Mansfield & District Light Railways was an electric tramway network operating in
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
from 16 July 1905 to 9 October 1932.
The tramway company was a subsidiary of
Midland Counties Electric Supply Company
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, who in turn were owned by
Balfour Beatty.
History
On 18 November 1904, Mansfield Town Council concluded negotiations with the company promoting the tramway and authorised the start of construction.
The Pleasley and Nottingham Road sections of the Mansfield and District Light Railways were completed and inspected by General Trotter and Major Pringle of the Board of Trade on 11 July 1905 and opened for passenger traffic on the same day.
The service from Mansfield to Sutton was authorised to start on 21 December 1905
Infrastructure
The tramway network consisted of 5 routes covering just over 12 miles and joining neighbouring towns.
These routes began in Mansfield's Market Place and went to Berry Hill, Crown Farm,
Mansfield Woodhouse,
Pleasley and via
Sutton-in-Ashfield
Sutton-in-Ashfield is a market town in Nottinghamshire, England, with a population of 48,527 in 2019. It is the largest town in the district of Ashfield,
four miles west of Mansfield, two miles from the Derbyshire border and 12 miles nort ...
to Hucknall-under-
Huthwaite.
The depot was in Sutton Road, Mansfield at . The buildings and site are still in use as a motorbus depot.
Tramcars
The fleet comprised a total of 31 cars plus a water car. Livery was red and cream (light green and cream in later years).
Two cars were purchased in 1912 from the
Cavehill and Whitewell Tramway of
Northern Ireland and two bought and one borrowed in 1930 from the nearby
Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Tramways Company, (another Midland Counties Electric Supply Co. subsidiary).
Closure
The tramway was largely rural in nature and it was replaced by motor buses,
despite trolleybus authority having been obtained in 1929.
In 1932 two trams (27 and 28) were sold to
Sunderland Corporation Tramways
Sunderland Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Sunderland (then part of County Durham) between 1900 and 1954.
History
In 1900 Sunderland Corporation bought the Sunderland Tramways Company which had operated a horse-drawn tramwa ...
, where they saw further service until 1953.
References
External links
Mansfield & District Light Railways uniformed staff
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansfield And District Light Railways
Rail transport in Nottinghamshire
Tram transport in England
Railway companies established in 1905
Mansfield
British companies established in 1905