Huddersfield: The Yorkshire town which helped pave the way for public transport
The Corporation promoted a Bill in 1879 and this secured powers to construct tramways under the Huddersfield Improvement Act which received Royal Assent on August 2, 1880.
However, the Act did not empower the Corporation to work the tramways, so it was decided to lease them. When no suitable offer was received, the Corporation applied to the Board of Trade for permission to do so. A licence was granted in 1882.
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Hide AdA steam tram drawing a trailer car was trialled along Chapel Hill on November 13, 1882. During the following day, a newspaper reported that just after 11am the engine and car arrived at Chapel Hill, where they were met by the Mayor (Alderman J.F. Brigg) and other members of the Corporation.


Altogether, there were 40 passengers inside the car, which was two over the number permitted.
It travelled along the gradient – one of 1 in 111/2, about 300 yards in length, and the steepest tramway gradient in England – at a good speed.
With such a number of passengers in the car the trial was considered a success.
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Hide AdServices commenced with six steam locomotives built by William Wilkinson & Co. Ltd and six cars built by the Starbuck Car & Wagon Co., Birkenhead. The first service ran between Lockwood (Red Lion Hotel) and Fartown (Royal Hotel) on Thursday January 11, 1883.


A report said the trams started from Fartown at 9am and travelled to Lockwood in half an hour. It added: ‘Young horses have naturally been somewhat shy at the engine and car, and in one case an animal suddenly backing at the sight of them, sent the cart to which it was attached against a lamp post and knocked it down.’ The ‘inside’ fare from the centre to each terminus was 2d, and the ‘outside’ fare 1d.
Around the same time, the Halidee Cable Company agreed to lease two sections of the route for cable operation but they eventually abandoned the project with the consent of the Corporation on terms.
Thus, with the exception of the Moldgreen section, which for three years from 1885 to 1888 was worked by Horse Traction, the entire system was powered for a time by steam from its inauguration.
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Hide AdLater, larger cars and heavier engines were introduced, the latter supplied by Kitsons and Greens of Leeds.


By March 31, 1897, the rolling stock was quoted as comprising 26 steam locos and 26 double-deck bogie cars. There was a track mileage of 22.16.
Advertising on vehicles began in 1885 and the movement of parcels during 1887. Six years later, Huddersfield was the first to introduce a system of carrying postal letter boxes on the trams.
One newspaper on March 21, 1893 said the service was trialled the previous day and mentioned: ‘If any person wishes to stop the tram for the purpose of posting a letter one penny must be made, and this is to be placed in the conductor’s fare box.’
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Hide AdThe boxes were emptied every hour from 8.30 in the morning until 9.30 at night, and finally at 11pm.


In August 1896, trucks were built, at the tramway dept workshops, for transporting sanitary refuse from the Longbridge Depot to the tip at Waterloo.
By the end of the century, Huddersfield Corporation decided to convert the whole tram system to electric traction. For the work to proceed, an application was made to the Board of Trade for borrowing £47,780.
The Outlane and Lindley routes were equipped by contractors Greenwood and Batley, Leeds; the Longwood and Crosland Moor routes, R.W. Blackwell & Co. The remainder were taken care of by the Corporation itself.
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Hide AdThe last steam trams operated in regular service to Almondbury and Honley on June 17, 1902. Though, later that month, three cars were used in connection with traffic to Fartown Sports.
Electric trams started on the Lindley route from February 14, 1901, and, during the same day, they commenced on the Outlane and the Lindley via Edgerton and Holly Bank Road routes.
This was after Major Druitt, the Inspector of the Board of Trade, had made some remarks about the system.


G.F. Milnes & Co., of Hadley, supplied Huddersfield’s first 25 electric trams. They were the open-top type, seating 24 inside and 29 on the upper deck. By 1903, the rolling stock numbered 70 tramcars. The livery was Indian red and cream. Then, Post office red and cream from 1931.
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Hide AdAnother feature of the Huddersfield tramway service was the carriage of coal in specially designed trucks from September, 1904.
The first firm to use this provision was Martin, Sons & Co. Ltd, worsted and woollen cloth manufacturers, of Wellington Mills, Lindley. Coal was carried from shoots at Hillhouse to the Wellington Mills.
There was an accident on April, 22 1905. At 7. 40 a.m., car no. 26 left the top of Northumberland Street, with Matthew Smith the driver and John Earnshaw, the conductor.
The car travelled satisfactorily as far as the Woodman Inn, Bradley and there were no passengers when it left that point for the terminus opposite the White Cross Inn, Bradley.
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Hide AdThat section of the journey was downhill, and, it was said, the driver lost control through the brakes not acting.
The conductor was thrown off the platform on to the road. The driver kept at his post until the car reached the terminus and ran off the rails.
Then, he went through the car to the rear and jumped off. The car ran down the road, but turned to the left and dashed through the garden wall of a private residence where it broke down a large tree, stripped large branches of others and came to a halt about 150 yards from the terminal rails.
When the driver jumped off, he was badly hurt; the conductor was severely shaken and injured an arm.
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Hide AdThe length of the Huddersfield electric system eventually stretched to 38.7 miles. A double deck, open top car was illuminated as part of Huddersfield’s Coronation celebrations on Thursday June 22, 1911.
It was seen on a number of routes during the following week. Three years later, a tram was used as a means of appealing for recruits to join the war.
As men were called up for military service, female conductors were employed until 1919, but did not drive the trams.
A double deck, open top car was decorated to celebrate the achievements of Huddersfield Town Football Club. FA Cup runners-up in 1920, the club won the trophy in 1922.
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Hide AdIn the early hours of Sunday, June 30, 1940, the last tram to be run by Huddersfield Corporation travelled up Northumberland Street.
At the controls, wearing his chain of office, was the Mayor (Alderman Norman Crossley) and he brought the tram to a stop outside the Passenger Transport Office. This ended the electric tram service, which had served the town for nearly 40 years.
Large crowds turned out at various points on the route to Brighouse – the last to be converted to the trolley bus service –and they cheered it on its way.
The journey to and from Brighouse normally took an hour. But the last tram which left the town for Brighouse around 10.30pm occupied two hours.
But, no one seemed to mind, it was a night out for everybody.
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