance to Keyham Steam Yard to a point opposite St Levan Road. This work was completed in August 1900 and it was apparently hoped (by the Western Morning News at least, if not the Tramway Company) to open the Milehouse and Camel's Head section before Christmas 1900. In the end the tram lines on either side of the area were only connected up in March 1901. Before the contractors could widen the road outside Stoke Damerel Church they had to obtain a "faculty" from the Church authority to permit them to take part of the burial ground and remove the porch of the Church. This caused considerable delay and was not expected to be completed before the middle of May 1901. Every effort was being made to start the service on Whit Monday, May 27th, with the official opening taking place on the preceding Saturday. The total cost of the whole undertaking was given as £120,000. But before that could be achieved the tramcars themselves had to be built. Messrs Faulks were contracted to erect a large shed on spare land at Milehouse and it was here that the American-built trams, brought across in large packing cases, were put together by the local workforce. On Friday April 19th 1901 it was reported in the press that seven had been completed and had their motors fitted. It was proposed to run a trial car over the lines by horse power and the Board of Trade inspection was expected to take place around May 18th. In the event, the Board of Trade inspection was carried out by Major Pringle assisted by Mr Alexander P Trotter, the electrical adviser to the Board, on Tuesday June 11th 1901. Two cars left the Depot at 10.30am and a thorough inspection of the entire system was carried out with 'admirable control being obtained over the cars on the steepest gradients'. Accompanying the Inspector were: Mr A B Pilling (Town Clerk), Mr J F Burns (Borough Surveyor), Messrs C Chadwell and C H Gadsby (joint engineers of the undertaking), Mr C Furness (Electrical Engineer of the Corporation), Mr F S Pilling (resident engineer of the Company) - was he related to the Town Clerk by any chance? - Mr J W Endean (Traffic Superintendent), Mr J C Tozer (Chairman of the Tramways Committee), Mr J B James (Chairman of the Electric Lighting Committee), Mr F B Fell (Clerk of Works), Mr J S Pringle (representing Messrs R W Blackwell & Company, the contractors for the overhead equipment), Mr J Heppell (representing Messrs British Thompson-Houston Company, who supplied the motor equipment on the tramcars), Mr Seton Chisholm (representing Messrs W T Glover & Company of Manchester, contractors for the electric mains) and Mr J Belton (representing Messrs Veritys Ltd of Birmingham, contractors for the sub-station switchboards). Work started on constructing the line from St Budeaux Station towards Devonport in June 1902, when Mr J C Tozer, then chairman of the Tramways Committee, turned the first sod and a large silver cup was ceremoniously presented to the Mayor by Mr C Chadwell, the Company's engineer. Likewise, the contractors, Messrs Griffiths & Company, presented a silver salver to Mr Tozer. Considering how long Devonport had waited for a tramway system, when it finally arrived it was quite extensive. Routes radiated all around the parish of Stoke Damerel from its headquarters out in the wilds at Milehouse. The lines constructed were:- Morice Square - William Street - Keyham Road - Saltash Road - Camel's Head; Fore Street - Paradise Road - Wilton Street - Stuart Road - Pennycomequick; Paradise Road - Trafalgar Road - Tavistock Road - Milehouse (the depot); Trafalgar Road - Albert Road - Keyham Road (South Keyham Gate); Albert Road - Tamar Terrace - Paradise Road. This amounted to 4.75 miles. The permanent way was laid by Mr A Faulks and the overhead electrical equipment was supplied by Messrs Blackwell & Company. Track was double throughout except in William Street where it was interlaced. The wiring was held on conventional side poles and brackets except in Albert Road between Keyham and Exmouth Roads where the poles were in the centre of the two tracks. Mr Faulks also constructed the car-sheds and Messrs Pethick Brothers were responsible for the improvements to Keyham Hill. Car number 20 was the first to depart Morice Square, with number 19 behind and a third car behind that, all with the Mayor and local dignitaries aboard. Their route took them to Camel's Head first, then back to the Technical College in Paradise Road and onwards to Pennycomequick. From there they returned to Fore Street and finally took the lines to Milehouse. The whole journey took one hour ten minutes. Nineteen cars were then laid on from Noon