Chesterfield tramway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Chesterfield Tramway

Restored electric tramcar no. 7 at the National Tramway Museum, Crich
Overview
Headquarters	Chesterfield
Locale	England
Dates of operation	1882–1927
Successor	Abandoned
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length	3+5⁄8 miles (5.8 km)

The Chesterfield Tramway was a system of trams that ran in the town of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. It started with horse-drawn trams in 1882. Later, in 1897, the local council, Chesterfield Corporation, took over the system.

They made big changes, adding electricity and extending the lines between 1904 and 1905. More electric trams were bought, but a fire in 1916 damaged some. After the First World War, the tram system needed a lot of repairs. Because of this, the trams were replaced by electric trolleybuses in 1927.

Chesterfield had planned to use trolleybuses much earlier, around 1913, but didn't go through with it then. When trolleybuses finally arrived, they mostly followed the old tram routes. A total of 19 trolleybuses were used, including some double-deckers. However, the trolleybus system also faced problems, like low railway bridges stopping its expansion. So, in 1938, motor buses replaced the trolleybuses.

How Chesterfield's Trams Began

The first tram company in Chesterfield was called the Chesterfield and District Tramways Company. They got permission from Parliament in 1879 to build tram lines. They planned to build about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of track. However, they only built a small part of one line, about 1.25 miles (2 km) long.

This first line ran from Brampton to the town centre, passing along Chatsworth Road. The trams were pulled by horses. There were three trams at first: two with two decks and one with a single deck. These were built by a company called Ashbury. The first tram journey happened on 8 November 1882. The company didn't last long and closed down in 1885 because of debts.

New Owners and Horse Trams

A new company, the Chesterfield Tramways Company, took over in 1886. They bought two more single-deck trams and made the fares cheaper. The local council, Chesterfield Corporation, was very interested in running its own tram system. In 1897, they bought the tramway for £2,050. The council officially took over the tram system on 22 November 1897.

Chatsworth Road depot in 2006.

Chesterfield Corporation continued to expand the horse tram fleet. They bought a new single-deck tram in 1898 and two more in 1899. They also bought two second-hand double-deck trams from Sheffield in 1903.

Switching to Electric Trams

By 1903, the council decided it was time to make the tram lines longer and switch to electric power. Robert Lawford Acland, the town's first electrical engineer, led this big project. They got permission for the work in 1904.

To allow the old tracks to be replaced, the horse tram service stopped in August 1904. A new section of track was built, going north from the town centre to Whittington Moor. This more than doubled the length of the system. The horse tram service started again on the Brampton line once it was finished.

The electric tram service started in stages. The route to Brampton was running by 23 December 1904. Part of the new route to Stonegravels opened on 24 December. The final section to Whittington Moor began operating on 31 January 1905. The first electric trams were 12 open-topped, double-deck trams built by the Brush Electrical Engineering Company.

Chesterfield Corporation Tramways network plan

A new depot (a place to keep and repair trams) was built for the electric trams. It was located on Chatsworth Road. This depot had four tracks and was built over special pits for inspections. It was made of bricks with a slate roof and is one of the few original tramway buildings still standing today.

Most of the tramway had a single track with special passing loops where trams could wait for others to pass. There was also double track in the town centre. The line was very busy on weekends, so it was sometimes operated in two sections.

Challenges and Changes

By 1909, the tramway system faced problems. Some equipment was wearing out faster than expected, especially the tracks. The system was funded by long-term loans, but not enough people were riding the trams, so money problems grew. The overhead wires and the trams themselves also needed repairs. Despite this, three new balcony trams were bought in 1914.

During the First World War, fewer staff were available to work on the tramway. This meant the tracks didn't get enough maintenance. Women helped fill the gaps, working as both conductors and drivers. After the war, young men returned to their jobs, but some women continued to work until 1921.

In the mid-1920s, the council decided to replace the trams with trolleybuses. This meant changing the overhead wires. The tram service to Brampton stopped on 28 February 1927. Petrol buses temporarily replaced the trams until the new wiring was ready. Trams on the Whittington Moor section were withdrawn from 23 May 1927, also replaced by petrol buses during the conversion.

Chesterfield's Trolleybuses

Chesterfield Corporation almost became one of the first places to use trolleybuses. In 1913, they got permission to build five trolleybus routes. These routes would have extended the tramway to different areas around the town. However, they didn't build them at that time.

It wasn't until the 1920s, when the tram tracks needed major repairs, that they thought about trolleybuses again. In 1926, they ordered 14 trolleybuses from a company called Straker-Squire. The first trolleybus arrived in Chesterfield on 21 April 1927.

The overhead wiring for the Brampton section was ready by 23 May 1927, and trolleybuses started running that evening. The northern route to Whittington Moor was finished by 27 September 1927, and a full trolleybus service began. The trolleybus routes mostly followed the old tram routes.

A new, large depot was built at Thornfield to house the trolleybuses and motorbuses. It was big enough for 100 vehicles.

Trolleybus Expansion and End

Within a month of the new service starting, the council decided to extend the northern route to New Whittington. Trolleybuses began running there on 29 July 1929. Two low-height double-deck trolleybuses were bought in 1931. The last expansion of the trolleybus fleet happened in 1936, when three second-hand trolleybuses were bought from York.

However, these new trolleybuses didn't stay long. In 1937, the council decided to replace the trolleybuses with motor buses. Reasons for this included the need to replace the overhead wiring, the cost of electricity, and the fact that low railway bridges made it hard to extend the trolleybus system further.

The Chesterfield trolleybus system closed on 24 March 1938. The last journey carried local councillors. The unwanted trolleybuses were stored in a field and later sold for scrap.

Types of Trams and Trolleybuses

The Chesterfield tramway used different types of vehicles over its history.

Horse Trams

Some of the horse trams had a special design that allowed the tram body to swing around on a central point. This meant the horses could move sideways to turn the tram around at the end of the line, while the wheels stayed on the track.

Horse tram No. 8 was sold when the system became electric. It was used as a summer house for many years. Later, it was given to the Science Museum and then loaned to the National Tramway Museum in 1985. It is now owned by the museum and is on display there.

Electric Trams

The first 12 electric trams were built by the Brush Electrical Engineering Company. They had seating for 22 people inside and 34 on the open top deck. A fire at the depot in 1916 damaged many trams. Two were too damaged to repair, but the rest were fixed. Later, some of the open-topped trams had roofs added to create balcony cars.

Tramcar No. 7 was sold when the electric system closed in 1927. It became a holiday cottage. In 1973, it was bought by the Tramway Museum Society and moved to Crich for restoration. After a lot of work, it started running again at the Crich Tramway Village in 1997 and is still in use today.

Trolleybuses

Trolleybuses 18 to 20 were bought second-hand from York. The Chesterfield system also tested several trolleybuses from other companies. For example, a Leyland double-deck trolleybus was tested in Chesterfield in 1931. It looked like a motorbus and later worked in Birmingham. It was eventually preserved and can be seen at rallies.