Scarborough Tramways Company


The Scarborough Tramways Company provided an electric tramway service in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, between 1904 and 1931.

History

Scarborough Corporation obtained parliamentary powers under the Scarborough Tramways Act 1902 to operate tramways in the town. The Scarborough Tramways Company was formed under this Act to build and work the tramways.
The main contractor for construction was the parent company, Edmundson's Electricity Corporation, and the general layout of the system was to the design of Mr. Swinton, with Mr. Waler as consultant engineer. The tramways were laid with 6 inch grooved 45 foot girder rails weighing 90 pounds per yard, supplied by the North Eastern Steel Company of Middlesbrough, with points and crossings manufactured by Hadfields Limited of Sheffield. The contract for the overhead work was awarded to Robert W. Blackwell & Company of London.
The power for the system was obtained from Edmundson's Electricity Corporation from their town power station off Seamer Road.
The car depot was located off Scalby Road at.
Construction began on 12 October 1903 and was complete by the following May. After an inspection by Colonel Pelham von Donop on 4 May 1904, the system was opened to the public on 6 May 1904.
The costs of construction, including an extension to the power station, was £96,000.

Fleet

The initial 22 tramcars were built by Brush Electrical Machines.
Five further cars and one spare car body were obtained second hand from Ipswich Corporation Tramways. One was numbered 21, to replace the original 21 destroyed in the accident on 16 September 1925. The remaining cars were numbered 23 - 25

Routes

After a rationalisation in 1906, the company operated 6 routes as follows:
The system was closed on 30 September 1931