to provide the services on the four routes, starting with one each on the Fore Street to Milehouse and Pennycomequick sections. One car provided a service between the Dockyard Gates at Albert Road and the Technical College and one car left Morice Square for Camel's Head. Unfortunately, the first day was almost a disaster for one very simple reason: there was not enough power to run all the cars at the same time. Cars came to a standstill all over the system and eventually all but six were returned to the Depot. Two cars were then place on the Camel's Head section; two more on the line to Pennycomequick and the remaining two on the route to Milehouse. The line from Keyham Gates to Pennycomequick via Albert Road saw no service at all. On the morning of Thursday June 27th, eleven cars were brought out but once again it was found to be impossible to run them all. Five were duly withdrawn and taken back to Milehouse Depot. However, the service was a success in as much that crowds of people flocked to each terminus and a brisk business was done all day. The initial fares were:
This extensive system was enlarged even further by Devonport Corporation itself, which obtained powers by means of the Devonport Corporation Tramway Order 1899 to construct lines from Camel's Head to St Budeaux and Saltash Passage; and from North Keyham Dockyard Gate along St Levan Road, up Milehouse Hill and along Tavistock Road as far as the junction with Tor Lane. This added another 3 miles 45 chains to the system. The Corporation decided not to work these lines and when opened they were leased to the Devonport and District Company. In fact the section from Camel's Head to Saltash Passage was completely isolated from the rest of the system by Weston Mill Creek, which was spanned by a rickety wooden walkway. As a result a small depot was provided on the St Budeaux side of the creek to hold two tramcars (numbers 22 and 24 in the fleet) for working that section. The routes that the Company operated were:-
Devonport & District Tramways
Company car It was necessary to change trams at Pennycomequick or Peverell Corner to get into Plymouth so the alternative journey from Fore Street via the Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport Tramway was probably more popular. The most significant development that affected the routes was the completion in 1903 of the embankment across Weston Mill Creek that enabled the tram lines to be continued from Camel's Head right across to join the previously isolated section the other side of the Creek. Thus it became possible to run "through" cars. The small Depot was then used for story defective or damaged tramcars. A livery of chocolate and cream was employed at the beginning with the magnet and wheel device of the British Electric Traction Company, its parent, on the waistband. However a change to green and cream was underway just before the merger with Plymouth. Part of the track they operated on was actually leased from Devonport Corporation, who had built it. Unfortunately the income from these sections did not cover expenses and the Company decided to cease operating over them after Saturday January 16th 1909. People living in the Peverell district, who were within the Borough of Devonport, found they had to walk to Milehouse before they could catch a tram to Fore Street. Likewise, people in St Budeaux were now required to transfer their journeys to the Great Western or the London & South Western railways. Much to the irritation of Devonport Council the people at Peverell jumped on a tram into Plymouth to shop instead. The Devonport & District Tramways Company continued as an independent company until October 2nd 1915, when Plymouth Corporation Tramways Department took over its lines and those owned by Devonport Corporation following the amalgamation of the Three Towns in November the preceding year. This resulted in a junction being laid in at Pennycomequick that enabled trams to run straight through from Plymouth to Fore Street from October 23rd 1916. A similar junction was added at Peverell Corner which resulted in the abandonment of the line from there to Tor Lane. Part of the agreement for the purchase was that in order to avoid trying to raise the capital for the purchase during the Great War, Plymouth would not need to pay for the undertaking until after the War was over. However, in the meantime they would pay the Company interest on the agreed amount. As a result the purchase of the Devonport & District Tramways Company by the Corporation was not legally completed until March 31st 1918.
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