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Replica of 1892 Bradford horse tram
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Hand crafted interior of Bradford tram
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How it all started
For almost 90 years, trams were a popular and efficient means of passenger transport around the streets of urban Britain. The 1870 Tramways Act gave great impetus to the building of urban tramways in Britain. The earliest tramcars were horse drawn, fitted with steel flanged wheels, running on steel rails, enabling a horse to pull up to three times the equivalent weight of a conventional road vehicle. By mid 1870's, horse-powered tramways systems were already appearing on the streets of many towns and cities, and soon had revolutionised public transport for most ordinary people; trams being cheaper and more frequent that other forms of transport.
The Bradford and Newcastle Trams
Replica trams, reproduced by local craftsmen using the traditional materials and methods of construction, have been supplied to both Bradford Industrial Museum and The North of England Open Air Museum at Beamish.
The 18-seater horse tramcar is of the type originally manufactured by the Starbuck Car and Wagon Company of Birkenhead between 1874 and 1875.
Whilst the 1901 Newcastle electric tramcar originally manufactured by Hurst, Nelson Ltd of Motherwell has an open upper deck and seats 53 passengers. |
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Bradford horse tram under construction
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Replica 1901 Newcastle electric tramcar under construction
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