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3.1. Map 27a
With the abolition of Turnpikes, horse-bus services to and from
'town' began, the first being Snow Hill to Dudley Port via Hockley,
and Suffolk St. to Bournbrook, 1872-3. Borough Council built first
tram-lines, Colmore Row to Hockley, '73, leased to B'ham & District
Tramway Co. Several Cos. then formed, all tracks built by Council,
leased. First steam trams, 1882, universally hated. Many suburban
railway stations, frequent services. Steam tram routes by 1885 -
Stratford Road to Sparkhill, Moseley Road to Moseley, Bristol Road
to Dawlish Road, Bournbrook, Dudley and Wednesbury, Newtown Row
and Birchfield Road to Perry Barr, Aston Road to Erdington and Witton,
Great Lister St. to Saltley: several others planned. Horse-buses
still on Albert St. - Nechells route. 1888-9, cable system, Colmore
Row to Hockley Hill, lasted until 1911: endless cable, to which
tramcar was clamped. 1890, first battery electric cars, inefficient.
General Powers Bill passed 1903, allowed municipalisation of tram
services, despite opposition from other authorities. 1904, first
overhead electric cable tramcars. By 1907 all routes and stock taken
over, electric trains on all routes. 34 miles of track, 300 cars
by 1909. Profits from tramways helped to pay for the Welsh Water
scheme. 1913, first petrol-buses, Nechells. 1919, last radial route,
Warwick Road to Westley Brook. By 1928 the Inner and Outer Circles,
other cross-city and radial extension routes were in operation.
Trolley buses on Nechells and Coventry Road routes, 1922 and '31.
Replacement of trams by diesel buses from the late '40s due to congestion
in narrow streets. Addition of services as new estates built from
the 1920's. Whole Transport Dept. taken over by West Midlands Passenger
Transport Board, 1970.
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