Colne and Trawden Light Railway Company
| Colne and Trawden Light Railway Company | |
|---|---|
 Remains of the terminus at Trawden | |
| Operation | |
| Locale | Colne, Trawden |
| Open | 20 November 1903 |
| Close | 6 January 1934 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft (1,219 mm) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Electric |
| Depot(s) | Heifer Lane |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 7 miles (11 km) |
The Colne and Trawden Light Railway Company operated a tramway service in Colne and Trawden between 1903 and 1934.[1]
History
[edit]
The tramway was authorised by the Colne and Trawden Light Railway Order of 1901. It was built and operated by Greenwood & Batley of Leeds. Nuttal and Co were contractors for the permanent way, and R.W. Blackwell for the overhead wiring.[2]
Construction started on 19 May 1903 when the Mayor of Colne, Alderman Varley, cut the first sod.[3] Services started on the first section on 28 November 1903, and other sections opened in stages until the line reached Zion Chapel on Lane House Lane, Trawden by December 1905. A branch to Laneshawbridge opened by the end of December 1904. The system connected with Nelson Corporation Tramways.
Colne Corporation purchased the entire system on 24 March 1914 and the name was changed to Colne Corporation Light Railways.[4]
Fleet
[edit]The company purchased vehicles as follows:
- 1-6 G.F. Milnes & Co. 1903
- 7-9 Brush Electrical Machines, Loughborough 1903
- 10-12 Milnes Voss, 1906
- 13 United Electric Car Company 1914
- 14-16 Brush Electrical Machines, Loughborough 1926
Closure
[edit]
The system closed on 6 January 1934. It was estimated that the tramcars had travelled over 4,582,000 miles and carried 57.5 million passengers during the years of operation.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
- ^ The Light Railways of Colne, J.S. King, Tramway Review, Vol. 9, No. 72, Winter 1972
- ^ "Colne's New Light Railway". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. England. 20 May 1903. Retrieved 12 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ The Light Railways of Colne, J.S. King, Tramway Review, Vol. 9, No. 73, Spring 1973
- ^ The Light Railways of Colne, J.S. King, Tramway Review, Vol. 10, No. 74, Summer 1973