Ilkeston Corporation Tramways was a tramway network in

Ilkeston Ilkeston is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Derbyshire, England, on the River Erewash, from which the borough takes its name, with a population at the 2011 census of 38,640. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/texti ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, in the East Midlands of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

run firstly by Ilkeston Borough Council and from 1916 by the

Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Tramways Company The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Tramways Company was formed in 1903 to build a tramway linking Nottingham, Derby, and Ilkeston, in Derbyshire, England. But only a short section was built. Construction The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Tra ...

. The system ran between 1903 and 1931. Ilkeston was the first town in Derbyshire to adopt and operate a fully electrical tramway system.IIlkeston Tramways : Derbyshire's First Electric Tramway (Barry M Marsden) Published by Ilkeston & District Local History Society

History

Ilkeston was the first Derbyshire town served by an electric tramway.Ilkeston tramways
Ilkeston Local History Society, accessed August 2013 The proposal to build the first electric tramway was made by a firm called Derbyshire Brothers to Ilkeston Town Council who approved the idea in 1897. In 1899, the ''Ilkeston Corporation Tramways Act'' was passed to allow the construction to proceed although by this time the Council had decided to undertake the work with Derbyshire Brothers as advisors and contractors. The line was 3¾ miles long and consisted of a single-line from Cotmanhay to Hallam Fields Road, along Cotmanhay Road to the town centre, where it served both the Great Northern Railway's Heanor Road station and the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...

's Ilkeston Town station, and then Granby Street, Bath Street, South Street, Nottingham Road to Hallam Fields. A short ½ mile branch line along Station Road served the Ilkeston Junction railway station. The track was 3' 6" gauge. The first tram tried out the track on 1 May 1903. The first accident occurred on three days later, before the system was opened to the public. A tram was travelling down South street and collided with a horse and fish barrow belonging to Buckall and King. The horse and barrow were knocked over. The first public tram ran on 16 May 1903. In 1903 tram stops and fares were fixed (1d anywhere, except Station Road to Bath street which was 1/2d.) An illuminated tram was in use for Christmas 1909 and again at the celebrations for the coronation of King George V in 1911. There were 13 trams in the fleet, originally painted in the Borough colours of maroon and cream, but after the Council sold the network they were gradually repainted in green and cream. The depot was on Park Road at . The cost of building the network was estimated at over £80000 (). Although the opening figures were good, revenues from the service soon began to drop and before long the tramway was running at a loss. The Council looked for a buyer and the tramway was bought by

in 1916 for £28,150 (). Tram services ceased in 1931 and the service was replaced by trolleybuses, (referred to locally as 'tracklesses') and by motor buses. The tram track was removed over the next few months, with the final section in Station Road during February 1932.

References

External links

Ilkeston Corporation Tramways uniformed staff

{{Historic UK Trams Rail transport in Nottinghamshire Tram transport in England Transport companies established in 1903 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in England Rail transport in Derbyshire Ilkeston 1903 establishments in England Transport companies disestablished in 1931 1931 disestablishments in England