Portsmouth Corporation Transport was a

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

and

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

operator formed in 1898, serving the city of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, and owned by Portsmouth Corporation. Tram services ended in 1936, trolleybus services in 1963, while bus operations continued until the company was privatised in 1988.

History

City of Portsmouth Passenger Transport Department (CPPTD), otherwise known as Portsmouth Corporation Transport, was formed by Act of Parliament in 1898, allowing Portsmouth Corporation to take over the existing horse-drawn tramways in Portsmouth. The right to purchase the existing tramways was exercised in January 1901 and the system closed whilst it was converted to electric traction, being completed in September 1901. However, horse traction did not end completely and continued on the Hilsea to Cosham line until May 1903. The compulsory purchase of all of the lines of the Portsmouth Street Tramways Company within the borough, left the company with a short stub line from the boundary at Hilsea to Cosham. The parent company,

The Provincial Tramways Company The Provincial Tramways Company was a holding company for horse tramway companies in various regional towns of England. It was floated in July 1872 by means of a prospectus inviting public subscription for shares in the new company. The published p ...

, extended the line to Waterlooville and reopened as the

Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway The Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway SU657058 > SU660061 > SU666064 >SU674086 > SU683094 > SU690108 > SU698126> SU702128 ) --> was a tram service that ran initially from Cosham to Horndean in Hampshire, England. History Authorised in 189 ...

on 2 March 1902. Through working later took place, until Southdown purchased the company in 1935, then shut the line down.

Trolleybuses A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

replaced trams for the first time on the South Parade Pier to Cosham route on 4 August 1934 followed quickly by replacement of trams with trolleybuses on the other routes. The last tram was No. 106 and ran on 10 November 1936. Portsmouth Corporation Transport continued to operate the trolleybuses officially until 27 July 1963 (although it did operate trolleybuses on late evening services 17/18 and 19/20 for a few weeks afterwards), after which it continued purely as a bus operator, until 1988, when it was privatised.

Preservation and survivals

For many years, vehicles of Portsmouth Corporation Transport were preserved at the City of Portsmouth Preserved Transport Depot (CPPTD), based at the Broad Street bus depot in Portsmouth. Zoned for redevelopment, this site closed in 2003. Many vehicles were dispersed, but the CPPTD found a new home at Wicor Farm in

Portchester Portchester is a locality and suburb northwest of Portsmouth, England. It is part of the borough of Fareham in Hampshire. Once a small village, Portchester is now a busy part of the expanding conurbation between Portsmouth and Southampton o ...

and some of the vehicles have been returned. Unfortunately access to the new location is only by appointment, but some members of the collection have been used for free trips along

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...

seafront in the summer, since 2008. The body of a Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway tram survives at the

Old Kiln Light Railway The Old Kiln Light Railway is a narrow gauge railway at the Rural Life Living Museum in Tilford, near Farnham, Surrey. It has a collection of historic locomotives and rolling stock including two steam locomotives. It operates on most weekends ...

where it has been incorporated into a station building. Some surviving track can still be seen in the cobbled road surface of Broad Street, Old Portsmouth, , and in Rugby Road, south of Fratton Station, .

References

{{Authority control Tram transport in Hampshire Transport in Portsmouth Railway companies established in 1898 Companies based in Portsmouth 4 ft 7¾ in gauge railways in England British companies established in 1898 Former bus operators in Hampshire

External links

Welcome to Portsmouth website, page on Portsmouth Trams