Neath Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in
Neath between 1897 and 1920.
History
Neath Corporation took over the tramway services previously provided by the
Neath and District Tramways Company. Unlike other local authority tramway modernisation programmes, Neath Corporation opted for town gas powered tramcars, The British Gas Traction Company supplied the tramcars, which stored
town gas
Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made from coal and supplied to the user via a piped distribution system. It is produced when coal is heated strongly in the absence of air. Town gas is a more general term referring to manufactured gaseous ...
under compression in cylinders.
British Gas Traction Company was a subsidiary of Luhrig Company, and obtained the gas engines from
Gasmotoren-Fabrik Deutz of
Köln. The tramcars were manufactured under licence by the
Lancaster Railway Carriage and Wagon Company.
The track was relayed by Krauss of Bristol, starting in March 1898.
On 29 August 1899 the inspector from the
Board of Trade, Colonel Sir
Francis Marindin
Colonel Sir Francis Arthur Marindin, KCMG (1 May 1838 – 21 April 1900) served with the Royal Engineers and was a key figure in the early development of association football. He was later knighted for his work in public services.[First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...]
resulted in the corporation taking direct control, and it was closed in the face of motor bus competition in 1920.
Tramcar number 1 is preserved at the
Cefn Coed Colliery Museum
Cefn Coed Colliery Museum is a former coal mine, now operating as a museum. It is located at Crynant near Neath in the South Wales Valleys.
Background
Coal mining in the Neath area began with the development of the port of Neath in the 16th ...
.
References
{{Historic UK Trams
Tram transport in Wales