South Lancashire Tramways was a system of electric tramways in south
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
authorised by the South Lancashire Tramways Act of 1900. The ''South Lancashire Tramways Company'' was authorised by the act to build over of track to serve the towns between St Helens (now in
Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...
Westhoughton
Westhoughton ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester.Bolton Corporation system ended. The system was the largest standard-gauge electric tramway outside London.
The company had difficulty raising capital and at the end of November 1900 its shares were acquired by the ''South Lancashire Electric Traction and Power Company''. It also acquired the shares of the ''Lancashire Light Railways Company'' and the ''South Lancashire Electric Supply Company''. Construction began in late 1901 and in October 1902 the first section from
Lowton
Lowton is a suburban village within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is around from Leigh, south of Wigan and west of Manchester city centre. The settlement lies across the A580 East Lancashire Road.
Wi ...
through
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
Over Hulton
Over Hulton is a suburb of Westhoughton within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester,
England.
Historically part of Lancashire, it lies south west of Bolton.
History
The ancient district of Hulton, contained three townshi ...
opened.
Atherton became the centre of the system and the tram sheds, power station and offices were built on the north side of Leigh Road at
Howe Bridge
Howe Bridge is a suburb of Atherton, Greater Manchester, Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. Historic counties of England, Historically within Lancashire, it is situated to the south west of Atherton town centre on the B5215, the old Turnpike t ...
(grid reference ).
Unrestored tram body, No 65 built by
Brush Electrical Engineering Company
Brush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives in Loughborough, England. It is a subsidiary of Wabtec.
History
Hughes's Locomotive & Tramway Engine Works
Henry Hughes had been operating at the Falcon Works since t ...
in 1906, is in the collection of the
Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester
The Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester aims to preserve and promote the public transport heritage of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is located in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester.
Background
The museum was established in ...