Edinburgh had the second largest tramway system in Scotland. At its peak, some 400 trams operated in the city. Initially Edinburgh trams were cable-operated. Although electric cars ran from 1910, it was not until the early 1920s, when the Corporation took over, that the city’s last cable-operated routes were converted to electric traction. As a result, the city possessed, by the late 1940s, one of the more modern tramway operations in Britain and new trams were built as late as 1950. However, in a dramatic switch of policy, in mid-1952 the Corporation announced that the system would be converted to bus operation. Over the next four years the tramways were rapidly abandoned, with the last trams operating on 16 November 1956.
Published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the system’s closure, this new addition to an already popular and highly successful series will be essential reading for all tramway enthusiasts and all those who knew Edinburgh’s trams in their final years. It will also be of interest to all those fascinated by the history of Edinburgh and the changing face of the city over the past 60 years.
Author: George Fairley
Format: PB 80 pages
Publisher: Ian Allan Ltd
Pub date: Nov 2006
ISBN 10: 0711031940
ISBN 13: 9780711031944
List Price: £14.99
