Status Closed Route length 15.15 miles (24.38 km) Close 20 October 1956 | Propulsion system(s) Electric Open 1 June 1899 Locale Dundee | |
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Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) Depot(s) Walrond Road, Maryfield | ||
Dundee Corporation Tramways formerly served the City of Dundee, Scotland. The tram system was replaced by buses in 1956.
Contents
Origins
Horse-drawn trams were first introduced in 1877 by the Dundee and District Tramways followed by steam haulage in the 1880s. Dundee's trams came under municipal management in 1893. The City Corporation then replaced the steam and horse trams with electric traction between 1900 and 1902. The track was Standard gauge.
The system
The system was publicly owned and operated by Dundee Corporation (the predecessor of the present Dundee City Council). It was one of the smallest municipal tram systems in Great Britain, with approximately 100 trams in the 1930s, declining to only 55 after World War II. The trams were all double-decked, four-wheeled and painted in a green and cream livery.
Many electric trams continued in service until after World War II, by which time their replacement had become urgent. The system was closed in October 1956, with the remaining trams being replaced by Dundee Corporation diesel buses.
Lochee trams
The last trams built for Dundee were numbered 19-28 inclusive, better known as the "Lochee" trams. They were built in 1930 by Brush of Loughborough. As the widest trams in the fleet, they were restricted to the Lochee Road route. They were withdrawn on the closure of the route in 1956.
Successor company
Following local government reorganisation in 1975 the Dundee Corporation Transport Department was transferred to Tayside Regional Council. Following deregulation and privatisation, the successor company is Travel Dundee which was later rebranded as National Express Dundee and in 2015 as Xplore Dundee.