PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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THE OPENING
The first trial runs
on the Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport Tramways system were made on the morning of
Monday February 12th 1872, when a tram left the Plymouth end at 7am and returned at
8.45am.
Then on Saturday February 17th 1872, Plymouth's Borough Surveyor and a whole host of the great and the good of the Three Towns made an inspection of the line before giving their consent to it being opened to the public. A single tramcar drawn by two of Mr Temple's horses made two return trips between Plymouth and Devonport, taking around fifteen minutes for the single journey. By the following Thursday the drivers and horses were used to the curves and pointwork and 'passed over (the line) in excellent style.' The powerful brakes (or 'breaks', as they were called in those days) were found to be excellent in both stopping the cars quickly and also in easing the pressure on the horses when travelling down the steep Stonehouse Hill. Comments were also passed about the wide gangway between the two rows of seats allowing boarding and alighting passengers to cause little inconvenience to other travellers. Free rides were given to the public on Sunday March 17th 1872 and the regular service started the following day. The fleet of eight trams were horse-drawn and kept in a depot in Manor Lane, Stonehouse. During the week of June 24th 1872 the horse buses started to act purely as feeders to the Tramway. It was hoped that 'by working together these vehicles furnish a cheap, expeditious, and convenient means of local intercommunication'. However, the additional horse bus routes to South Devon Place and the Barbican 'will not be started at present'. Furthermore, the service from Plymouth to Devonport now started at 6am and ran until after 11pm. As the column writer in the Western Morning News put it: 'Patronise it pretty liberally now. For unless it is found to be comparatively - perhaps not absolutely - remunerative, it will be withdrawn in the course of a few weeks, and then when rainy and cold nights and mornings set in ..... lingering but vain regrets will be heard for the discontinued tramcars'. [a] During 1875 the line was extended at the Devonport end up to Fore Street. The work was done by Mr Charles D Savill, of London. Mr W A Pudney was the superintendent of works, assisted by a Mr Brook. The new track was to be used for the first time on Thursday October 28th 1875. [b] The line was electrified in 1901. Sources (incomplete):
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