The City of Carlisle Electric Tramways Company operated an electric tramway service in Carlisle between 1900 and 1931.

History

The Carlisle Tramways Order of 1898 authorised the construction of an electric tramway and construction began in 1899. The system comprised 6 lines radiating from

Carlisle railway station Carlisle railway station, or Carlisle Citadel, is a Grade II* listed railway station serving the city of Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It is on the West Coast Main Line, south-east of and north north-west of . It is the northern terminus of ...

to Newtown, Stanwix, along Warwick Road to Petteril Bridge, London Road, Boundary Road and Denton Holme. The tramway was operated by the City of Carlisle Electric Tramways Co Ltd, power being taken from the Corporation's supply station in James Street and opened for public service on 30 June 1900 In 1911 the concern was sold to

Balfour Beatty Balfour Beatty plc () is an international infrastructure group based in the United Kingdom with capabilities in construction services, support services and infrastructure investments. A constituent of the FTSE 250 Index, Balfour Beatty works acr ...

who undertook track renewals and replaced the fleet of tramcars at a cost of £18,000 (equivalent to £ in ). After the

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 ...

, the company was unable to expand the services to meet the needs of an expanding town, and had started its own motorbuses services. In 1926 it changed its name to Carlisle and District Transport Company.

Fleet

*1-15 Electric Railway and Tramway Carriage Works 1900 – disposed of in 1912 *1-12

United Electric Car Company The United Electric Car Company was a tramcar manufacturer from 1905 to 1917 in Preston, Lancashire, England. History The Electric Railway and Tramway Carriage Works was formed in 1897 registered on 25 April 1898 to acquire works at Preston, ...

1912 *13 Second hand car (1903) from Ilkeston Corporation Tramways obtained in 1920 *14 English Electric 1925 *15 English Electric 1923

Closure

Carlisle Corporation purchased the assets of the company on 5 March 1931, and after being unable to get agreement with local bus operators and secure an operating licence, closed the tramway system on 21 November 1931. In 2011, plans were made to send the remains of a Carlisle tram to

Workington Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207. Locat ...

for partial restoration and in 2013 it was announced that this was about to begin using

Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Wolverhampton between 1902 and 1928. History On 1 May 1900, for the sum of £26,750, Wolverhampton Corporation bought the Wolverhampton Tramways Company which had operated a st ...

number 49, based at

Black Country Living Museum The Black Country Living Museum (formerly the Black Country Museum) is an open-air museum of rebuilt historic buildings in Dudley, West Midlands, England.

, as a model.

References

{{Historic UK Trams Tram transport in England History of Carlisle, Cumbria Companies based in Carlisle, Cumbria 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in England